Legalizing Marijuana
Legalizing Marijuana
Christopher Hutchins
March 4, 2015
ITT Technical Institute: Breckinridge School of Nursing
Marijuana is a very prominent and controversial issue in society. Although many slanderous claims have been made about cannabis in recent history, the truths are slowly starting to surface. Unfortunately, these truths are under heavy criticism due to the stereotypical view of what people view as the typical “pot smoker.” This perception of a lazy and unmotivated America is the result of over seventy years of propaganda and misinformation spread by private interests, who needed cannabis illegal for their own personal gains. Marijuana has many positive aspects that correlate with it, such as medical, economical, and industrial growth. Marijuana should be legal.
Using marijuana for medicinal purposes is not a recent discovery. In fact, written references on use of medical marijuana date back nearly 5,000 years. “Western medicine embraced marijuana’s medical properties in the mid-1800s, and by the beginning of the 20th century, physicians had published more than 100 papers in the Western medical literature recommending its use for a variety of disorders” (Herer, 2009). These disorders include pain relief, nausea, glaucoma, and movement disorders. “It is also used as a powerful appetite stimulant which helps patients that had HIV/AIDS or cancer patients going through chemotherapy” (Miron, 2005). Today, thousands of patients are able to use marijuana as an effective method of treatment for their ailments. This is possible because fourteen state governments across the country have acknowledged cannabis’ effective healing properties and legalized its consumption for medicinal purposes with the consent of a licensed physician. However, these patients are at the mercy of the federal government and its authority.
One of the biggest positive impacts that the legalization of marijuana would produce is the reintegration of hemp into our
Christopher Hutchins
March 4, 2015
ITT Technical Institute: Breckinridge School of Nursing
Marijuana is a very prominent and controversial issue in society. Although many slanderous claims have been made about cannabis in recent history, the truths are slowly starting to surface. Unfortunately, these truths are under heavy criticism due to the stereotypical view of what people view as the typical “pot smoker.” This perception of a lazy and unmotivated America is the result of over seventy years of propaganda and misinformation spread by private interests, who needed cannabis illegal for their own personal gains. Marijuana has many positive aspects that correlate with it, such as medical, economical, and industrial growth. Marijuana should be legal.
Using marijuana for medicinal purposes is not a recent discovery. In fact, written references on use of medical marijuana date back nearly 5,000 years. “Western medicine embraced marijuana’s medical properties in the mid-1800s, and by the beginning of the 20th century, physicians had published more than 100 papers in the Western medical literature recommending its use for a variety of disorders” (Herer, 2009). These disorders include pain relief, nausea, glaucoma, and movement disorders. “It is also used as a powerful appetite stimulant which helps patients that had HIV/AIDS or cancer patients going through chemotherapy” (Miron, 2005). Today, thousands of patients are able to use marijuana as an effective method of treatment for their ailments. This is possible because fourteen state governments across the country have acknowledged cannabis’ effective healing properties and legalized its consumption for medicinal purposes with the consent of a licensed physician. However, these patients are at the mercy of the federal government and its authority.
One of the biggest positive impacts that the legalization of marijuana would produce is the reintegration of hemp into our
References: Herer, J. (2009). The Emperor Wears No Clothes. Retrieved June 7, 2010, from Washington Free Press: http://www.jackherer.com/chapter15.html Miron, J. (2005, June). The Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition. Retrieved June 7, 2010, from: http://www.prohibitioncosts.org/mironreport.html Urena, A. (2011, November 25). Legitimate Reasons to Legalize Cannabis. Retrieved June 5, 2010, from Cannabis News: http://cannabisnews.com/news/14/thread14829.shtml