Medical Marijuana Should Be Legal

2960 Words6 Pages

On July 8th, 2011 “"...in a decision announced Friday the federal government ruled that [marijuana] has no accepted medical use and should remain classified as a highly dangerous drug like heroin. The decision comes almost nine years after medical marijuana supporters asked the government to reclassify cannabis...” (procon.org). The debate about medicinal marijuana has occurred for years in the United States. Though research provides substantial evidence that marijuana is medically significant, the federal government seems to turn a blind eye. Medicinal marijuana should be legalized federally in the United States because it can help a variety of medical reasons like, disease, cancer and other numerous illnesses.

Cannabis, also known as marijuana is “a psychoactive herb derived from the flowering tops of hemp plants” (Farlex). The known use of marijuana dates back to 2737 BC. Recorded marijuana use started in China and then spread to India, Persia and North Africa (Hubbard). In China, cannabis was used for medicinal purposes. Marijuana usage varied from medicinal, recreational and spiritual. In 1400 BC "A thriving Bronze Age drug trade supplied hashish (cannabis) and opium to ancient cultures throughout the eastern Mediterranean as balm for the pain of childbirth and disease, proving a sophisticated knowledge of medicines dating back thousands of years." After spreading through Europe, cannabis was introduced in America by the Spanish. “Marijuana was listed in the United States Pharmacopeia from 1850 until 1942 and was prescribed for various conditions including labor pains, nausea, and rheumatism” ("Encyclopedia-marijuana"). Like America, India was also using cannabis for medical purposes and “1893-94 India established the Ind...

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