Should New Jersey Legalize Medical Marijuana and Decriminalize Marijuana?

You will not endure pain if you become bound to the drug said Galen, a roman physician in context to gladiators consuming opium to numb their battle wounds. For over 4,800 years marijuana has been used for medical purposes. Until the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act banned marijuana and created uncertainty in Americans. Especially with the with the arrival of new drugs like aspirin which became the new pain reliever and marijuana came to be known as an intoxicant. Until today, with the rise in popularity of medical marijuana, we see states one by one changing their laws to decriminalize the use of medical marijuana. As of today there are 12 states in the United States that have in some way decriminalized medical marijuana and with more states following the trend. In 2002, Harris Interactive took a poll for Time Magazine to see how many people is pro medical marijuana and the results were 80% pro, 17% con and 3% undecided. Medical marijuana is growing in popularity and not just because people want it for recreational use but people, patients, doctors and scientist genuinely believe it can help relieve patients of their symptoms and pains that other medications can't accomplish for them. New Jersey should be the next state to legalize medical marijuana and decriminalize marijuana because it's indicated as an antiemetic, economic benefits, and free up the court systems and law enforcement agencies.
Marijuana used as a source of medicine goes back in history nearly 5,000 years. From 1850 – 1942, marijuana was listed in the United States Pharmacopoeia. It was used for many things such as giving birth, chronic pain, and other conditions before it was banned. It's obvious that marijuana has some medical benefits if the U.S had medical marijuana in effect. Yet the FDA continues to disagree and say it has no medical value and is considered a Schedule I substance. Other drugs considered Schedule I substance are heroin, LSD, and methamphetamines. Marijuana refers to the leaves on the... [continues]

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