The Great Debate: Medical Marijuana, Is It Ethical?

The debate on Medical marijuana has been a controversial subject mainly because people have an abundance of opinions and very little scientific research to back up either side of the debate. The most important question here is “will medical marijuana be used for medical purposes or will it be used inappropriately?”

Unlike a person who uses marijuana for medicine or entertainment, some people use marijuana as a means for income. Honestly marijuana sales is a very profitable business but the problem is that there is still a numerous amount of people who sell marijuana illegally. Usually with illegal sales of marijuana also comes other illegal activity. According to the DEA, “marijuana smuggling into the United States has occurred at consistently high levels over the past 10 years, primarily across the US–Mexico border, where more than a million kilograms of marijuana are seized annually.” With the availability of marijuana increasing there has also been an increase in use among young adults. The DEA also reports, “Use of the drug will likely continue to increase over the next decade; recent national-level studies indicate that use is most prevalent among young adults, with adolescent acceptance and illicit use increasing.”

Personally, in and of itself I’ve found that use of marijuana for social purposes can have very little consequences (as long as used responsibly). The trouble is that social use can very often lead to addiction and it’s hard to say when that invisible line gets crossed. Also, there is no quality control on marijuana that is circulating on the street. Due to the diverse strains of marijuana, each individual may have a different, possibly adverse response to the drug. “Andrea Barthwell, MD, former Deputy Director a...

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