Medical Marijuana : What's the Problem - Essay Example

Those in favor of the drug claim that it is both an effective and safe treatment for many medical conditions, including; epilepsy, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, AIDS, cancer and others. However, this topic is controversial in that marijuana is classified as an illicit drug but the fact that remains is that it has medicinal value and it can be used for the betterment of healthcare of different individuals. Then, what is the problem? Why hasn’t medical marijuana been legalized in every state in the Union?

Created in 1970, the Controlled Substances Act, an amendment to the Public Health Service Act, was enacted, making the “prevention of, drug abuse and drug dependence; to provide for treatment and rehabilitation of drug abusers and drug dependent persons; and to strengthen existing law enforcement authority in the field of drug abuse.” According to the World Health Organization, Cannabis is the most widely trafficked illicit drug in the world. No doubt then why marijuana was listed as a controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act. . Just like any other plants that are used for making tablets, it can be seen that marijuana can have medicinal value that can help to address different diseases.

In such a situation, it would be imperative to legalize this drug only for the purpose of medical use. Policies ought to be reviewed to reflect that legalized marijuana can only be used for medical purposes and not for recreational purposes. Once legalized, this drug should be sold through official channels such as pharmacies and the buyers ought to produce a prescription from the medical doctors. There is nothing wrong with legalizing this drug for medical purposes as long as it is treated the same way like any other drug.

Increasingly, those who support the legalization of medical marijuana come from very important circles in the medical, educational, health, and even political field. From the US Surgeon General to prominent physicians andprofessors, proponents for the legalization of medical marijuana offer compelling arguments against those who oppose legalizing the drug. Jocelyn Elders, MD, former US Surgeon General, said in an editorial in the Providence Journal in 2004, “The evidence is overwhelming that marijuana can relieve certain types of pain, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms caused by such illnesses as multiple sclerosis, cancer and AIDS – or by the harsh drugs sometimes used to treat them.

And it can do so with remarkable safety. Indeed, marijuana is less toxic than many of the drugs that physicians prescribe every day.” The other reason why marijuana should be legalized is that it poses fewer threats to health of the people who use it. MD, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, had this to say in an LA Times article in 2006, “There is very little evidence that