Marijuana

When people hear the word marijuana (pot), the ideas that come to mind are that it is harmful and very illegal in the United States. But what if it was not any of those ideas? The legalization of this drug for medical purposes is occurring more rapidly than ever across the United States. "Seven states that already have marijuana legalized for medical purposes are Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, and Colorado"(Is America Going to Pot? diagram of U.S.). Studies show that the effects of marijuana are more helpful than harmful for people who are extremely ill, suffering from Cancer, AIDS, or Glaucoma. "San Francisco's public health chief, Dr. Mitch Katz, prescribes marijuana to some patients in his AIDS practice at San Francisco General Hospital, saying it has benefits that other drugs can't achieve"(Hoge). Marijuana has been proven to benefit people with AIDS along with other diseases in various ways; the use of it for medical reasons should be made legal in this country.

Marijuana affects the body in various ways. "For cancer patients who have lost too much weight, this drug increases their appetite. It also reduces pain and nausea, minimizing vomiting from chemo-therapy. Unfortunately, many people suffer from migraine headaches. Marijuana increases one's sense of euphoria, and alleviates the pain. For those afflicted with Glaucoma, the drug reduces intraocular pressure in the eye. In the early 1900's, cannabis tinctures were marketed as antispasmodics; they helped calm spasms from spinal cord injuries, MS, and possible epilepsy"(How Marijuana Affects You, Diagram of the body). "Marijuana has a great impact on the Autonomic Nervous System, affecting both sides of the brain. Through increased sympathetic action, left brain perception is heightened, while, at the same time, right brain reception is enhanced. More blood, and cleaner blood, is sent to the brain, as in the Ð''fight or flightÐ'' reaction" (Benefits of Marijuana, 35). It is evident that marijuana does have positive influences on the body.

The controversy over legalizing marijuana has been going on for years. There have been cases and studies all over the U.S. that support the legalization. In 1996, "California voters approved Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act, which gave state sanction to the medical use of pot. Eight other states have since adopted similar laws"(Hoge).Some doctors prefer to let their patients use marijuana rather than other prescription dugs. This may be because other drugs have certain side effects on people that pot does not. "San Francisco's Department of Health distributed identification cards to those who have permission to use marijuana for medical purposes. These cards allow the person to possess the drug without fear of being arrested"(Hoge). If doctors had permission to prescribe marijuana to their patients, then they would only be allowed a certain dosage in a specific amount of time. This would allow the drug not to be abused. It would only be available to whoever needed it for a cetain medical purpoe. "Since 1986, the percentage of people who want pot to be legal has nearly doubled to thirty-four percent.