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The Blunt Truth: Should Medical Marijuana be Legalized?

Proponents of legalizing medical marijuana debate the pros and cons. Some argue
that medical marijuana can be safe and effective treatment for the serious symptoms of
cancer, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, AIDS, pain glaucoma and several other medical
conditions. People all around the world are discovering the countless benefits from
medical marijuana in terms of an essential medicine that alleviates serious symptoms.
Others argue that medical marijuana is a contradicting term that has no medical use and
high potential for abuse, which is immoral, and just simply illegal.
The US Congress placed medical Marijuana in Schedule 1 of the Controlled
Substances Act, in 1972. The US Congress has agreed that theres no accepted medical
use (ProCon, 2014). As a schedule 1 substance together with heroin, under the federal
law it is entirely illegal for any such person to distribute, manufacture, or possess
cannabis for any reason. Yet since then 21 states including DC have made the plant
obtainable for medicine but only to the patients that qualify (ProCon, 2014). Legalization
of medical marijuana still continues to be on the ballot today in a dozen states across the
US.

Marijuana has been scientifically proven to effectively treat many medical

conditions. Theres an abundance amount of evidence that medical marijuana has been
accepted as capable of relieving the distress of many ill patients all around the US. The
use of medical marijuana helps relieve chronic pain from a number of pain-producing
illnesses (Drug-Free). Medical marijuana is a safer route for many physicians that

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prescribe rather toxic drugs to their patients every single day. Lester Grinspoon, a Doctor
of Medicine stated, the smoking of cannabis in the Western territories has been around
for over four decades, and there has been no reported case of lung cancer attributed to
marijuana (ProCon).
The government has stood in the way of conducting more research regarding the
use of medical marijuana. The medical use of marijuana still remains illegal under federal
law, and patients in the remaining states are without any legal access at all. Even in states
where medical marijuana laws exist like California and Arizona. Patients and providers
are vulnerable to arrest and interference from federal law enforcement (Rpt). Medical
marijuana programs in additional states help to expand existing programs to better protect
patients rights. They also improve patient access to their own personal medicine
(ProCon). Helping to end the federal ban on medical marijuana so that all patients within
the United States have safe access to quality medicine.
Two months before California voters approved a 1996 ballot that initiated the use
of medical marijuana, orange county sheriffs warned that passing the measure would
promote the wrong idea on kids (Sullum). Such fears still play a huge role in debates
going on today. There are studies surveying the use of teenagers partaking in smoking
marijuana out of the eight states of the ten that have functioning medical marijuana laws
(Rpt.). People fear that with the increase of functioning medical marijuana laws brings
the wrong idea on kids thinking that its more acceptable than ever. Overall the studies
and data show signs of the complete opposite. The medical marijuana states have seen a
slightly bigger decrease in teenage marijuana use than the country as a whole. For
California, ninth graders that reportedly smoked pot decreased 47 percent between 1996

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and 2004 (Sullum). As hard as it may be to believe, no state that has passed the use of
medical marijuana has had an increase in youth marijuana intake.
Due to its lack of repeatable scientific data, medical marijuana should take into
caution. Medical organizations state that theres more safer/effective medicine to treat
debilitating illnesses. A director of the office of National Drug Control Policy states that
marijuana being smoked can damage the heart, lungs, brain, and immune system -John
Walters (ProCon). He states that it infers with memory, perception and judgment. Studies
have shown that smoking 3-4 marijuana cigarettes a day can cause the same damage to
the immune system as tobacco cigarettes (NORML). Having that said, cannabis
consumed by smoking can weaken the immune system. A study was done where they
tested the abstinence of cannabis from heavy marijuana users. The results show that the
withdraw effects were similar to someone with nicotine withdraw (Rpt.).
Organizations such as Drug-Free Action Alliance are a nonprofit drug prevention
agency. They argue that marijuana should be used for the same scientific manner as any
other substances. The viewpoint states that marijuana has no actual medical use. These
organizations state that if theres more evidence then legalization will be considered. As a
schedule 1 substance, it states that theres no actual medical use in the United States. The
efforts to legalize medical marijuana for medicine have been growing immensely in the
United States. Organizations along with the national medical associations do not support
smoked marijuana as medicine. These leading organizations believe that there are safer
treatment options that exist. The FDA has approved a synthetic version of THC named
Marinol. The medication is taken orally and is available by prescription in all 50 states.

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Marijuana as a whole should have the same research, consideration, and study of any
other potential medicine.
The debate about medical marijuana is growing immensely, therefore, medical
marijuana laws will continue to be argued by both parties until a final resolution is
eventually decided. So, stating that both parties recognize the need to help patients with
severe illnesses makes medical marijuana at a high potential for being completely legal in
the United States. Whether for the legalization of medical marijuana or not, each side can
recognize at some degree the positive effects of medical marijuana for serious medical
conditions. Also, both sides recognize medical marijuanas effective laws in the United
States. So if the states were to fully legalize medical marijuana itll require specific laws
for regulating the use of the drug. Both sides can agree that legalizing a substance that
has been illegal for years could cause potential crime rates to increase, but according to
actual crime rate stats it hasnt.
So how can all this chatter about the legalization of medical marijuana be
resolved? Arguing that the proponents of cannabis do not fully meet the Controlled
Substances Acts strict standards for Placement in Schedule 1. Stating that cannabis is
evidently less harmful than the several other powerful drugs that are located in the same
Controlled Substance Act category. By removing cannabis from the Act altogether, it
would let the states to have more legal access on medical marijuana use without the
federal government standing in the way. The government should recognize and respect
individual free will, stating that if a person decides whether or not to utilize medical
marijuana they can chose for themselves if they desire to live in a state that has medical
marijuana laws legalized. Also, removing medical marijuana from the federal level would

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open many doors to additional research on the drug that is becoming exceedingly
prevalent today.

Works Cited

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Bearman, David. "Marijuana Has Been Proven to Effectively Treat Many Medical
Conditions." Medical Marijuana. Ed. Nol Merino. Detroit: Greenhaven Press,
2011. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "Medical Marijuana: Scientific
Mechanisms and Clinical Indications." 1-18. Opposing Viewpoints in Context.
Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
Drug-Free Action Alliance and Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Association of Ohio.
"The FDA's Opposition to Medical Marijuana Legalization Is Based on Science."
Marijuana. Ed. Noah Berlatsky. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing
Viewpoints.
"NORML.org - Working to Reform Marijuana Laws." Medical Use. N.p., n.d. Web. 05
Apr. 2014.
ProCon.org. "Top 10 Pros and Cons." ProCon.org. 6 May 2009. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
Rpt. from "Marijuana as Medicine." 2011. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web.
8 Apr. 2014.
Sullum, Jacob. "That chemo cachet: medical marijuana and kids." Reason Jan. 2006: 12+.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.