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KasindraJean Westlind
Professor Celestino
April 5, 2017
Legalization of Marijuana
The use of marijuana has been a controversy in the United States for many of years. It is
utilized by teens and adults daily to satisfy their needs, even though it is illegal. The drug is used
for numerous medical purposes that help to ease pain a person may be having. Marijuana is
good for medical uses, helps with the opioid epidemic, and in addition it would be beneficial to
the economy to be decriminalized in the United States. Due to marijuana being illegal, there are
many of people who have been arrested and are in jail because of it. It has been a battle for years
to get the legislature to decriminalize marijuana in the United states. A lot of people also have
died of a drug induced overdose due to their addiction to pain killers, from the result of them
being the only things that are legally available. Statistics also show that people who use
marijuana instead of opioids are less likely to become addicted to the substance, and or die of a
There are several different chemicals in marijuana, but the two main ones that are
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD). There are many medical uses that
marijuana is good for. One thing is helping to control epilepsy (A chronic hyper-excitability
disease that stems from various parts in the neuronal network of the brain, causing reoccurring
seizures.) in children and adults. The oil that they make out of cannabis is not the same as
recreationally used marijuana. It has more CBD, and less THC. The oil is used to treat the
chronic illness without the side effect of getting high. For years families have gone through
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thousands of dollars in medical expenses, and medications. Pharmaceutical drugs become very
expensive after having to have so many different kinds. Some people are used as guinea pigs for
testing new drugs that may, or may not work. They could even have adverse side effects causing
the conditions to worsen, or cause death. There are many adults and children who do not respond
to current medications that are used to treat epileptic episodes, but cannabis can. For years, and
years new medications are constantly being tested and used but yet one specific drug has yet to
be found in solving the sicknesses of many. Most epilepsy episodes occur in children, and the
elderly. (Gloub, 2016) Another disease that cannabis oil has been able to help treat is Parkinsons
disease. Parkinsons disease is another neurological disorder, and the use of cannabis oil can help
calm the nerves by stopping them from firing as often which then stops the shaking motions in
the victim. They are then able to do able bodied tasks that they couldnt do because of the disease
acting up. Cannabis has been around for hundreds of years and is a natural herb. Cannabis is
used to treat cancer, and anorexic patients. A lot of times they are in a lot of pain, and cannot eat
or sleep due to stomach pains and insomnia. The drug helps reduce pain, increase hunger it has
been used as an appetite stimulant since 300 AD. There are many cancer patients that have a
decreased appetite which leads to an involuntary weight loss, while also losing skeletal mass.
With the reduction of skeletal mass, it makes the body more fragile, and more vulnerable for
bone fractures and breaks. When the skeletal mass has reduced, it is also showing that the bones
are not getting the nutrients they need therefore they cannot heal properly if an injury was to
occur. Cancer patients are usually more vulnerable to sickness because they are not able to get all
the nutrition that they could before they got sick because their immune system is so weak.
Cannabis helps stimulate the appetite causing someone to feel hungry verses nauseous and sick.
Cannabis is used for anorexia in the same fashion as its used for cancer. Cannabis is also used to
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treat anorexia nervosa, which is a psychological eating disorder. It can also be life threatening if
left untreated. Someone who may be suffering from this disorder has gone so long without eating
a normal portioned sized meal, which then potentially shrinks the stomach in addition to
making the brain think that it is not hungry. This sickness also results in extreme weight loss and
the reduction of bone density. With the use of marijuana, it would make the patient hungry and
not feel nauseous for eating. After not eating much for long periods of time, your body goes into
starvation mode and then it eventually thinks it doesnt necessarily need food. Then when you
eat, youre left feeling nauseous. People who suffer from anorexia are often suffering from other
mental disorders such as anxiety, and depression. Marijuana is known to help with depression
and anxiety because it is a calming drug. Marijuana is also known as a therapeutic drug for
people who are suffering from HIV/AIDS. A person who has HIV/AIDS has an immune system
that is being compromised by the virus. It helps to treat the victims of this virus by helping with
nausea, appetite loss, and bodily pains. It can have a good effect on their sleeping patterns. A
person with HIV/AIDS needs to get a good amount of sleep to keep their body as healthy as
possible because they already have an immune deficiency problem. Lack of sleep causes a drop
in the immune system, which is why people who do not sleep enough are more prone to sickness
Marijuana is used for all sorts of medical needs. Another thing that the drug has been
useful in treating is PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) in war veterans. The federal
government estimates that 500,000 of the 2.7 million troops who served in those countries have
some type of PTSD (Thompson, pg. 36) PTSD is big among war veterans, and people who has
medications that often do not help the victim. Someone who is suffering from something like
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PTSD often have hallucinogens, anxiety, depression, and insomnia. They are often
uncomfortable in their bodies and turn to the use of opioids to numb their pain, or to get them
to be able to sleep. Cannabis has been known to be used as a pain killer, but has never had the
lethal effect like other opioids do. Oral cannabinoids such as dronabinol, which is a synthetic
version of tetra-hydro cannabinol (THC), has been shown to reduce the response to fear stimuli
and trauma-related symptoms in people with PTSD (Brown university Child & Adolescent
Psychopharmacology, pg. 4). If marijuana can help someone who is suffering from severe PTSD
People often complain about marijuana, and that it is bad for people to consume. They
often say that marijuana is known as the gateway drug. Marijuana is just as much of a gate way
drug as alcohol. When a person consumes to much alcohol, the sensation of being drunk is the
human body saying that it is being poisoned. Alcohol is known to cause anxiety, dizziness,
aggression, and self-destructive behavior. Marijuana helps with anxiety, and causes calmness.
Although when using either of these substances, heavy machinery should not be used or
operated. It is a universal controversy that since alcohol is legal, then marijuana should be also.
More people die each year due to alcohol poisoning than anyone who has been poisoned or
intensity (i.e., consuming a very large amount of alcohol during an episode of binge drinking).
Approximately 38 million U.S. adults report binge drinking an average of eight drinks per
episode (Heron, pg. 1238). Another substance that is used on a daily basis, but is legal and toxic
to the human body is tobacco, and the use of cigarettes. The tobacco inside of cigarettes is highly
addictive. Cigarettes cause cardiovascular disease, cancer of the lips, nose, tongue, lungs and
mouth. It has an increase in the risks of strokes, and can yellow the white parts of the eyes. The
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carcinogens from smoking over time build up on the lungs causing them to become hard, black
and full of tar. Resulting the lungs to stop expanding to their full potential and can cause a
premature death. Medicinal marijuana that comes in the form of oils, and edibles would be
healthier then cigarettes and alcohol. Both alcohol and tobacco are legal all over the world, yet
have little to no benefits to them. Alcohol can be used to numb pain and sorrow, but in effect it is
still poisoning the body. Marijuana should be regulated and sold, just like alcohol and cigarettes
are because the substance helps people more than it does harm.
Legalizing marijuana would also have a decrease in the opioid epidemic. Opioids are
everywhere now days. A person could go to the doctors complaining of chronic pains, resulting
in the doctor prescribing a pain killer. Most pain killers are opioids, which can be lethal if taken
at too high of a dosage. Opioids are often misused, causing a serious public health issue. Drug
overdose, induced deaths are the leading cause of injury deaths in the United States. The opioid
epidemic causes overdoses effecting many friends, families, and loved ones every day. More
people would use marijuana instead of opioids, if it was legal. The use of opioids leads to the
addiction of stronger drugs such as heroin. Pain killers are derived from the opium poppy seed
plant. Natural opiate drugs come from a natural opium alkaloids, which are drugs such as
morphine, and codeine. Synthetic opiates are manufactured in laboratories, making them stronger
resulting in a higher addiction rate. Synthetic opiates are medications such as fentanyl, and
methadone. More people died of drug overdoses in 2014 in the U.S. than in any other year, and
60% of them were because of painkillers. Over the past 17 years, rates of opioid-overdose deaths
have quadrupled, fueled by over prescription of painkillers and the proliferation of cheaper forms
of heroin and synthetic opioids (Park, pg. 50). Opioids are available to anyone everywhere, and
once addicted people will try to get their drug from anywhere. In the United States, there are
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people who make synthetic opioids which have caused thousands of deaths, especially in young
adults and teens. Quite often, a news article is reported of a young couple that overdosed on
some kind of opioid with a child in the car, or even them-selves alone. Marijuana has never had a
report of someone overdosing and dying. According to the government marijuana is classified as
a schedule I drug. Being classified as a schedule I drug, it is said that marijuana is one of the
most dangerous drugs that is out there. The government has marijuana in the same category as
heroin. Heroin has had a huge epidemic in the United States causing many of deaths, marijuana
has not.
In the United States, there have been 8.2 million arrests related to marijuana between the
years of 2001, and 2010. Legalization is defined as an acknowledgment that the government has
no fundamental interest in an individuals use of a drug, although it may still seek to regulate its
sale, distribution, use and advertisement to safeguard the publics health, while decriminalization
refers to the elimination, reduction and or non-reinforcement of penalties for the sale, purchase,
or possession of marijuana all though such activities still remain illegal (Joffe and Yancy, 2004,
pg. 633). If marijuana was legalized there would be less people taking up space in prisons while
also saving the government money to house these people. There are people who have been
sentenced to more time in prison for being caught, and charged with the possession of marijuana
then a person who has committed a more serious crime like rape, or murder. A lot of people use
marijuana for medical purposes but end up getting into trouble and put in jail because they would
Marijuana is good for medical uses, helps with the opioid epidemic, and in addition it
would be beneficial to the economy to be decriminalized in the United States. Marijuana would
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overall be beneficial to the United States to become legalized. The drug is recreationally legal in
"Cannabis: Does It Help or Hurt Psychotic Disorders and PTSD?." Brown University Child &
Adolescent Psychopharmacology Update, vol. 18, no. 1, Jan. 2016, pp. 3-6. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1002/cpu.30095.
Kanny, Dafna, et al. "Vital Signs: Alcohol Poisoning Deaths - United States, 2010-
2012."MMWR:
Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 63, no. 53, 09 Jan. 2015, pp. 1238-1242.
EBSCOhost, libprox1.slcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=ccm&AN=103875121&site=eds-live.
Park, Alice. "A New Paradigm for Opioid Addiction: More Drugs." Time, vol. 188, no. 16/17,
24 Oct. 2016, pp. 48-53. EBSCOhost,
libprox1.slcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=voh&AN=118831087&site=eds-live.
Thompson, Mark. "Post-Traumatic Marijuana." Time, vol. 188, no. 8, 29 Aug. 2016, pp. 34-37.
EBSCOhost,libprox1.slcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=voh&AN=117520614&site=eds-live.