Dear Future President,

I am a high school student in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and today I would like to discuss medical marijuana and the reasons why I support it. Twelve percent of people experience Chronic Migraines. The experience of having one is excruciating; I know this from personal experience. This is my main reasoning for concern. Almost fifty percent of the population suffers from arthritis which is a condition that affects your joints. About fifteen percent of people develop epilepsy, a seizure disorder. Forty percent suffer from cancer at some point in their lives; ten point seven percent die from the disease. The list goes on and on, all of these diseases can be helped or treated to some degree by cannabis. The chemicals in cannabis have a formal name, Cannabinoids. The most well known of Cannabinoids, a chemical known as THC or Tetrahydrocannabinol. This is the chemical that induces a psychotropic effect. This chemical is formed when you dry the plant, then heat it such as smoking, cooking, or extracting. THC works by binding the receptors in your central nervous system and your immune system, which causes relaxation, reduced pain, and increased appetite. If the plant is not dried but metabolized raw, it can treat seizures according to the research of Dr. William Courtney. This is caused by the non-psychoactive Cannabinoid THCa or Tetrahydrocannabinolic Acid, a form of THC with an acidic base. The chemical that benefits cancer patients the greatest is CBDs or Cannabidiol because the chemical has an anti-nausea property, and helps with chronic pain

My Uncle is a medical cannabis license holder. He agreed to an interview where he explained how he uses medical cannabis for anxiety, back injuries, sleep, and stomach pains. He used cannabis recreationally at first, and was told that cannabis was a gateway drug and would lead to harder drug usage. Through experimentation, he realized that cannabis helped with his anxiety, and focus on school. He decided on his own through his own experimentation and research that it was something that could help people and be a positive substance. One thing he didn't like about cannabis was that if you were ingesting the cannabis through smoking it you cough; he described it as almost a cigarette smoker's cough. In his opinion, cannabis should be legalized both recreationally and medically, he states that "Alcohol and cigarettes are far worse, and they are legal recreationally. "In his opinion, you shouldn't be able to purchase cannabis recreationally until you are in your early to mid-twenties because your brain isn't completely developed.

The second person I interviewed is Orlando Watts, the CEO of MJ express, a medical cannabis retailer. Orlando states that many people have benefited from medical cannabis, such as cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Cannabis, specifically edibles, works for appetite, pain, and nausea. Patients using cannabis to aid them during chemotherapy allows them to endure treatment with less pain and suffering. I asked Mr. Watts what medical advancements are soon to be made? He said, "That they aren't available to experiment and conduct trials because cannabis is still a schedule one drug, which is in the same category as Heroin, LSD, Bath salts, etc." Mr. Watts' opinion is that if cannabis was decriminalized the crime rate would go down because it would harm the drug cartels, and fewer people would be charged with possession of a narcotic. The only downside in Mr. Watts opinion is that the government is spending millions of dollars trying to fight the current cannabis prohibition.

I am pro-cannabis because I think that medical cannabis affects people in a positive way. People who have the potential of dying from cancer are given a better chance of recovery. I also believe, if you legalized cannabis it could boost the United States economy because we can tax the cannabis that is sold, which in turn would also increase the US revenue because we are making money ourselves and not relying on other countries to produce anything for us. The legalization of marijuana would also drop crime rate. The legalization of recreational cannabis in Colorado is being attributed to a 50% drop in the crime rate by some experts. The number one reason that I personally advocate the legalization of cannabis at a federal level is the proven medical benefits for those in need.

Sincerely,

Dominik F.