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Marijuana as a Medicine
George McMahon is the fifth legal patient in the history of the United States to receive marijuana as a medicine from the government. He is one of 34 medically ill individuals who have been approved to use marijuana legally in the U. ... Marijuana was the only drug that eased his pain tremendously. Since then, he started his battle to obtain marijuana legally and he has succeeded. New studies have shown that marijuana is effective in reducing nausea induced by cancer chemotherapy, stimulating appetites in AIDS patients, and reducing intraocular pressure in people with glaucoma. There is also evidence that marijuana reduces muscle spasticity in patients with neurological disorders. Ever since marijuana was made illegal in 1937, organizations have tried to legalize it for patients who need it. However, America’s marijuana laws have continuously shot down their efforts. Politics distinguish marijuana from other potential pharmaceuticals, preventing it from undergoing the scientific testing that any new drug must undergo. At the same time, many patients like George McMahon claim that the medicinal use of marijuana works better than other pharmaceuticals such as morphine. It is probable that people are against the medicinal uses of marijuana because there is no consumer protection, it will provide new legal loopholes for drug dealers to avoid arrest and prosecution, and it will damage efforts to convince young people to remain drug free.
Uncle Sam and anti-medical marijuana activists are hesitant about distributing marijuana to medical patients. ... The painkillers do not provide the same healing effects as marijuana does. Currently, the FDA does not approve marijuana as a safe drug. This does not mean it isn’t a safe drug, but rather the result of laws passed to discontinue extensive research on marijuana. Frank Fioramonti, the leader of the board of directors for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said, “As politics continue to ban research on the drug, people will continue to doubt the safe regulation of the quality, strength, and purity of the drug for patients.”(Sloman 415) While many activists have voted against the research of the drug, enough research has been accumulated over the years to destroy the myths that gave marijuana its bad reputation.
Approximate Word count = 1841
Approximate Pages = 7.4
(250 words per page double spaced)
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