Medical Marijuana: Should it be Legalized?

Marijuana has been a hot topic for years and has been widely used in our past, not just for sacred use or medical treatment but also for the fabric it made. The past has seen many uses and benefits for this weed. It is thought to be the first fabric known to mankind, discovered sometime around 7000-8000 BCE. The Chinese used it and documented the use as a means to medicate and treat a variety of health problems. In India it is known as being “Sacred Grass” and found in sacred texts and was used as a medication. Muslims used it as an alternative to drinking alcohol. Cannabis was mentioned in the Jewish Talmud around 500-600 BCE. Henry Ford made his first Model T car with hemp plastic and fuelled with hemp ethanol. Marijuana was quite popular everywhere!

It has just been in the last 50 years that it has achieved so much negative attention. It began in the 1930's, with the creation of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. Following that, millions of dollars were spent on the war against drugs, marijuana included. And since then, millions of dollars continue to be spent on the prevention and conviction of those using and selling. Is it a drug that should be legal for everyone as they see fit or legalized for medical purposes?

Some states over the years have legalized it for medical use as a cost effective option. It started with California and from there spread to fourteen other states that have since legalized marijuana in an effort to control the growth and use of the weed. Meanwhile ten other states are pending legalization. By legalizing we are cutting down on the tax paying system that has been fighting the effects of inflation and aiding the broken economy. Other places globally have their own laws, most outlawing this substance or allowing it only for medical purposes and only through government programs.

There is overwhelming evidence that marijuana has many benefits that help to relieve symptoms of pain, vomiting and nausea due to various illnesses and diseases. Marijuana has also been found to be less toxic than other drugs prescribed by physicians. According to Consumer Reports, noted in May 1997, “the apparent benefits some derive from smoking marijuana outweigh any substantiated or even suspected risks.”

Some of the specific diseases that cannabis use can aid, is numerous. For cancer patients, it can actually slow down the growth rate of a tumour found in the brain, breast or lungs reports the American Association for Cancer Research(which seems ironic, doesn't it?). It is also a muscle relaxant and has antispasmodic effects that are effective in treating people with seizures. Migraines can be treated with the use of marijuana. Multiple sclerosis can be treated, it works by stopping the neurological effects and the uncontrollable muscle spasms that are prevalent with this disease. THC found in cannabis works to prevent Alzheimer's disease from progressing by blocking deposits in the brain. Crohn's and IBS can also be treated by smoking marijuana by helping with nausea and abdominal pain that is common with this disease. Interestingly, those with ADD and ADHD can benefit from it as an alternative to Ritalin, without the unknown side-effects.

The question that arises is, does a patient actually require marijuana to cope with their disease or illness? Will some be resistant to the idea of using, while others are pushing their doctor to prescribe it? Regardless the circumstance, if you obtain a medical marijuana card in any of the states that are legal, or you obtain a prescription, you can buy marijuana to medicate yourself or (United States only) you can grow your own pot and make your own hash and hash oil, all legally and for medical use of course.

Smoking marijuana may have started for some, as a drug that could ease the aches and pains of life, it's self-medicating. But along with all of the new studies that have proven the positive medical effects for marijuana, we've accidentally found that it really was self-medicating! Ancient civilizations have claimed that it is “sacred” and that it has these sacred effects and now modern medicine is catching up and finding that these claims are true. In history we can find vast knowledge, some we have kept and others we have scrapped, but for medicinal purposes, marijuana is a keeper, worthy of use and regulating.