Dear next President,

6 year old Jayden David suffers from a disease called Dravet’s syndrome. (Lah) Jayden has been rushed to the hospital 44 times by ambulance. (Lah) Jason David, Jayden’s father, was over seeing his son struggle with this. (Lah) On June 4, 2011 Jason finally had enough giving his son medical marijuana for the first time. (Lah) That day Jayden went a whole day without a seizure. (Lah) David says “Instead of medical marijuana, this is miracle marijuana.” (Lah) Jayden is now doing things he’s never done before, he’s running, swimming, and eating solid food. (Lah) Medical marijuana isn’t just a lifesaver for individuals. It’s a lifesaver for families.

Marijuana should be legalized because a lot of people need it for medical issues and it has saved many lives in the past.Marijuana should be legalized because people need it for medical issues.Marijuana helps people with many health issues. One health issue it helps is cancer. In marijuana there is a chemical that stops cancer from spreading. CBD (the chemical) could help stop cancer from spreading, researchers from California Pacific Medical Center reporte in 2007. ( Loria) Some even say it can kill cancer cells. Another chemical in marijuana is the THC chemical. This chemical could slow down the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The chemical (THC) slows down the plaques that kill the brain cells. One more medical issues Marijuana helps with is Parkinson’s disease. Research from Israel shows smoking Marijuana reduces pain tremors and improves sleep for patients who were diagnosed with Parkinson’s. (Loria) These are just a few of the diseases Marijuana can help with. 

Marijuana should also be legalized because a lot of people have used it to save their lives.Marijuana has saved a lot of lives in the past years . In the past more than 16,000 people died from overdose on painkillers in 2013. This was 60 percent of all overdose deaths according to Center for Disease Control. In the states that Marijuana is legalized there has been a reduce of overdose and addiction deaths. In the 6 states that doctors are allowed to give prescription Marijuana there has been no reduce in deaths. (Levitz) Meanwhile, in the 18 states that allow Marijuana to be sold in stores there has been a 16 percent reduce in overdoses and a 28 percent decrease in addictions to Marijuana.

On the other hand Marijuana is still bad because it’s a drug and it’s addictive.Now Marijuana is obviously still a drug and it’s obviously still bad. And it’s obvious it is addictive and it is illegal in some states for a reason. However, other things are legal that are bad as well. Such as alcohol. Alcohol is something that messes with your brain and body as well. Alcohol is bad, but nobody does anything about it. All they did was put a age limit on it which we all now doesn’t stop anyone. Another bad thing that’s legal is cigarettes. Everyone talks about how over the years it has been reduced, but people need to think about all the people that still and will do it over the years. If everyone wants to stop it then how about you make it illegal. Yeah marijuana is bad, but so is a lot of other stuff as well.  

Marijuana should be legalized. If you think about all the people who need it for medical reasons or all the people who used it for their diseases. This isn’t just a drug it’s a lifesaving opportunity. This is an important legalization all Americans need to cooperate in. So president I hope you think about this problem long and hard as you may be saving or losing a life on your decision.

From,

       Max Plafker

Lah, Kyung. "Medical Marijuana Helps 6-year-old's Seizures." CNN. Cable News Network, 10 Dec. 2012. Web. 05 Nov. 2016.

Loria, Jennifer Welsh and Kevin. "23 Health Benefits Of Marijuana." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 20 Apr. 2014. Web. 06 Nov. 2016.

Levitz, Eric. "Marijuana Dispensaries save Lives, New Study Shows." Msnbc.com. NBC News Digital, 17 July 2015. Web. 06 Nov. 2016.