Research Why Medical Marijuana Should Be Legal In US

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Medical marijuana should be legal
The debate on legalization of marijuana particularly for medical use has been a controversial one for centuries. Researchers observe that, until its criminalization in 1937, the extracts from marijuana were among the commonly prescribed medication in the United States. Presently, experts believe that cannabis sativa is a better alternative to treat various ailments as compared to pharmaceutical products, with its main ingredient THC presenting in numerous pharmaceutical products. However, the federal government continues frustrating its legalization efforts by consistently considering it as an illegal drug. It is outright that marijuana is a powerful plant, which despite its criminalization, is yet to kill any person as compared to alcohol. Thus, medical marijuana should be legal as it is safer and effective than prescription drugs; it provides medical benefits, economic benefits and enables the government take control of it and limit the use of illicit drugs.
Medical marijuana efficiently treats numerous conditions. According to Rudolph Gerber, cannabis sativa use has numerous therapeutic benefits. Drug sociologists observe that marijuana is crucial in the treatment of glaucoma as it decreases the amount of fluid present in the eyes that cause life-long consequences (Gerber). In patients who have HIV/AIDS, the disease causes loss of appetite, nausea, pain and wasting away, to which pharmaceutical drugs cannot alleviate. Nevertheless, marijuana works efficiently to raise their immune system, relieve nausea, stimulate appetite, and promote gaining weight and subsequent increase in body mass. Additionally, oncologists, since the 1990s, recommended marijuana to their cancer patients. According to them, the primary ingredient, THC is effective in treating depression, spasticity, and nausea that results from chemotherapy. Additionally, it relieves conditions such as seizures, asthma, irritable bowel movement, epilepsy and spinal cord injuries (Gerber).
According to David Bearman, a pain management physician in California marijuana can relieve pain. He asserts that cannabis has pain-killing powers that cure inflammation, arthritis, and chronic pain by altering the pain pointers in the central nervous system (Bearman 2). Also, it relieves migraines by preventing its occurrence for some people, while in others it minimizes its severity. Opponents of the legalization of medical marijuana affirm that marijuana should remain an illegal drug as its smoke contains carcinogens that precipitate harmful consequences of lung cancer. However, a study by National Academy of Science affirmed that even the short-term benefits of the use of marijuana were enough to offset this risk (Bearman 2-3).
Marijuana is safer than pharmaceutical drugs. According to Gary Johnson, prescription drugs are a significant issue in the United States, which cause the death of about one hundred thousand persons every year (Glum 1). The deaths occur through the intake of numerous pharmaceutical products throughout people's lives for one ailment or another, thereby introducing to the body, a wide array of chemicals ingredients. These chemicals bring about side effects such as nausea, irritati...