Dear future president,

My name is Allison Andrews, I attend Mead High School in Mead, Colorado. Today, Colorado is most known for our legalization of both medical and recreational marijuana. Flocks of people have migrated to Colorado because of this. Many people have come to Colorado in seek of medical marijuana because their state doesn't offer it. The benefits of medical marijuana are numerous and incredible. As a future president, I urge you to legalize medical marijuana in all 50 states, as it can change the lives of many suffering American people.

Medical marijuana has been proven to help patients suffering with epilepsy, cancer, glaucoma, anorexia/bulimia, severe nausea, multiple sclerosis, HIV, crohn's disease, Alzheimer's, PTSD, etc. Personally, I believe that medical marijuana should be legal because of how ,cut it can help children with severe epilepsy. Many people are against it because the kids are young, and because of the connotation of marijuana. People picture six year olds smoking weed and getting high. However that's not the case at all.

Medical marijuana can be administered in various ways, many that include not smoking it, such as, topicals, vaporizers, and edibles. Patients that consume the drug in these ways won't experience lung damage or strain on their lungs. These kids wouldn't be getting high either. They wouldn't get “the munchies” or “the gigs” like people imagine when they picture someone being stoned. I'm writing to you as the future president because many Americans aren't willing to open their eyes to the benefits of medical marijuana. So I'm bringing to the attention of someone people will listen to.

The psychoactive ingredient in marijuana is called THC ( Tetrahydrocannabinol). CBD (Cannabidiol) is a non psychoactive ingredient found in cannabis. CBD is non-psychoactive because it does not act on the same pathways as THC. These pathways, called CB1 receptors, are highly concentrated in the brain and are responsible for the mind-altering effects of THC. CBD has shown to reduce seizures in children with severe epilepsy. From hundreds of seziures a week to two or three a month. That's a life changing reduction.

Children with severe epilepsy are forever dependent on the people around them and will probably die young. They don't even get the chance to live their life, because their epilepsy literally controls them. What's better, a helpless child having hundreds of violent seizures and every medicine out there failing them, or a child eating their dinner with CBD injected into it, changing their lives by reducing their seizures? To me, it's an obvious choice. Medical marijuana should be legalized for children with severe epilepsy, as it can be life changing. Denying the of this would be immoral, as we have a medicine that can help them but won't let them use it because it makes some people uncomfortable. A child's life or a few people's comfort?

Sincerely,

Alli

Sources:

http://www.leafscience.com/2014/02/23/5-must-know-facts-cannabidiol-cbd/

http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/features/medical-marijuana-uses

http://www.prevention.com/health/14-uses-medical-marijuana