Future of Medical Marijuana - Essay Example

Should Marijuana be Legalized? ID Lecturer It is a matter of fact that marijuana is considered as a drug throughout the world. Marijuana has an addictive nature to it and is very much in the same line as cocaine and heroin. For this reason, marijuana is considered as one of the most dangerous drugs in relation with severe accidents and calamities. People who become victims of these accidents are the ones who have had marijuana consumed in one quantity or the other. A sad evidence of this is that there are many victims each year in these accidents as they had taken marijuana. The element of abstinence is therefore taking the rounds of such quarters because marijuana creates a sense of high-ness within their bodies and they feel alienated from the rest of the world. Within public circles, it has already been treated in a staunchly negative way, where people do not accept of such people in entirety. Marijuana kills, and hence the people detest from its intake, and more so the ones who do not believe in the premise of consuming marijuana at all. There is a sense of discomfort amongst the people and the evidence thus provided is testimony enough to the same claims. It is being seen as a nuisance more than anything else. On the other hand, marijuana’s usefulness and benefits are something that cannot be denied at all. The medical marijuana is used within medicines as well as towards healing of a number of different ailments and diseases. The healing perspective is such that the drawbacks associated with marijuana could be canceled out as the positives are chalked out (Sager 1999). Medical science is bringing out more and more benefits that are linked with marijuana and there is reason enough to believe all that has been brought forward. If people are getting healed, one should believe that there is no problem in legalizing the use of marijuana. However the negatives still rule the roost for all the wrong reasons. The view of the people in the wake of legalizing marijuana must change because it would be for the betterment of one and all, if seen from a corrective standpoint. It is indeed about time that one and all should know about its benefits more than the drawbacks, because it is bringing about solid results in the wake of medical science more than anything else (Engs 1997). It has been proven with research that the crude form of marijuana contains within it nearly 400 chemicals which speaks for a great deal of usefulness on its part. When a person smokes marijuana, the 400 chemicals become split into thousands of varied chemicals. In the past, more than 12,000 researches have been carried out on the advantages of medicinal marijuana which has really assisted the scientific fields. The conclusiveness has been proven with the results that have come out with the passage of time. It has shown that the smoked form of marijuana is a useless thing, however its role become magnified in terms of its advantages once marijuana is used the other way around. The medicinal role ends when the smoking process starts therefore it is best to avoid the very same (Kreit 2003). The curtailment of medicinal marijuana is essentially linked with the smoke form, but one must comprehend that the negatives of marijuana cannot be denied the criticism that it must deserve. It is thus a good omen if marijuana is legalized all over the world so that people can reap benefits rather than the other alternative that has come to the fore. People must clearly be told about the researches that have been done within the same fields of study so that success comes about in full circle. What this will do is to boost the role of medicinal marijuana even further in the eyes of commoners as well as the decision makers who will eventually be taking the call as to how marijuana should be legalized. Legalization is one of the terms that have been propagated in the press more often. The drug lobby groups dictate that the medicinal use of marijuana cannot be denied its due right and the people need to comprehend what benefits it has in the long run scheme of things before moving ahead further. These drug lobbies have asked of the people to research the advantages of marijuana and how the same could offer room for growth and development within the relevant fields of medicine. However this has generally been met with a hostile attitude on the part of the people at large. Public opinion polls in America have shown that the people have usually gone against the benefits that marijuana brings with it. They are of the view that legalizing marijuana for the sake of selling and eventually using it on the part of the druggists is not a good exercise in entirety. They have been vocal about this stance and have asked their government not to allow any such moves on its part. Drug pressure groups could learn a lesson or two from such sentiments that come exclusively from the domains of the public. The benefits that marijuana brings with it need to be told to them so that proper usage could be incorporated within medicines – for the eventual advantage of the people at large. One can see that perhaps the people do not in essence know of the advantages that medicinal marijuana has within its folds (Cohen 2006). This needs to be discussed at length by the drug lobbies in order to have positive vibes for the selling and usage of medicinal marijuana. The bodily effects of marijuana include the redness of eyes, decreased intra-ocular pressure, dryness within the mouth, sensation of heat and cold within the skin, increased heart rate and relaxation of muscles. The use of marijuana has been related with the development of anxiety, depression and psychosis; however the research studies have been unable to establish a clear cut link with the causal mechanism for the same. Some studies have shown that heavy usage of marijuana and heart attacks have something in common – strokes can also take place due to such measures on the part of the marijuana users (Graves 2005). Some abnormalities have also been reported within the users of marijuana which have included amygdala and hippocampus regions situated within the human brain. As far as the benefits of marijuana are concerned, it has been seen that marijuana has played a very significant role in helping patients with nausea and vomiting problems. It has solved the issues related with anorexia and weight loss as well. There have been well confirmed reports which have suggested that marijuana has played a very important role at treating patients who have movement disorders, asthma, painful conditions and glaucoma to name a few. It is a sad fact that marijuana has been targeted as a drug which has caused much uproar within the society. The advantages of marijuana seem to be hidden from the eyes of the people, which is a shame in the true sense of the word. The benefits that this drug has, as research studies have suggested time and again, suggest that the people should have a soft corner for the usage of marijuana within the society’s different domains. However it is the smoking of marijuana which has eventually been the bane for a number of decades now and hence the issue has crept on for a long time. Unfortunately this issue will resurface every now and then and more so in the wake of the legislative measures that need to be analyzed, studied and implemented on the state levels. The laws that have been enacted for marijuana users are becoming stricter by the day. They are being arrested and held within confinements by the local and state level police in America (Weisner 2006). There seems to be a completely unfavorable wave of denial as far as the people are concerned. The advantages seem to be immense if the people understand the reality behind marijuana. However this is a very sad fact that people are usually naïve in their thinking mechanisms and have been unreceptive to any research that has come their way, with regards to marijuana, its medicinal usage and general talk related with the same undertakings. The social risks involved with the usage of marijuana are present nonetheless. The accidents that have usually been reported in the media have involved people who were intoxicated with the smoke of marijuana. This has not played a very positive role at making people understand the due part of medicinal marijuana. What they seem to mix up is the anomaly that is present between the medicinal form of marijuana and the smoke that comes out when marijuana is used, purely as a recreational drug. The role of the drug lobbies needs to be altered in a way that the public relation regimes within these quarters work to the best possible effects. People are being fed with wrong information all this time and the role of drug lobby groups is of immense significance. In the end, the positives of marijuana could be seen as being on the right side more than anything else. The drawbacks have usually relied on the smoking form which is unapproved by the drug lobby groups in an out and out fashion. Propagation of correct information would indeed solve half the problems. The need is to get their act right and disseminate information which is authentic and genuine. References Cohen, P. (2006). Medical Marijuana, Compassionate Use, and Public Policy: Expert Opinion or Vox Populi? The Hastings Center Report, Vol. 36 Engs, R. (1997). Correlates of Alcohol, Tobacco and Marijuana Use among Scottish Postsecondary Helping-Profession Students. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, Vol. 58 Graves, K. (2005). Risk and Protective Factors Associated with Alcohol, Cigarette, and Marijuana Use during Adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Vol. 34 Kreit, A. (2003). The Future of Medical Marijuana: Should the States Grow Their Own? University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Vol. 151 Sager, Ryan H. (1999). Grass Roots: The Progress of Medical Marijuana (Making Medical Marijuana Legal). National Review Weisner, C. (2006). Translating Research Findings into Practice: Example of Treatment Services for Adolescents in Managed Care. Alcohol Research & Health, Vol. 29 Read More