Dear Future President,

Marijuana has been a very hot topic for the last several years. What shall be done with it, should it be legal or not? Marijuana has been helping millions of people with all kinds of health problems including: lung health, multiple sclerosis, nausea, neuropathic pain, insomnia, cancer, cancer symptoms, tumors, anxiety, and multiple other illnesses. Therefore, the real question is; why isn’t marijuana legal in every state in America? As you continue reading, will you please think about this one question, have you ever heard of anyone overdosing on only marijuana?

As you may be familiar, marijuana was classified as a Schedule 1 drug by the Controlled Substance Act in the 1970’s. A Schedule 1 drug is a substance that has relentless side effects and has no medical benefits. In order to get a drug to be made illegal the CSA would need good reliable evidence to backup its statement. If the Controlled Substance Act had studied the side effects of what marijuana can do to a person, they should have easily observed that cannabis does more good than harm. In the past, there have been numerous case studies proving that cannabis can, in fact, improve your overall health in a quick, timely manner and without any severe harmful side effect.

People that are against marijuana only see it as a means to get high, but if that were all true, why is there such a big debate in our nation over this substance? In some cases it is true, but cannabis can help one cope with their own personal problems. Whether it is dealing with anxiety, extreme stress, or sleep deprivation cannabis can help. In the article Prescription for Pot; the Effect of Marijuana On Workers Compensation states, “In the United States there are roughly one million adults alone that have continuous pain, their doctors prescribe them to a drug, usually opioids.” Opioids are much more expensive than cannabis. “Patients using opioids often build up a tolerance, leading to increased dosage, which can lead to an addiction, and possibly leading to death.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “there have been sixteen thousand two hundred thirty five overdose fatalities related to opioid painkillers in the year of 2013 alone.” Is this what our country has come to, denying a plant that has never, in history, killed a single person, yet there are worse drugs out on the market that are prescribed everyday killing on average, forty three people everyday. The Journal of the American Medical Association reported “In June 2015, existing clinical trial have shown medical marijuana can effectively treat chronic and neuropathic pain.” In addition, the article “Should Physicians Support the Medical use of Marijuana?” mentions “many ill patients with a disease such as cancer, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and depression tell their physicians that marijuana gave them immense relief without disturbing side effects. They have also stated that marijuana is the only thing that helps them achieve symptom relief. The herb even removes the harsh side effects of drugs that treat cancer and AIDS.” I find it crazy how much one small plant can prevent pain and even cure the most vile side effects of multiple diseases and is still illegal in the “Land of the Free”. On September 6, 1988 the chief Drug Enforcement Administrative law judge, Francis L Young, ruled: “Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known. The evidence in this record clearly shows that marijuana has been accepted as capable of relieving the distress of great numbers of very ill people, and doing so with safety under medical supervision. It would be unreasonable, arbitrary, and capricious for the DEA to continue to stand between those sufferers and the benefits of this substance in light of the evidence in this record.” Even the chief judge of the DEA concluded that cannabis should be legal, after listening to multiple hours of cases about the drug, the good, and the bad. It is baffling how an herb that has helps millions of people, daily, all around the world is treated like a toxic substance.”

Not legalizing medical marijuana affects not just ill patients but also their loved ones. Knowing that there is a cure that can help the people you love is extremely aggravating. The legalization of marijuana can save millions of people from aching diseases. Cannabis has many more benefits than detriments. With all of the evidence being giving, I believe that medical marijuana should be legal everywhere in the United States.

Sincerely, 

          Rebekah Liwosz