Should balance throughout the whole organism.A depressed

Should balance throughout the whole organism.A depressed

Should Marijuana Be Legalized For Medicinal Use? Marijuana, by dictionary. com’s definition, is the dried leaves and flowers of the hemp plant, used for its euphoric effects. In our society it has been a never-ending controversy on the subject of legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes. Every day more research goes into discovering the benefits and harmful effects of using marijuana medicinally.

16 states in our nation have already legalized marijuana for medical uses (procon. org). So why is it that the other 34 states continue to keep marijuana illegal?Or why is it that these 16 states believe that marijuana is beneficial for medicinal purposes? I decided to take a deeper look into the pro’s and cons of legalizing marijuana. According to Alicia Ault at the Institute of Medicine, marijuana does in fact have medicinal benefits.

In her article she states that it is said to help appetite loss, combat nausea, control pain, and reduce anxiety. Joan Bello’s book, The Benefits of Marijuana, claims that its use can have physical, psychological, and spiritual benefits.In her book there is a specific claim that states that marijuana benefits those affected with serious psychosomatic disease such as cancer.

On page 60 it states the four main benefits marijuana has on cancer patients. They are: First, the causal element of unconscious pain can be ferreted out. Second, the breath can be restored to fullness, thereby eliminating directly the built up toxicity and, at the same time, enjoining balance throughout the whole organism.A depressed system is a weakened system, and since it works holistically, marijuana gives strength where weakness exists, and expansion and relaxation where there is contraction and nervousness. Third the more richly oxygenated blood that is in effect with marijuana can help to cleanse the poisons at the cellular level.

Fourth, a broader perspective through activation of the entire brain leads to positive feelings and thus eliminates the usual and debilitating attitudes so common in cancer helplessness, depression, fear, resignation, and dread. 0 Major Health Benefits of Marijuana, and article in Coed Magazine, lists 10 benefits of medicinal marijuana. One of the first reasons the article talks about is that smoking pot does not cause cancer, a myth that many people seem to believe. Rather, marijuana smoke is not radiated where cigarette smoke is. The American Association for Cancer research has found that marijuana actually helps to slow down tumor growth in the lungs, breasts, and brain considerably.Another benefit in this article is the effects marijuana has on those with Tourette’s.

It has shown to help slow down the tics caused by having Tourette’s syndrome. Montel Williams, former talk show host and a victim of multiple sclerosis, uses pot to help stop the neurological effects and muscle spasms from MS. In early studies of the effects of marijuana on multiple sclerosis, researchers found that it had a positive effect on the immune system by calming down the hyperactivity, which significantly reduced damage to the central nervous system.Other benefits explored in this article include, helping with seizures, migraines, Glaucoma, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, ADD, ADHD, IBs, Crohn’s, Alzheimers, and Premenstrual Syndrome. In Mike Moffatt’s article, Time to Legalize Marijuana, he brings up the economic benefits of legalizing marijuana. Over 500 economists have endorsed the legalization of marijuana for economic gain.

Replacing prohibition with a system of taxation and regulation would save $7. 7 billion a year in state and federal expenditures on prohibition enforcement and produce tax revenues of at least $2. billion annually, if marijuana were to be taxed like most consumer goods. However, if like alcohol and tobacco, marijuana were to be taxed higher it could generate as much as $6. 2 annually. When I took a turn in my research and looked for negative benefits of marijuana, I found there were fewer resources. However, I did manage to find a few.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana impairs short-term memory, attention, judgment, coordination, memory, learning skills and balance.It also increases heart rate, causes sleep impairment, and can increase risks of chronic cough, bronchitis, anxiety, depression and amotivational syndrome. Our book, Drugs, Society & Human Behavior, has a few pages on the causes of concern for marijuana. There are dangerous components found in marijuana smoke, one of them being benozophyrene which actually is found in greater amounts in marijuana smoke compared to tobacco smoke. Another negative effect our book discusses is reproductive problems.Heavy marijuana smoking can decrease testosterone levels in men.

Diminished sperm counts and abnormal sperm structure in heavy marijuana users has been reported. When starting this research paper I thought there was going to be way more negative sides to legalizing medicinal marijuana then there was positive effects of legalizing it. I thought wrong, there was a substantial difference in resources between the two sides, with the more resources being on the pro side of legalization. It definitely changed my perspective on the matter.Initially I thought marijuana was mostly harmful and had few positive effects but through my research I found that there are actually many beneficial effects. In my opinion, after writing this paper, marijuana should be legalized for medicinal use, not for entertainment and recreational purposes but for people who actually need it. I recently visited California and noticed that pretty much anyone can get a prescription for marijuana; all you had to do was tell them you suffered from migraines.

There were dispensaries on every other corner in Los Angeles.This is where I think they’ve gone wrong, marijuana needs to be described by physicians in doctor’s offices, not on the boardwalk at Venice Beach. Like alcohol and tobacco I think there should be regulation laws on marijuana use. If there were no regulations, everyone and their grandma would always be high. With laws, regulations and enforcement of the law I think legalizing medicinal marijuana would help people who could medically benefit from it and help our economy.

Works Cited. “10 Major Health Benefits of Marijuana. ” Coed Magazine. 2 September 2010. Web. 13 Jul 2011. 16 Legal Medical Marijuana States and DC.

(2011, May 13). Retrieved from http://medicalmarijuana. procon. org/view. resource. php? resourceID=000881 Ault A.

Institute of Medicine says marijuana has benefits. Lancet serial online. March 27, 1999;353(9158):1077. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed July 12, 2011. Bello, Joan. The Benefits of Marijuana.

Boca Raton, Florida: Life Service Press, 1996. Print. Dubner, Stephen.

“On the Legalization-Or Not-Of Marijuana. Freakonomics. 10/30/2011. Web. 13 Jul 2011.

Holden C. Medical use of marijuana to be studied–again. Science serial online. January 24, 1997;275(5299):485. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA.

Accessed July 12, 2011. “How Does Marijuana Use Affect Your Brain and Body? ” National Institute on Drug Abuse. Web. 13 Jul 2011. Moffatt, Mike. “Time to Legalize Marijuana? -500 + Economists Endorse Marijuana Legalization.

” About. com. Web. 13 Jul 2011.

http://economics. about. com/od/incometaxcuts/a/legalize_pot.

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