Marijuana Research Paper
Legalizing Marijuana is a Hopeless Effort
Legalization of marijuana for medical purposes has been proposed to help those who have severe illnesses or pain. While I myself am not a user of marijuana, I have seen the effects first hand of what it does to people. I do have an uncle who is fighting an extremely painful and evasive cancer so I know what it is like to have a relative in pain or suffering from a severe illness. Many people argue that medical marijuana will be beneficial to such people, but this is not the case. Rather, corruption, legal conflicts, and potential abuse along with alternatives provided by continuing research lead the to the conclusion that marijuana should not be allowed as a treatment in the United States because of issues that have arisen with marijuana, as well as the dangers and risks associated with it. To fully understand the medical marijuana controversy, some basic information about it and why people are favoring it as a medical solution are needed. The whole issue began in 1996 when California voters passed Proposition 215. This allowed for the sale and medical use of marijuana for patients with severe illness or pain The main support for using marijuana for medical reasons would be to treat pain in patients with severe illness or those who are terminally ill. A few such illnesses would include AIDS/(HIV), arthritis, cancer, epilepsy, hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis, (Medical). Even though the intentions of using the drug as a medical option are good, the problems make the option it more harmful than beneficial.
The biggest problem facing the legalization of marijuana is that the Cannabis Clinics, which are the Marijuana Distribution Centers, are targets of corruption. In a January 17, 2007 DEA press release, the U.S Drug Enforcement Administration spoke out about the centers when DEA Acting agent in charge said, “Today’s enforcement operations show that these establishments are nothing more than drug
Legalization of marijuana for medical purposes has been proposed to help those who have severe illnesses or pain. While I myself am not a user of marijuana, I have seen the effects first hand of what it does to people. I do have an uncle who is fighting an extremely painful and evasive cancer so I know what it is like to have a relative in pain or suffering from a severe illness. Many people argue that medical marijuana will be beneficial to such people, but this is not the case. Rather, corruption, legal conflicts, and potential abuse along with alternatives provided by continuing research lead the to the conclusion that marijuana should not be allowed as a treatment in the United States because of issues that have arisen with marijuana, as well as the dangers and risks associated with it. To fully understand the medical marijuana controversy, some basic information about it and why people are favoring it as a medical solution are needed. The whole issue began in 1996 when California voters passed Proposition 215. This allowed for the sale and medical use of marijuana for patients with severe illness or pain The main support for using marijuana for medical reasons would be to treat pain in patients with severe illness or those who are terminally ill. A few such illnesses would include AIDS/(HIV), arthritis, cancer, epilepsy, hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis, (Medical). Even though the intentions of using the drug as a medical option are good, the problems make the option it more harmful than beneficial.
The biggest problem facing the legalization of marijuana is that the Cannabis Clinics, which are the Marijuana Distribution Centers, are targets of corruption. In a January 17, 2007 DEA press release, the U.S Drug Enforcement Administration spoke out about the centers when DEA Acting agent in charge said, “Today’s enforcement operations show that these establishments are nothing more than drug
Cited: “Fulfilling the Promise. Medical Research.” AARC. 2009. Web, 8 April 2010. “Marijuana: Facts for Teens”. NIDA.gov. 2009. Web 4 April 2010. “ Marijuana. Marijuana timeline in the United States.” PBS Online. 2009. Web. 22 March 2010. “Medical marijuana”. ProCon.org. 2009. Web. 24 March 2010. “Saving and improving lives. New medicines transforming patient care.” PHRMA. 2009. Web 1 April 2010.