Marijuana : A Plea For Its Legalization

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Marijuana is currently one of the many illicit drugs in the United States. This paper aims to disprove the rampant theory of the United States government that Marijuana has a purely recreational use by showing that Marijuana has more benefits not only the user but it could also benefit non users in the grand scheme of things and by showing that the criminalization of Marijuana is harmful to society itself.

Medical Cannabis, although opposed by the majority of national governments around the globe, has many well documented medicinal benefits. An example of the use of cannabis in medicine is the treatment of Alzheimer’s patients. As shown by the research conducted by National Center for Biotechnology Information, THC, which is the active component in cannabis, was found to “prevent the formation of Alzheimer plaques in the brain more effectively than commercially marketed drugs”. These plaques are the reason why people with the Alzheimer disease suffer from both cognitive and memory loss (Eubanks LM, Rogers CJ, Beuscher AE). But that is not the only use for medical cannabis. In a study by the Universidad Complutense de Madrid or Complutense University of Madrid in English, it was found that the active chemicals in Cannabis “promote the death of brain cancer cells by essentially helping them feed upon themselves” (Salazar M, Carracedo A, Salanueva IJ); this eventually led to the tumors shrinking and thus the patients getting better. But why, if benefits have been shown through medical use of it, does the majority of the world’s government oppose both the research of it and criminalize it to the point where possession of it, depending on the amount, can land a person in jail anywhere from 1-15 years?

The answer to this question is ...

... middle of paper ...

...orida Department of Corrections. Frequently Asked Questions (2011) < http://www.dc.state.fl.us/oth/faq.html >

Food and Drug Administration (20 April 2006). "Inter-Agency Advisory Regarding Claims That Smoked Marijuana Is a Medicine". Press release.

http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/2006/ucm108643.htm.

“Rampant Animal Cruelty at California Slaughter Plant”

< http://.humanesociety.org >

Salazar M, Carracedo A, Salanueva IJ, et al. (May 2009). "Cannabinoid action induces autophagy-mediated cell death through stimulation of ER stress in human glioma cells". The Journal of Clinical Investigation 119 (5): 1359–72

“The Hemp Plant, Humankind's Savior - 50,000 Uses and Counting, Jeff Meints 01-23-2007

"Use of Cannabis for Medicinal Purposes". Report 3 of the Council on Science and Public Health (I-09)

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