Pro Legalization Marijuana Paper
Uploaded by karr0tt0p on Mar 27, 2005 |
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The medical community continues to expand our ability to handle life-threatening illnesses and prolong life. With that ability comes an extension of the treatments that patients must undergo. Many patients today refuse medical treatment that may save or prolong their life, out of a desire to avoid the unpleasant side affects associated with the treatment. In recent years it has been discovered that the use of Marijuana alleviates several symptoms associated with cancer and AIDS treatments and disorders. The patients are currently forced to choose between breaking the law to reduce symptoms or suffering life-changing symptoms rather than break the law. The conditions of AIDS and cancer are life threatening and many are not going to survive its attack. Medicinal marijuana should be legalized so that those who already suffer the disadvantage of disease, will not also be forced to suffer treatment symptoms that are easily corrected.
It is interesting that during current history the use of marijuana is even up for debate (Medical Marijuana Legislation Overdue, 45). For many years it was an accepted treatment for the alleviation of symptoms of different disorders. Between 1840 and 1940 there were over 100 papers published in which the effectiveness of marijuana for medical use was praised. Physicians constantly reported success from the use of the drug in treating some disorders (Medical Marijuana Legislation Overdue, 46). According to those who published the papers, marijuana works medicinally by shutting down the nerves that allow pain to be transmitted from the brain to other areas of the body (Medical Marijuana Legislation Overdue, 39). In more recent years many chemotherapy patients have insisted that smoking marijuana relieved the nausea often associated with disease treatments (Medical Marijuana Legislation Overdue, 45). In addition patients with glaucoma have been proven to have pressure on their eyes relieved with the use of marijuana. (Medical Marijuana Legislation Overdue, 45.) In the most recent developments regarding the medicinal use of marijuana it has proven to be a successful appetite stimulant as well as a depression reliever among patients who are fighting AIDS (Medical Marijuana Legislation Overdue, 43.). "In spite of these medical benefits, Congress still refuses to legalize marijuana for medical use, because it is harmful to one 's health when smoked." (Medical Marijuana Legislation Overdue, 45). " This seems like a ridiculous argument, considering that cigarettes are the leading cause of heart disease and lung cancer (Medical Marijuana Legislation Overdue, 41). How many people have died from cigarette smoking? How many people have died from marijuana smoking? If Congress is trying to save our lives, smoking cigarettes should be illegal, not smoking marijuana. " There is at least proven medicinal value with smoking marijuana (Medical Marijuana Legislation Overdue, 33). There is absolutely no medicinal value to be gained by smoking cigarettes. "This country has a big problem: our policies are not based on scientific evidence and historical facts; they are based on narrow-minded conservatism, paranoia, and outdated ideals (Medical Marijuana Legislation Overdue, 41). "
In 1976, a patient named Robert Randell became the first American to gain legal access to the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. (Randall, Robert. Alice O 'leary, 4). Randall was diagnosed with severe glaucoma and fought for the right to use marijuana to treat the eye disease that blinds thousands of Americans each year (Randall, Robert. Alice O 'leary, 6). They told him he would probably go blind from the disorder and instead he continued to see and devoted the next 20 years to fighting for the rights of others to use marijuana for medicinal purposes (Randall, Robert. Alice O 'leary, 3). Along the way in his journey Randall, in 1994 was diagnosed with AIDS (Randall, Robert. Alice O 'leary, 6). He was arrested in 1975 for growing marijuana in his apartment, which launched his one-man crusade to legalize its use for medicinal purposes. (Randall, Robert. Alice O 'leary, 7). While the legalization in general did not occur Randall was granted special legal access and since then many others have fought and won the same rights (Randall, Robert. Alice O 'leary, 7). However until it is an accepted practice and legally accepted in all states the medical community is still caught between a rock and a hard spot, knowing what will help their patients yet being unable to give it to them or even suggest its use (Randall, Robert. Alice O 'leary, 6). Randall offers himself as evidence as to the benefits of using marijuana for medicinal purposes (Randall, Robert. Alice O 'leary, 10). "Instead of dead, I 'm fat as a Buddha of Happiness and tan as a red man. Living in a condo on Florida's intercoastal waterway (Randall, Robert. Alice O 'leary, 11) "In 1998 a bill to research the use of marijuana as a medicinal tool died in 1998 in Sacramento (Lawmakers http://www.hemp.net). "The bill by Sen. John Vasconcellos would have set up the California Marijuana Research Program at UC to make a definitive study of medical value of the drug (Lawmakers http://www.hemp.net). "
However in 1996 the California voters did legalize the cultivation, use and possession of marijuana for medicinal purposes if the person had a doctor 's recommendation(Lawmakers http://www.hemp.net). The controversy is rising over the legality of such a measure as the allowance seems to be in direct conflict with federal laws regarding the use of marijuana. The easiest way to resolve this dilemma would be to legalize the medicinal use of marijuana on the federal level.Those opposed to such a law cite the lack of scientific data proving its safety in use. However, the use of marijuana medicinally has been used since the 1800 's until we made it illegal, with no reported problems. In addition the conditions that marijuana helps and would be prescribed for are generally life threatening or at the least threaten the quality of life for the patient. If smoking marijuana allows a chemo patient to continue treatment, or an AIDS patient to eat, the benefit outweighs any potential risk which could include the death of the patient.
For years politicians, patients and doctors have agreed that medical studies would be a positive step in determining the safety if the use of medicinal marijuana once and for all and the legislators could move forward armed with scientific knowledge(Lawmakers http://www.hemp.net). "We are not afraid of the truth. We are not afraid of the results of a credible study, " said Assemblyman Tom Woods.(Lawmakers http://www.hemp.net)."
In an effort to alleviate concerns that recreational use would be hidden in supposed medicinal use there have been several bills written and introduced that address the issue (Drug Warriors Attack, http://www.mpp.org). One such bill allows the prescription of the drug for life-threatening or sense threatening use only (Drug Warriors Attack, http://www.mpp.org). This would mean that medical conditions that do not have to potential to cause a person to lose one of the five senses, or that threatened to take his life would not qualify for a prescription for the use of marijuana (Drug Warriors Attack, http://www.mpp.org). Another bill that was shot down provided strict guidelines that would protect the buyer, the medical doctor and the government while still allowing the patient to use marijuana for the purpose of medicinal relief of disorder or symptoms (Nieves, 48). This bill allowed for the prescription of marijuana 's use for the following diseases: "cancer, anorexia, AIDS, chronic pain, spasticity, glaucoma, arthritis, migraine, or any other illness for which marijuana provides relief(Nieves, 48). " It moved to change the classification to a lighter scheduled drug and allowed patients to grow their own or buy it at the pharmacy with a proper prescription. (Legalized Marijuana for Medicinal Use, http://courses.unt.edu).
With the measures that these proposed bills have in place the use of medicinal marijuana would benefit thousands of patients who otherwise suffer or lose their other abilities based on the illness in question. (Legalized Marijuana for Medicinal Use, http://courses.unt.edu).
Other nations have also addressed the subject and some have even formed groups of supporters to assist in the promotion. A Toronto, Canada group called CALM, Cannabis as Legitimate Medicine, an organization that provided marijuana for those who needed it for medicinal purposes (Onstand, 20). With a $15 registration fee and a letter of diagnosis, people with a range of health concerns suited to marijuana treatment - from AIDS wasting syndrome to cancer to glaucoma - could receive cheap clean marijuana in a safe office - like environment (Onstand, 19). "
While it is still illegal according to Canadian law the group is pushing forward with its plan(Onstand, 21). The idea is a sound one from a medicinal point of view. The marijuana would be clean without additives (Onstand, 23) . The government would also benefit if it would get behind the idea because taxes could then be charged on the growers (Beltrame,22.).
The idea was based on a San Francisco based model of a cannabis club in which people could take a doctor's diagnosis of certain diseases and disorders to the club and purchase marijuana that they knew would be clean and pure and free of additives that can so often happen on the streets (Onstand, 22). "The difference is that in California, Proposition 215, passed last November, made marijuana use legal for certain illnesses. In Canada, it's illegal."(Onstand, 24).
Marijuana is regarded as most medically viable in light of its most famous side effect: the munchies. Marijuana is an appetite stimulant, which can be key in the control of AIDS wasting syndrome, the result of HIV infection, which causes patients to lose 10 percent or more of their body weight. The nausea and inability to eat can contribute to early death, but marijuana has proven an effective antidote by making patients hungry and hence, better nourished."
The same concept applies to cancer patients. A loss of appetite coupled with the inability to keep food down poses serious problems to the course of the treatment of the cancer. Doctors have reported having patients who vomit in excess of 30 times a day from radiation treatments. This type of vomiting can tear the esophagus as well as cause severe dehydration. Cancer patients are many times emaciated and the added nausea and vomiting can mean the difference between survival and death. If the use of marijuana can alleviate those symptoms and allow the patient to eat and keep the food down the patient stands a better chance of survival. In the past few years, pharmaceutical versions of THC have appeared on the market. Dronabinol (brand name Marinol), a synthetic version of THC, is prescribed to AIDS and cancer patients with severe nausea. (Brooks, 14)
Advocates of the use of marijuana are less than impressed with it. People with AIDS who must take several dozen pills a day don't want to add more pills to the regime. Perhaps more importantly, patients who have used both the pill form and the traditionally smoked form say the pill does not have the same effect nor does it work as well as the smoked variety. This difference may be caused by the fact that the pill form is almost exclusively THC with some added things to make it a pill. Natural marijuana has almost 400 additional ingredients and we have no way of knowing which ones are helping the various illness symptoms. In addition the concentrated THC that is in the pill and not mixed with anything else cause the patients to feel more "stoned" or high than smoking it does.
Former drug agents have spoken to Congress in an effort to stop the movement to legalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes and cite the carnage and destruction they have witnessed that was caused by drugs (Brooks, 13). However, the medicinal use of marijuana cannot be compared to the addicted crack heads that are living on the street and committing crimes to get their next fix.
The medicinal use of marijuana would be tightly controlled and regulated which would prevent the types of problems that the former drug agents describe to the congressional house. The medicinal use would not allow for perfectly healthy people to smoke and use, but instead would be limited to severely ill patients to use in the coursed of medical treatment. There are opponents to the idea who insist that there have never been studies done in which marijuana has been proven to be a safe effective medicine (Lapey, 33) . This is not true when one takes into account the many papers published by physicians before we made it illegal that praised the use and success of marijuana in their patients (Lapey, 33).
As we continue to debate the uses and effects of marijuana as a medicinal treatment many thousands of people are suffering from deliberating disorders that can be life threatening (Groves, 74) In addition, the quality of life for many patients denied the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes suffers. Lately there has been much discussion about the right to die (Groves, 76). Millions of Americans have voiced support in a patient's right to die if their quality of life promises to be substandard due to a disease or disorder. We look ourselves in the mirror every morning and believe we should be able to choose to go, based on the suffering or quality of life issues we will endure otherwise. Yet, these same people are quick to ban the use of marijuana as a medicinal help. The ironic thing is many of the same diseases and disorders in which the right to use marijuana affects are the same diseases and disorders in which we believe a patient has a right to die from. How is it that a nation can endorse the self destruction, suicide, turning off machines or "letting go " when the end result is the knowledgeable killing of a human being; yet refuse to allow those same patients the right to smoke a joint to alleviate symptoms?
The passage of a bill allowing the medicinal use of marijuana is not going to turn the country into a drug infested free for all. According to some experts we are already there, and according to others its a road that will never be crossed. The use of marijuana for medicinal purposes simply allows those suffering from illness to alleviate the suffering, while at the same time trying to find a cure or remedy for their medical condition. This beats the heck out of legalized murder and possibly will prolong lives until medical breakthroughs can be found.
Bibliography
Beltrame, Julian. "Reefer Madness: The Sequel." MacLean's, August 6 2001:
22-29.
Brooks, Robert. "MEDICAL MARIJUANA: RONALD E. BROOKS,"
Congressional Testimony . April 1997, p. 13-15
Carver, GW. "How to Grow Marijuana Indoors for Medicinal Use," Homestead
Press, September 1995.
Conrad, Chris ; "Hemp for Health : The Medicinal and Nutritional Uses of
Cannabis Sativa" , 1997.
Drug Warriors Attack ; http://www.mpp.org/warriors.html, March 21, 2000
Unknown. "EDITORIAL: Medical marijuana legislation overdue." University Wire
PG, April 1999, p. 31-46
Groves, Bob ; "POT VS. THE PILL", The Record. March 1994, p. 73-81
Lapey, Janet; "MEDICINAL MARIJUANA TESTIMONY," HOUSE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE, October 1997, p. 33-52
Lawmakers Eye Bill Authorizing Study Of Medicinal Marijuana
http://www.hemp.net/news/9809/980901ca.html, April 29, 1998
"Legalized Marijuana for Medicinal Use"
http://courses.unt.edu/swood/marijuana.html, December, 1999
Nieves, Evelyn; Archibald, Timothy. "Half an Ounce of Healing," Mother Jones,
Jan/Feb 2001, vol. 26 Issue 1, p. 48, 6p, 3c.
Onstand, Katrina; "Rx: Marijuana: Smoking Marijuana Relieves Pain." November
1997. p. 19-24
Randall, Robert. Alice O 'leary. "Marijuana Rx : The Patients ' Fight for Medicinal Pot", Thundermouth Press, 1998, p. 3-11 |
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