Medical Marijuana

Why do some states legalized marijuana while the federal government still classifies it as a dangerous narcotic?  Medical marijuana is a controversial issue in the United States.  It is a hot issue because there are people who support it and people who are against it.  The people who support the legalization of medical marijuana argue that it can be a safe and effective treatment for the symptoms of many diseases.  Evidence for its use for arthritis, dystonia, insomnia, seizures, and Tourette’s syndrome is very promising (Earleywine, 2010).  On the other hand, people who opposed medical marijuana argue that it can be addictive, dangerous, and harms many organs within the human body.  There are a number of very serious side-effects including increased likelihood of cancer, impaired immune system and increased chance of other drug problems such as addiction to opiates.  Recently, substantial evidence has been published linking marijuana use to earlier onset of schizophrenia and other psychoses (Kleber, 2010).  A lot of people also believe that the legalization of marijuana even for medical purposes increases drug use and crime among teenagers.

An article of the New York Times states that marijuana, whose botanical name is cannabis, has been used by humans for thousands of years.  It was classified as an illegal drug by many countries in the 20th century. But over the past two decades, there has been a growing movement to legalize it, primarily for medical purposes. 

There are many states in the United States that legalized or are in the process to legalize medical marijuana.  Approximately, there are 16 states in the nation that have enacted laws to legalize medical marijuana such as Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, DC, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.  According to ProCon.org, 14 of the 16 states require proof of residency to be considered a qualifying patient for medical marijuana use.  Patients or caregivers can cultivate their own marijuana in 14 of the 16 states that allow marijuana for medical purposes. 

In California, medical marijuana was legal after the government approved Proposition 215.  Proposition 215 was approved in November 05, 1996.  Proposition 215 ensures that seriously ill Californians should have the right to obtain and use marijuana for medical purposes as long as it has been recommended by a physician.  It also ensures that patients and caregivers are not subject to criminal prosecution or sanction.    

In conclusion, I believe that the debate over the legalization of medical marijuana will never end due to the fact that there are strong supporters as there are opponents.

References:

Earleywine, Mitch.  “Opinion: Medical Marijuana Benefits.”

<http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503823_162-4844665.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody>

Kleber, Herbert D. “Opinion: Marijuana Not Benign.”

<http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503823_162-4845970.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody>

Marijuana and Medical Marijuana

<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/m/marijuana/index.html?scp=1-spot&sq=medical%20marijuana&st=cse>

16 Legal Medical Marijuana States and DC

<http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000881>

Proposition 215: Text of Proposed Law

<http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/sourcefiles/california-proposition-215.pdf>