Medical Marijuana
Some drugs can't help ease patients' pain and symptoms. Marijuana can be the solution to that problem.
Dear Future President,
I’m writing to address the issue of whether or not Americans should be able to use marijuana for medical reasons. I believe that marijuana is safe and good to use when treating patients and people should stop worrying about how dangerous it is. It is less dangerous than most drugs today. In fact, nearly 90% of Americans support the idea of medical marijuana, according to the Quinnipiac University National poll. I encourage you to make it legal in America to use marijuana for medical purposes. .
Should medical marijuana be legal for doctors to prescribe? I believe so. According to Joycelyn Elders, an MD and a former US surgeon, wrote in an article, stating, “ ‘The evidence is overwhelming that marijuana can relieve certain types of pain, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms caused by such illnesses as multiple sclerosis, cancer and AIDS -- or by the harsh drugs sometimes used to treat them. And it can do so with remarkable safety. Indeed, marijuana is less toxic than many of the drugs that physicians prescribe every day.’ “. Marijuana isn’t as bad as people think. Some drugs that we use are way more hazardous than this drug. Plus, marijuana can help with symptoms or pain from illnesses.
Marijuana isn’t dangerous, or at least when used in the medical field. In the section, “Is Marijuana Too Dangerous to be Used as Medicine?”, of procon.org, The Institute of Medicine say that “ ‘Marijuana is not a completely benign substance. It is a powerful drug with a variety of effects. However, except for the harm associated with smoking, the adverse effects of marijuana use are within the range tolerated for other medications. Thus, the safety issues associated with marijuana do not preclude some medical uses.’ ” The danger level of marijuana isn’t high and doctors should be able to use it. Other than smoking, it can help the body and that’s why medical marijuana should be legal and be used in hospitals.
Can marijuana be used to cure diseases? It sure can. Studies from the US Government Accountability Office show that patients with a list of diseases can be treated. According to procon.org, “The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted the following symptoms or conditions under Appendix IV of their Nov. 2002 report titled ‘Descriptions of Allowable Conditions under State Medical Marijuana Laws’:
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Anorexia
- AIDS
- Arthritis
- Cachexia
- Cancer
- Crohn's Disease
- Epilepsy
- Glaucoma
- HIV
- Migraine
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Nausea
- Pain
- Spasticity
- Wasting Syndrome "
Marijuana is not only used for treating symptoms of diseases, but it can also be used to cure some diseases.
Marijuana should be used for medical purposes and it should be legalized, but not for recreational use. Marijuana can be a benefit to health, it can help cure illnesses, and it isn’t a risk to anyone. Our next goal should be to make this drug legal in all states for medical purposes.
Sincerely,
Ethan Yi
"89% of Americans Now Support Medical Marijuana, New Poll Finds." 89% of Americans Now Support Medical Marijuana. N.p., 07 June 2016. Web. 07 Oct. 2016.
"- Medical Marijuana - ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2016.