Medical Marijuana Should Be Legalized Essay Example

Medical Marijuana Should Be Legalized Melinda W. Knowles COM 220 January 31, 2010 Dr. Kim Capehart Medical Marijuana Should Be Legalized Despite these considerations, the United States government is reluctant to legalize marijuana for medical use. Even though marijuana is an illegal substance and considered by many to be a gateway drug, it should be legalized for medical purposes because it is proven to be more effective than prescription drugs in the treatment of many serious medical conditions with no adverse side effects. and cocaine and its presumed popularity among the growing Mexican American population made it an easy target. President Obama’s softening of the policy on medical marijuana points the way for a revision of the drug policy that has been failing for many years. The heavily-funded War on Drugs took priority over the pursuit of those individuals involved in white-collar crime, and this neglect by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies led to an economic meltdown of disastrous proportions, and have revealed “the catastrophic ravages that such crimes and unregulated dealing have already inflicted on American society” (Seiff, 2009, para.8). Obama’s decision to move law enforcement resources from crackdowns on less harmful drugs such as marijuana that can be used for medical purposes is a good place to start. {draw:frame} Note. From www.ozarksunbound.com/.../6544, 2009. Many significant medical benefits are associated with marijuana that far outweighs any potential harm. Marijuana has been successful in controlling pain and spascity in many chronic medical conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, paraplegia, and quadriplegia and equally successful as a means of overcoming the nausea and vomiting that result from chemotherapy as Marijuana is both less costly and less toxic than its legal prescription alternatives, and in most cases is more effective as well. The American Medical Association (AMA), which has