Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon who wrote the article “Why I Changed My Mind on Weed”, speaks about the health benefits that marijuana can contribute to when it is used for medical purposes. He believes that marijuana has been assumed by many to have a high risk for abuse which has caused a lot of confusion about this drug and its benefits for quite some time. Years before this article was written he too once believed marijuana to be an addictive drug that had no medical purposes. However, as the years went by and with more in-depth research his outlook on this topic changed dramatically. Dr. Gupta strongly believes that the negative outlook scientists and medical professionals have on marijuana’s medical use has a lot to do with the lack of research being used to support these claims. During his own research, Dr. Gupta has seen firsthand on how the benefits of marijuana have improved the conditions of many patients due to different illnesses. …show more content…
Gupta agree that marijuana can have many benefits when it is used medicinally. One of the reasons why I agree with his claim is from my own experience of having family members who take prescription medications to treat chronic pain. Medications such as these has caused them side effects that interfere with their everyday lives. These symptoms include nausea, vomiting, extreme drowsiness, trembling of the body and the list goes on. According to my family members, they must take their medications almost daily. Even so, with the help of prescription drugs it does not seem to do the job of relieving pain. In addition, they have also mentioned how costly it can be refilling their prescriptions when needed. As a result, this has made me question if there are any other alternatives that can help patients who must resort to pain
The legalization of marijuana has become a hot-button issue in the last several years with fifty-eight percent of Americans wanting the drug to be legalized, surging ten percentage points since 2012. (Swift, 2013) Due to the recent burst that the cannabis industry has experienced, there have been many genres written on the topic but two of the best genres that reach an audience and give them useful information is an internet article written by Dr. Sanjay Gupta titled "Why I Changed my Mind on Weed" and a video documentary made by comedian Doug Benson titled "Super High Me.” Dr. Gupta wrote the article for CNN.com admitting that he was wrong about cannabis in the past and now finds it a helpful and useful drug. Doug Benson filmed this documentary wanting to disprove many myths about marijuana by doing things like taking a SAT test while high and checking his lung capacity after smoking every day for 30 days.
With marijuana is becoming legal in some states for medical reasons, other states are still questioning how marijuana can be beneficial and even a problem. In “The Truth about Medical Marijuana” by Carrie Shortsleeve, published in 2013 on the website Men’s Health, Shortsleeve describes how tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, found in marijuana, can be used for medical benefits. In the passage, she explains how the immune system and brain are affected by THC especially if the substance is high in dosage. When Dr. Mahmoud ElSohly, Ph.D., “the director of the University of Mississippi’s Marijuana Project,” injured his back, he begins to research what benefits marijuana has when using the drug as medicine, and Shortsleeve shares this with people who maybe considering medical marijuana. Shortsleeve uses statistics, in depth research, and real- life situations to show how some people trust marijuana as medicine; even though, some of these people were once against medical marijuana.
Wingerchuk, Dean. "Cannabis for Medical Purposes: Cultivating Science, Weeding Out the Fiction." The Lancet 364.9431 (2004): 315-16. Print.
Marijuana is one of the oldest cultivated plants (Nahas 8). Since it became illegal in 1967, there have been questions of whether or not it is good for purposes, such as medicine, other than being a leisure drug. Debates between pro and con groups for the use of marijuana in the medical profession, have been heated and in recent months, referendums have been pasted in a least three states to make it accessible for medical treatment. Personally, I feel that marijuana has the potential to be a significant help with certain aliments, however, more research needs to be done to maximize its potential.
Today, in the United States alone there are over: 400,000 cases of Multiple Sclerosis, 4 million cases of glaucoma, and between 1.3 and 2.8 million cases of epilepsy. That is at least 5.7 million people that suffer every single day. For many of those people, the situation seems hopeless, but there is an option that may help. Medical marijuana has been proven to be very helpful in all of those cases including other things such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and just pain in general. Not only has it been known to help reduce pain and other symptoms from those diseases but it has also becoming apparent that marijuana may also be able to potentially slow down cancer as a connection has been made between the plant turning off a gene
The word Marijuana also known as cannabis, pot, weed, herb and green stuff has been universally criticized since the beginning of the century. According to (Fitzgerald, K. T., Bronstein, A. C., & Newquist, K. L. 2013) “the term "marijuana” typically refers to tobacco-like preparations of the leaves and flowers” (Fitzgerald et al., (2013). (McGuinness, Teena M, PhD,P.M.H.-N.P., B.C. (2009) stated that “Cannabis cigarettes are also called joints, nails, and reefers; pipes for smoking are also known as bongs and bowls” (McGuinness et al., 2009) The truth is that the legalization of Marijuana has positive effects on both society and the wellbeing of individuals and should be legalized. The government can monitor and tax Marijuana thus helping the economy. Secondly Marijuana can be used as medical therapy; thirdly there would be less youth and adults in jails and prisons. Conversely the use of Marijuana can be proven highly addictive among individuals in our society; Marijuana is more harmful that cigarettes and Marijuana is known as the (Gate Way) drug to harsher drugs. The benefits of legalization Marijuana outweigh the cons.
Marijuana legalization has been in the air for a while now and is a heavily debated subject on both the national and local government agenda. While many are concerned marijuana in our society is unnecessary and will be the start of a downward spiral, DuPont and Barthwell, authors of the op-ed article “Op-ed: Don’t legalize marijuana. It’s addictive” in The Seattle Times, seem quite certain that marijuana, as a legal drug, will cause a rise in addiction. While the authors make a valid argument that marijuana, like any other recreational substance, can be addictive, it would be best to legalize the drug because of future revenue through taxation, a decrease in crime rate due to less drug trafficking, and the fact that marijuana is, medically,
In 2012, Colorado took a bold move and declared that Cannabis, also know as Marijuana or weed, is legal to buy for people 21 and over. Washington followed Colorado's footsteps and legalized weed, too. These actions are sparking questions if Colorado and Washington made the right choice. Should all states legalize weed or not? Initially, the United States is split into two sides. Those sides are people that want Marijuana legalized and those that don't. Legalizing marijuana has its pros if it is used to benefit the medical field, but there are cons in overusing and abusing it.
Through recent years, society has been faced with the controversial and obtrusive issue of whether or not to legalize marijuana. In the past, and even still in the present, marijuana has often been regarded as an illicit and malicious drug. However, research shows that marijuana is not nearly as bad as society deems it to be. Rather it can be used to greatly benefit humanity. Cannabis’ (marijuana) range of beneficial uses include: helping former veterans cope with life after war, alleviate symptoms for people who suffer with Parkinson 's and epilepsy, and replace prescription drugs. This disputation regarding marijuana can be solved by simply legalizing it for recreational purposes, and implementing laws and regulations similar to that of alcohol.
Since the 1930's marijuana has been illegal in the United States. Marijuana can relieve pain; it can prevent formations of cancer growths, mental health and chronic illnesses. Marijuana is one of the least known drugs to be known as the cause of a human beings death. According to the article by Morgan fox, Alcohol’s dangers undersold to youth, states that” There has never been a single death attributable solely to marijuana” (Alcohol's dangers). Millions of people in the United States suffer from chronic pain. A lot of that suffering cannot be relieved by existing treatments, for example subscribed pain killers. In the article by Bill McCarberg Marijuana Can Help in the Treatment of Pain it stated that “Patients are in desperate need of new pain management approaches” (McCarberg).
Many people say that marijuana should not be legalized in the United States, however, another percentage of the society says that marijuana should be legalized. Those who agree and disagree need to inform themselves about the pros and cons of marijuana. It is very important to see different point of views from each side because there are several consequences and benefits that the use of marijuana can cause. Legalizing marijuana can be dangerous because many people are not informed of the diseases they can get from using drugs. In most cases people try marijuana to see how it feels and how their bodies react, but there are many who try it once and they keep on doing it very often. Marijuana should not be legalized in the United States because
Marijuana is a very hot topic and also brings a lot of controversy among the topics in the U.S today. Many believe it has medicinal benefits and should be made legal when necessary. Many believe it has a really high risk for abuse. Amongst those arguments, some of the ingredience in medical marijuana have presented a greater argument for possible legalization through their use of research and evidence of beneficial use
There has always been controversy about marijuana and the affects it has on health and the issue of legalization. Some people believe it is very destructive to one’s health, and yet others feel the complete opposite about it. Is Marijuana truly harmful to one’s health? “Marijuana, the Deceptive Drug”, written by George Bierson, was published in the Massachusetts News. In this article, Bierson determines that marijuana is harmful in many ways. He seems to think that it damages the brain, the reproductive system, and also contributes to the halt of production in the immune system. Bierson also tries to persuade the reader that marijuana is a “gateway drug” that leads to larger drugs in the future. However, by conducting research of my own, I have come to the conclusion that Bierson’s article simply lacks truth.
marijuana has negative effects but its is also used for the great of good;which side is better is up to you to decide In this essay i will be informing you on marijuana the good and the bad some things might came as a surprise so buckle up and enjoy the information. Acorrding to www.deamuseum.org Marijuana was founded by the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung in 2727 B.C. It spread throughout the Islamic empire to North Africa. In 1545 marijuana speaded to the western hemisphere where spaniards (where the name marijuana turned up) imported it to chile for the use of fiber. In North America they grow marijuana on many plantations in the form of hemp for clothing, paper, and rope. The history of marijuana has come so far and the use of it has changed throughout time. Hemp and marijuana comes from the
Marijuana is a cannabis drug that may be used for medical purposes. It was used to soothe malaria and constipation in many Asian countries including India and China (Ashton). It has the capability to relieve the pain of a serious sickness like malaria as well as a common every day stomach sickness like constipation. Marijuana has also been used therapeutically for the common disease asthma (Ashton). It “exert[s] a bronchodilator action on the small airways” therefore allowing a person to breathe better (Ashton). Marijuana has not only been used for amusement but it has been a treatment for many illnesses therefore; we need to consider all the characteristics of marijuana before making a decision to legalize it for medical purposes.