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History of legalizing marijuana
Abstract on Medical Marijuana debate
Essays on medical marijuana
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The right to use marijuana for optional medical treatment has been a long drawn out battle between the U.S. Federal Government and the people petitioning for its therapeutic uses. The history on the use of marijuana (also known as cannabis) has been a big deterrent on legalizing this type of drug today. The controversy stems from the medical and legal implications that the U.S. Federal Government has towards the use of marijuana. Others controversies are associated to petitions filed to re-classifying marijuana (a controlled substance) for optional medical treatment. Furthermore, there are conflicts that pertain with the intervention of the U.S. Federal Government preventing patients the use of prescribed marijuana in states that have legislated laws-- allowed for optional treatment (Hall, Degenhardt 689).
The U.S. Federal Government has led everyone to believe that marijuana has no beneficial values in the practice of medicine despite research findings. The process of legalizing marijuana for its therapeutic values has been avoided by our government due to a possible increase in usage for recreational purposes alone. Is the controversy really over the opinions of marijuana having no medical values or is it just an excuse to keep funding our government with billions of dollars each year (Zimmerman, Crumpacker and Bayer 161)? The evidence of scientific research and clinical studies alone should be proof enough to change the current policy governing the use of marijuana. The use of medical marijuana should be an optional treatment for people who are inflicted with a serious illness.
In today’s society the use of marijuana including other drugs like heroin, methamphetamines, and cocaine has been a big concern for every parent r...
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...l Academies Press, 1999. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). EBSCO. Web. 21 Sept. 2011.
Jill, B. Jessie. "The Constitutional Right to Make Medical Treatment Decisions: A Tale of Two Doctrines." Texas Law Review 86.2 (2007): 277-345. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 21 Sept. 2011.
Kane, Brigid. "Medical Marijuana: The Continuing Story." Annals of Internal Medicine 134.12 (2001): 1159-1162. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 25 Sept. 2011.
Manderson, Desmond. "FORMALISM AND NARRATIVE IN LAW AND MEDICINE: THE DEBATE OVER MEDICAL MARIJUANA USE." Journal of Drug Issues 29.1 (1999): 121-133. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 30 Sept. 2011.
Zimmerman, Bill, Nancy Crumpacker, and Rick Bayer. Is Marijuana the Right Medicine for You? : A Factual Guide to Medical Uses of Marijuana. NTC Contemporary, 1998. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). EBSCO. Web. 17 Sept. 2011.
About one out of five 10th graders and about 1 out of four high school seniors used marijuana in the past month (Facts for Teens, 1). It is the second most popular drug among teens in the US (Encarta, 1). Teens, ages 12-17, that use marijuana weekly are nine times more likely than non-users to experience with illegal drugs and alcohol (Fed. Study, 1). More 13 & 14 year olds are using drugs, fifteen pe...
Legalization of Marijuana has quickly become a controversial issue in America. In the United States, legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes is spreading to the state level. For example, in November 1996, the people of California and Arizona voted to legalize marijuana for medicinal reasons. As a result of Proposition 215 in California, patients now smoke marijuana provided their physician recommends its usage. A prescription is not required, and marijuana continues to be illegal to prescribe. The Clinton administration responded that it “would not recognize these decisions, and would prosecute physicians who recommend or provide marijuana to their patients.” Although California and Arizona are the only two states to have already passed laws regulating marijuana usage, twenty-six states and the District of Columbia have laws and resolutions regarding marijuana usage. These laws and resolutions range from establishing therapeutic research programs, to allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana, to asking the federal government to lift the ban. Despite the states’ desires to have marijuana legalized for medicinal purposes, the US National Institutes of Health examined all existing clinical evidence about smoked marijuana and concluded that, “There is no scientifically sound evidence that smoked marijuana is medically superior to currently available therapies.”
Cowley, Geoffrey and Mary Hager. “Can marijuana be medicine?” Newsweek Feb. 1997: Vol.129 Issue 5 page 22. <http://ehostvgw8.epnet.com/delivery.asp?…&startHitNum= 13&delType=FT>.
Wingerchuk, Dean. "Cannabis for Medical Purposes: Cultivating Science, Weeding Out the Fiction." The Lancet 364.9431 (2004): 315-16. Print.
Mekdlawit Demissie IGED 130-06 Informative Speech Outline Topic: Marijuana Speech Goal: To inform the audience about the long and short term effects of marijuana usage. Central Idea: Marijuana is the most commonly used drug amongst young people in the United States. Introduction: I. Attention getter:
Schwartz, Richard H. "Marijuana: A Decade And A Half Later, Still A Crude Drug With Underappreciated Toxicity." Pediatrics 109.2 (2002): 284. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
Wilson, Clare “The Case for Marijuana by Prescription." Marijuana (Contemporary Issues Companion). Tardiff, Joseph, ed. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 2008. 63-70. Print
“The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) conducts the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), a major source of information on substance use, abuse, and dependence among Americans twelve years and older” (DrugFacts 1). Illicit drug use in the United States has been increasing. In 2013, an estimated 24.6 million Americans (9.4 percent of the population) had used an illicit drug in the past month. This number is up from the 8.3 percent in 2002. This is increase reflects the recent rise in the use of marijuana since 2007. In 2013, there were 19.8 million users, making it the most commonly used illicit
In determining the ethicality of legalizing marijuana, it is necessary to understand the background of the issue, and to identify the most important stakeholders. In the 1930s, many states began outlawing the substance; ironically California was the first of these states (Rendon). In 1937, the federal government outlawed the substance, which pushed the growth and sale underground (Rendon). In 1970, President Nixon declared the substance a Schedule I Substance, which indicates that the substance has “a high potential for abuse” and “no currently accepted medical use” (Controlled Substances Act). The federal government has specified that for marijuana to have an accepted medical use, it must “be subjected to the same rigorous clinical trials and scientific scrutiny that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) applies to all other new medications” ("Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Marijuana"). There are numerous stakeholders in an ethical dilemma of this magnitude, which...
Marijuana as a medicine? Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. 2001. The 'Secondary' of the 'Se Ravage, Barbara. The “Marijuana Update.”
Despite the 1976 ruling by the federal government that marijuana has “no acceptable medical use”, sixteen states have passed medical marijuana laws that allow for patient use o...
The use of drugs and mind-alternating substances has been a part of society for decades. The ‘high’ that people attain from the use of such substances is very attractive and exciting however, the effects of this use are minimized. Particularly for youth, a group of individuals who are seeking independence and experimentation, drug use represents the balance between taking risks and taking responsibility for one’s actions. However, the developmental processes of adolescents are known to not encompass the maturity required to fully think through such decisions. As such, the use of a ‘smaller-scale’ drug like marijuana is even more minimized. The purpose of this paper is to discuss what the risks of using marijuana are for youths, why they are the most affected, how this problem has progressed over the last three decades, and what preventative measures and treatment options are in place. It will also discuss what schools, parents, and government agencies could be doing to help improve the issue, and the impact that this issue is having on society.
Stanley, Janet E., Stanley J. Watson, and John A. Benson. Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base. Washington D.C.: National Academy P, 1999.
As of today the nation stands behind three basic ideas of what to do with marijuana; legalize marijuana, make it legal only as a prescription drug, or keep it as it is, illegal. People, who are pro-marijuana like me, argue that marijuana is considerably less harmful than tobacco and alcohol, the most frequently used legal drugs. Furthermore marijuana has never directly caused anyone's death. People who side with the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes believe that the ends justify the means. But the people who want to keep it illegal think that the medical uses do not outweigh the harmful side effects.
Marijuana continues to be one of the most used illegal drugs in the United States. Marijuana has been used for many years and at one time was legal to consume. Throughout the years, marijuana has been used for treatment of different medical conditions and has been used recreationally by people of all ages. While the use of medicinal marijuana has proven to be effective in treating medically ill patients, society continues to question its recreational use and the long term effects it will have on its users. Some feel that legalizing marijuana will only open up avenues for the use of more potent drugs, causing an increase in criminal activity. However, a number of people question why it is considered illegal being it is a naturally growing