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Medical Marijuana
Ever since early testing began in labs on rats, it has since been common knowledge that
cannabis consists of cancer fighting and other medicinal properties. By activating the
cannabinoid receptors in the brain hundreds of thousands of patients have found relief from
chronic pain and other illnesses they may be battling. Early cases of marijuanas medicinal
benefits were made into a reality when instances of a 5-year old girl went nation after she found
relief from over 100 seizures per day through the use of cannabis oil. Since then, products such
as Charlottes Web and Rick Simpson oil have been developed to bring out all the best of
marijuanas medicinal benefits without getting the user stoned, in a process which basically
entails separating the CBN compound and THC compound on the plant. When the marijuana
plant is in its whole raw state, it consists of both the active ingredient THC, which makes the
user experience a high or cerebral effect that can impair thoughts and movements, and CBN
which is the active ingredient shown to fight against cancer, seizures, chronic pain, and much
more. By extracting the plant's essential oils and separating both active ingredients, a patient can
be provided with high CBN selections that instead of getting them high and impairing them, will
only bring out the best of the plants medicinal values. This is the reason so many patients not
only in America but globally have been able to get rid of harmful prescription medications and
adopt a much safer and organic alleviation to their symptoms, known as cannabis. Also, due to
this movement and since marijuana has made such a breakthrough in the medical industry,
fortunately, three states have so far legalized marijuana entirely, and nearly 20 have legalized it
on a therapeutic level. (Metts 178).
The question is, since prohibition started in the late 1930s, why are a large percentage of
the patients in need still being denied the healthy alternative that is cannabis? Because although

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more than 20 states have already made a stance on accepting marijuana, there still remains more
than half the country which is left in limbo and without the plant in a legal manner. This leaves
patients nationwide with unhealthy alternatives such as morphine and other harmful prescription
drugs which have been killing Americans at an alarming rate, so again, why has the Government
still been holding out on legalizing cannabis nationwide? Through the use of these ten sources,
problem will be thoroughly investigated and will be made not only surrounding why the media
and Government have been ignoring the proven studies pertaining to the medical potential of
marijuana but also why some citizens in the general public still believe it is more harmful than
helpful.
The first piece of literature in question, Puff, Puff, Pass That Law: The Changing
Legislative Environment of Medical Marijuana Policy which was written by Representative Dina
Titus agrees with the thesis of this paper which is that marijuana evidently provides many
medical benefits and is not harmful, and employs an emotional appeal by shedding light on
veteran trauma and suicide rates. In the journal it states, There are many sobering statistics
regarding the abnormally high rate of drug addiction and suicide among veterans. Currently, too
many veterans suffering from lingering pain or post-traumatic stress disorder are unable to obtain
access to medical marijuana and instead must resort to self-medication or reliance on potentially
addictive opioids. (Titus 53). The fact that so many people in need are being forced to rely on
harmful prescription drugs is truly saddening and also concerning, as the inevitable always
happens which is further damage, or as it has shown time and time again to be prevalent within
opioid users, death. The fact that a much better alternative resides and big pharma choices to
ignore it is also infuriating because it paints the picture that pharmacy companies and the
Government care more about profit rather than helping those suffering. In regards to suicide

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rates, Melanie Rylander sheds contrastive light on the topic when stating, Suicide is among the
ten most common causes of death in the United States. Researchers have identified a number of
factors associated with completed suicide, including marijuana use, and increased land
elevation (Rylander 272) and found that when speaking in regards to marijuana and how it
affects suicide rates, We found no consistent association between the number of marijuana
registrants and completed suicide after controlling for multiple known risk factors for completed
suicide (Rylander) proving that marijuana has no adverse effects on promoting self-harm, but
can rather help towards the reduction of suicide as many veterans battling demons such as PTSD
have found relief through as aforementioned, medical marijuana and its healing compounds.
(Nussbaum). The implications that surround this study only help the case for promoting medical
marijuana and its benefits, which continues to astound further studies as to why medical
marijuana has not been simply legalized nationwide. The study Pharmacy Students Knowledge
and Attitudes Regarding Medical Marijuana carried out by PharmD Karen Moeller in some ways
explains the stigma surrounding medical marijuana and why it has not made a breakthrough
nationwide yet as more than 300 understudies were questioned on the matter and surveyed. In the
results portion of the study, it states, the majority of students did not feel comfortable answering
consumers questions regarding efficacy, safety, or drug interactions related to the substance
(Moeller). The truth is, as it also states in the study, pharmacy students simply have a lack of
education on the matter because of the lack of studies promoted at major universities and
because of evidently the stigma that has surrounded marijuana use for decades. Ever since
Hollywood publications such as Reefer Madness erupted into the mainstream marijuana users
have been portrayed as lazy and unintelligent which has certainly hampered the medical
marijuana movement, as although it was only a movie, the general public has still formed

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inherent paternalistic views. An excerpt from the film which was also taken from Daniel
Orensteins publication reads as follows, The new drug menace which is destroying the youth of
America in alarmingly-increasing numbers. Marihuana is that drug a violent narcotic an
unspeakable scourge The Real Public Enemy Number One! (Orenstein 417) In the study, it
went onto conclude, Pharmacy schools need to evaluate the adequacy of medical marijuana
education in their courses and consider revising curriculum accordingly (Moeller 1) which not
only speaks true to an academic body, but should also speak true to the nation as a whole as
everyone should educate themselves on medical marijuana, instead of being ignorant on the
subject and forming, aforementioned, intrinsically paternalistic views. The nation needs to shape
their opinion on medical marijuana so that it not only includes their personal interests, but also
the interests of the one suffering at hand, as their needs for alleviation are more important than
others needs to feel dignified when marijuana is illegal.
Besides the clearly medical benefits marijuana holds that cannot be denied, a more
lucrative opportunity for the Government exists which could not only satisfy their agenda of
bringing in an abundance of tax revenue but also makes sure all Americans nationwide who are
suffering have access to the plant in a legal manner. The opportunity is the economic gain, as
Colorado alone has proven that the legal marijuana industry can generate millions of dollars on a
regular basis. The article Medical marijuana industry likely to expand makes a note of this when
they include that a report released earlier this year by Gary Wolfram found, the proposed
regulatory framework for medical marijuana could generate up to $63.5 million in revenue and
lead to 10,000 more jobs in the state. (Dewey 1). The potential for the marijuana industry
stretches so much further than purely economical and medicinal benefits and can provide jobs for
tens of thousands of Americans so that they can put food on the table. Big pharma has been

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silencing the medical marijuana industry to continue their agenda of pushing millions of dollars
of harmful prescription opioids into the heart of America, as they truly are public enemy number
one but also being Americas largest drug provider. The truth is, marijuana is not a drug but
rather an organic plant that can eliminate harmful opioids all together and provide a much more
holistic approach to fighting pain, cancer, and more. The unfortunate thing is, as it has been said
time and time again, the medical marijuana industry will continue to be hampered due to the fact
that the Government has not given their full support to the topic, and due to the fact that intrinsic
views have formed inherent impressions from some people in the general public that marijuana is
harmful. When this is not true, in fact, marijuana is not harmful at all as no reported deaths or
overdoses from the plant have ever occurred in history. We need to reshape the way people think
as it is right that, For the past 5000 years, cannabis has been used for medical purposes and
misused for recreational purposes (Kashyap 1). The reason for reshaping peoples views stems
further than not only reducing the stigma surrounding medical marijuana use but also so that
medical marijuana users can be protected in the workplace. Protecting Medical Marijuana Users
in the Workplace written by Kathleen Harvey sheds light on the fact that despite medical
marijuana being sanctioned by the state, employees in drug-free workplaces have been punished.
She states, Normally, the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) would protect disabled
persons that use legally prescribed drugs from employment discrimination that stems from that
drug use. But the ADA does not protect users of illegal drugs, and marijuana is illegal under
federal law. Thus, the ADA does not protect disabled medical marijuana users when they are
fired for violating workplace drug testing policies. (Harvey 215). This is reflected in the
literature The Legal Applicability of State Medical Marijuana Laws on Employers and
Employees written by Marka Fleming when it outlines a case of a female being terminated from

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her job after failing a drug test, even though she possessed a state disturbed medical marijuana
license. The employee sued the employer, however, ended up losing the battle on the premise of
her violating work policy. (Fleming 231).
I conducted an interview with a retired vice president of a global corporation that was
leading in the sales of pharmaceutical medicine. This was a great resource for an interview
because it not only provided a potential opposing side, since pharmaceutical sales will slowly
decline, with the legalization of medical marijuana, but it also provided information from a
licensed pharmacist. Through this interview, we learned that pharmaceutical companies, are not
scared by the medical marijuana legalization, but are for it. He however, did agree with the fact
that the public is receiving false information by other companies that dont want the legalization
of medical marijuana. He said that since this false information is being proposed, it is altering the
opinions of the public. However, when asked if medical marijuana should be legalized in his
opinion, he stated that medical marijuana provides many potential medical positive effects that to
be put simply, other medicine cant provide yet, therefore the legalization of medical marijuana
would be a significant help to this country. However, the eyes of the nation, needs to stop
receiving false information that is only altering their vote to a different side.
In conclusion, such as it can be perceived through the justification of this paper, medical
marijuana should be promoted and legalized nationwide and even globally, instead of being
suppressed. Big pharma companies have been pushing their harmful opioid prescription drugs on
patients for decades just as the stigma surrounding marijuana has existed for decades. It is time
to make a stance towards change and reformation which includes allowing patients the access to
medical marijuana as they see fit for relieving their symptoms. Marijuana is not a solution but
rather a relief and should be treated as such due to this each and every person is different so the

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extent of marijuana prescriptions should not be limited by what the state or government feels, but
rather limited by how the patient feels they need to use the medicine. All of the subject matter in
this paper including the ten scholarly sources and first-hand interview agreed that marijuana is
rather more beneficial than harmful, and should be regulated at a federal level, however, the
problem that stands before us is the views of the public. Whos eyes are altered by false
statements and mis knowledge. It is a hope that in the years to come, the stigma surrounding
marijuana use dissipates so that everyone can see the true medicinal values the plant brings,
rather than being ignorant and thinking it is harmful. For the next project, I plan on issuing
research that provides what the nation sees. Ultimately, these companies that dont want the
legalization of medical marijuana, they release negative and false statements, advertisements,
and false information, that sway the voters opinions. I plan on proposing a solution that will stop
this, and let the viewers, see the real effects.

Works Cited
Dewey, Charlsie. Medical marijuana industry likely to expand Grand Rapids Business Journal
(MI), 2016. Print.
FLEMING, MARKA B. "The Legal Applicability of State Medical Marijuana Laws on Employers
and Employees." Southern law journal (Abilene, Tex.) 25.2 (09): 215; 215,242; 242. Print.
Harvey, Kathleen. "Protecting Medical Marijuana Users in the Workplace." Case Western
Reserve law review 66.1 (10): 209; 209,234; 234. Print.
Kashyap, Surender. "Medical Marijuana: A Panacea Or Scourge." Lung India 31.2 (04): 145;
145,148; 148. Print.

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Metts, Julius. "Medical Marijuana: A Treatment Worth Trying?" The Journal of family practice
65.3 (03): 178; 178,185; 185. Print.
Moeller, Karen E. "Pharmacy Students' Knowledge and Attitudes regarding Medical Marijuana."
American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education 79.6 (11): 1; 1,8; 8. Print.
Nussbaum, Abraham M. "Use and Diversion of Medical Marijuana among Adults Admitted to
Inpatient Psychiatry." The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 41.2 (03): 166;
166,172; 172. Print.
Orenstein, Daniel G. "Voter Madness? Voter Intent and the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act."
Arizona State Law Journal 47.2 (06): 391; 391,419; 419. Print.
Rylander, Melanie. "Does the Legalization of Medical Marijuana Increase Completed Suicide?"
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 40.4 (07): 269; 269,273; 273. Print.
TITUS, REPRESENTATIVE DINA. "Puff, Puff, Pass . . . that Law: The Changing Legislative
Environment of Medical Marijuana Policy." Harvard Journal on Legislation 53.1 (01): 39;
39,58; 58. Print.