There has been much brouhaha about the medicinal uses of marijuana or cannabis; on the one side we have proponents of the move who swear by the medicinal benefits that this drug can bring to people who suffer from chronic pain, loss of appetite, nervous disorders and mental illnesses, and on the other, we see law enforcement officers and officials questioning the right of people to possess this drug because of the potential for abuse.
Medical marijuana has mostly been leveraged as a way to manage the pain that is a constant part of chronic illnesses like cancer, to increase the appetite of cancer patients, cure alcoholism, calm patients with nervous disorders, and treat patients with a family history of degenerative brain diseases. It is said to promote neuron growth according to a Canadian study, which means it is helpful in staving off and minimizing the effects of Alzheimers and other diseases that affect the brain in their early stages.
It has been legalized in 14 states in the USA including Colorado, Hawaii, Alaska, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, California, Illinois, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Vermont, and is available through dispensaries in California, New Mexico and Rhode Island. A few other states are considering its legalization, but even so, there are cases being brought to book against people who have marijuana in their possession for medicinal purposes.
Take the case of the couple from Madison Heights, Robert Redden and Tory Clark, while one could argue that they did not need to grow their own cannabis in order to generate enough pain medication for Clarks cancer and Reddens chronic hip pain, the fact is that possession of marijuana with a doctors certificate is allowed in the state of Michigan. And this is why the presiding drug dismissed the felony drug charges against the couple stating that the laws on possession and amount were ambiguous at best.
Also, with President Obama trying to keep his campaign promise not to interfere with state laws that permit state dispensaries to sell medical marijuana, Attorney General Eric Holder has said that the DEA would not shut down such dispensaries that were legally permitted by state laws. This is a sort of victory for proponents of medical marijuana, because the Bush administration closed down as many as 50 such dispensaries through the Drug Enforcement Agency.
The fact remains that people who wish to abuse the drug will do even when it is not available legally; so why punish those who are already dying and in a considerable amount of pain and deny them the ability to purchase marijuana through legal channels?
This article is written by Kat Sanders, who regularly blogs on the topic of pharmacy tech certificate at her blog The Pharm Tech Blog. She welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: katsanders25@gmail.com
I’m all for the legalization of “weed”…the ones in the government now were…experimentors in the 60’s…most probably were…whether they admit it or not..they know what it does..Cigarettes are legal..alcohol is legal…those are “gateway” drugs too…who really knows what all they are putting in the cigarettes we smoke..I can go months without smoking pot…doesn’t bother me…I get irritated going 15 minutes without a cigarette..Drug companies have to be the major reason that it hasn’t been legalized..why..anyone being able to grow their own:
#1 PAIN medication
#2 Anti-depressant
#3 Cancer medication
#4 possably seizure medication
#5 and many other unknowns
Take a look at all the “legal medications” that are:
#1 VERY ADDICTIVE..physically and mentally
#2 are very easy to kill yourself with
#3 are very easy to kill others with in car crashes
Right now the US economy needs a boost and the leagalization of ALL marijuana would help:
#1 by cutting cost of the enforcement used to stop it NOW
#2 by giving us another legal export and would shrink our imports
#3 by cutting the cost of health care…think about it, it would…long term and short term
#4 the increase in tax revenue from large scale growers…like with tobacco
That’s just a sample of why leagalization would help…don’t believe…give us 10 years…legalize for 10 years…with monthly reports…on everything..revote every 5 years…times change no matter how we like how it is..or don’t like..
I found this Search Engine that works to legalize Marijuana. http://www.bluntsearch.com. There is games and a store and every search and purchase donates to the cause. Check it out.
how is it that people who don,t know about marijuana have bad things to say about it. They have no right.i,m sorry every one has a right to think what they want but don,t go putting it down if you don,t look into it.or never tried it. I am 43 years old and i have been smoking for 30 years and i never had a problem with anyone.i never had a fight,stolen or treated anyone bad with the use of marijuana.they say it is adictive. I go days sometimes months without it and it did not bother me one bit till this day if i don’t have it it does not bother me. It is the easyest thing to walk away from. I do smoke cigarettes and that people is a hard thing for me to give up but i am trying to and it is hard. So let me end this by saying don’t say you don’t like it if you never tried it thank you for your time and letting me have my apinion sorry for some of the spelling.
Anorexia is a b*tch your never hungry. I suffering and wasting away. I need it or I may die. I am not starving myself I hate the fact I shop in the kids section for clothes
scratch that, it SHOULD be legal. 😀
i think weed shouldnot belegalized. its harmless and if we sold it legaly it would cause less fighting and more peace. making weed illegal is just another way for the government to gain control of us without us noticing. the government can tell us what we can and cant do to OUR bodys? thats stupid. as long as people are safe with smoking, than i say what the hell! it should just be illegal to drive high, that way everyones safe, but smoking at home and holding should be legal!!!
Marijuana is a 'Life Force' plant. Which is why it is so medically therapeutic and spiritual at the same time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ8r3f4Dv3Y
Rick Simpson's Run from the Cure – The cure for cancer and a Religious Sacrament… Sanctuary must be declared in order to grant legal use.
True on the reduction in police costs and efforts, but I'm sure it would also hit the medicinal drug market hard. weed can be an inexpensive solution, crippling other pain killers and mood stabilizers. This is an unfortunate situation comparable to religion. Such a strong foundation built with misinformed perceptions lead to the belief that it's a fact.people choose which god to believe, and which recreational activity to persue. if it bothers a group of people, ban it from public use, like smoking and drinking. But don't strap a gun to it and call it dangerous. yes, the people who grow it can be arrested for the weapons and violence attached to large scale arrests, but those are violent people who just found a market to be violent in.