Marijuana: The Proscribed Medicine
Posted: November 30, 2011 Filed under: Students 5 Comments »BY DANNY TAY
An apple a day keeps the doctor away while a puff from a joint can keep chronic pain away. Throughout the years there has been much controversy relating to the use of medicinal marijuana. Can the controlled use of cannabis really benefit us? While media turns and twists marijuana into something harmful and ugly, what they don’t tell us is how beneficial marijuana can be to certain people. From diseases as serious as cancer, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy to less severe health conditions such as migraines, nausea and arthritis, the inhalation or consumption of marijuana has been proven to actually help with pain relief.
Many studies have shown that the active ingredient in marijuana, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), can provide some medical benefits to certain patients. While there is no evidence that marijuana can cure diseases and ailments, there have been many proven studies showing that the use of medicinal marijuana as a controlled substance can diminish pain associated to many illnesses. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), “cannabis and cannabinoids may have benefits in treating the symptoms of cancer or the side effects of cancer therapies” (Cancer.gov). Furthermore, cannabis has been shown to actually kill cancer cells when studied in the laboratory at the NCI.
Of course there are many drugs in the market that can alleviate pain or help with certain diseases, however each bottle of medication comes with warning labels that list the risks and side effects of each drug. Furthermore, these prescribed and over the counter drugs can prove harmful to our livers. Marijuana on the other hand, in its purest form, is completely natural and has no proven harmful side effects. There is a lot of unfounded rhetoric stating that smoking pot can cause lung cancer being that you’re inhaling smoke as you do with cigarettes. On the contrary, cigarette causes cancer because the tobacco is radiated where as in marijuana it isn’t.
I am not promoting the use of marijuana or an advocate for those who are pro prop 19; I am simply showing some insight on the other side of the spectrum. We are taught never to judge a book by its cover, yet we dismiss and belittle the thought of legalizing medicinal marijuana solely on what is portrayed by the media. So, before you chose to fight for or against the legality of marijuana, I ask that you consider all sides of the spectrum and educate yourselves further before passing judgment just because something is depicted a certain way in our society. Think outside the box.
(Dr. speaking about Marijuana).
References:
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/cannabis/patient
http://www.godandscience.org/doctrine/medical_marijuana_review.html
http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000087
Really good points. So interesting. I cant decide whether i may or may not agree…we shall see. Good choice in video to add as well. All for it!
This is interesting and the poster of Michael Phelps is really effective. It’s always hard to write about a subject like this and balance the line of being informative, yet not encouraging people to use drugs. I’m personally in favor of medical marijuana because I have a family member with a chronic disease and when he smokes pot he’s able to eat without pain.
Marijuana is an evil gateway drug that leads right to black tar heroin use and it should be stopped at all costs. Even if it happens to help people with their cancer, we should not give it to them because it is illegal on a Federal level and it might spread to people that do not have cancer or even worse, to the children. Keeping marijuana illegal clearly stops people from using it, especially children, and we do not want delinquent drug abusers to get a hold of it.
Humor aside, it’s just a plant. Making a plant that grows naturally (a weed) illegal is absurd. Hemp is one of the most volatile substances and it has been used for many purposes throughout history. If legalized, help would become a top competitor to the pharmaceutical, paper, food, and oil industries. Privatized prisons would have to release people and make less money and law enforcement officers would be at risk for losing their job with less crimes around. I highly suggest that anyone reading this sentence watches the documentary “The Union: The Business Behind Getting High” (full vid: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9077214414651731007 ), it is basically dissects everything about marijuana from its roots to how a lot of money is made by keeping it illegal. It incorporates a lot of professionals and I think the Harvard Professor in the amazing video you shared might be in this documentary too. The documentary is educational and does not condone the use of marijuana, much like your article.
If anyone is interested, here is a 5 min debate with Bill O’Reilly and a man who wrote a children’s book to educate them about marijuana (and NOT promote its use).
Legalizing marijuana has been a controversial issue for some time now, but I agree I think it should be used for medical purposes. Prescription drugs especially pain killers can be very dangerous and are highly addictive but on the other hand marijuana is still considered a gateway drug and negative will out weigh the positive.
I really enjoy this article because it is not like they are promoting using marijuana it is just taking a look at things our society decides to ignore. In addition to making marijuana illegal and promoting that it shouldn’t be used, points such as its benefits to medical needs should be also addressed. Another thing about marijuana that I learned from previous research, is that there have been no recorded deaths as a result of marijuana use. Unlike alcohol, prescription drugs, etc., one can not overdose on marijuana, yet people claim it to be the most dangerous?? yes, it is a gateway drug, however, that does not mean it is more harmful than other drugs. I think all aspects of marijuana should be promoted in order for our society to get a better understanding of it’s costs and benefits.