The Benefits of Medical Marijuana

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INTRODUCTION

Marijuana, also known as weed, hemp, cannabis, pot, herb, grass, etc., is the most common illegal drug in the United States. Marijuana is also known to be a gateway drug because it can lead people to do more serious drugs. Marijuana is a dried plant often smoked like a cigarette or in a bong or pipe.

A common argument today is why marijuana should be legalized for medicinal purposes. Although some will claim marijuana should not be legalized for medicinal purposes because it has harmful effects and is a gateway drug, I feel that it should be legalized. Marijuana should be legalized for medicinal purposes because it has many positive effects on diseases and health conditions. Marijuana should also be legalized for medicinal purposes because it is safer and less toxic than many other drugs that physicians are prescribing every day.

For over 10,000 years, the marijuana plant has been used by humans. Marshall (2005) stated, “The first record of human consumption of marijuana for medicinal or recreational purposes dates back to 2737 B.C., when the Chinese emperor Shen Neng recorded the use of cannabis to treat gout, malaria, beriberi, rheumatism and poor memory.” (p.136). In India, marijuana was being used for medicinal purposes by 1500 B.C., in Greece by 70 A.D., and by the early 1500’s in Europe. (Marshall, 2005, p.136). Over centuries, it continued to grow around the world as people used it for different reasons.

Seppa (2010) reported that today medicinal marijuana is legally used to treat different medical conditions in fourteen states in the United States. This requires some paper work and a recommendation from a doctor stating the medicinal purpose of the marijuana. If the patient does not w...

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Marshall, P. (2005, February 11). Marijuana laws. CQ Researcher, 15, 125-148.

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http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2005021100.

Seppa, N. (2010, June 19). Not just a high: Scientists test medicinal marijuana against

MS, inflammation and cancer. Science News, 177 (13), p. 16(5). Retrieved July 30, 2010, from Academic OneFile via Gale.

University of California - San Diego (2007, October 25). Smoked cannabis proven

effective in treating neuropathic pain. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 15, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071024141745.htm

Wilson, C. (2005). Miracle weed. New Scientist, 185, 38-41. Retrieved July 30, 2010,

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