Argumentative Essay: The Legalization Of Marijuana
THC (Cannabis) Between 1840 and
1900, European and American medical journals published more than 100 articles on the therapeutic use of the drug known then as
Cannabis indica (or Indian hemp) and now as marijuana. It was recommended as an appetite stimulant, muscle relaxant, analgesic, hypnotic, and anticonvulsant. As late as 1913 Sir William Osler recommended it as the most satisfactory remedy for migraine headaches . Today the 5000-year medical history of cannabis has been almost forgotten. Its use declined in the early 20th century because the potency of oral ingestion was high, and alternatives became available -- injectable opiates and, synthetic drugs such as aspirin and barbiturates. In the United States the Marijuana
Tax Act of 1937 …show more content…
Polls and voter referenda have repeatedly indicated that the vast majority of
Americans think marijuana should be medically available. One of marijuana's greatest advantages as a medicine is its safety. It has little effect on major physiological functions. There is no known case of a lethal overdose; on the basis of animal models, the ratio of lethal to effective dose is estimated as 40,000 to 1. By comparison, the ratio is between 3 and 50 to 1 for barbiturates and between 4 and 10 to 1 for ethanol. Marijuana is also far less addictive and far less subject to abuse than many drugs now used as muscle relaxants, hypnotics, and chronic pain relievers. The chief legitimate concern is the effect of smoking on the lungs. Cannabis smoke carries even more tars and other particulate matter than tobacco smoke. But the amount smoked is much less, especially in medical use, and once marijuana is an openly recognized medicine, solutions may be found.
Water pipes are a partial answer; ultimately a technology for the inhalation of cannabinoid vapors could be developed. Even If smoking continued, legal availability would make it easier
1900, European and American medical journals published more than 100 articles on the therapeutic use of the drug known then as
Cannabis indica (or Indian hemp) and now as marijuana. It was recommended as an appetite stimulant, muscle relaxant, analgesic, hypnotic, and anticonvulsant. As late as 1913 Sir William Osler recommended it as the most satisfactory remedy for migraine headaches . Today the 5000-year medical history of cannabis has been almost forgotten. Its use declined in the early 20th century because the potency of oral ingestion was high, and alternatives became available -- injectable opiates and, synthetic drugs such as aspirin and barbiturates. In the United States the Marijuana
Tax Act of 1937 …show more content…
Polls and voter referenda have repeatedly indicated that the vast majority of
Americans think marijuana should be medically available. One of marijuana's greatest advantages as a medicine is its safety. It has little effect on major physiological functions. There is no known case of a lethal overdose; on the basis of animal models, the ratio of lethal to effective dose is estimated as 40,000 to 1. By comparison, the ratio is between 3 and 50 to 1 for barbiturates and between 4 and 10 to 1 for ethanol. Marijuana is also far less addictive and far less subject to abuse than many drugs now used as muscle relaxants, hypnotics, and chronic pain relievers. The chief legitimate concern is the effect of smoking on the lungs. Cannabis smoke carries even more tars and other particulate matter than tobacco smoke. But the amount smoked is much less, especially in medical use, and once marijuana is an openly recognized medicine, solutions may be found.
Water pipes are a partial answer; ultimately a technology for the inhalation of cannabinoid vapors could be developed. Even If smoking continued, legal availability would make it easier