Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
Zach Popp
Ms. Poncin
WRD 104
10 January 2018
There is a lot of controversy sounding the idea of Marijuana use as a medicine in the United
States. Although “Marijuana is the most common […] drug used in the United States”
(Lehnardt), it still remains illegal and is characterized by the United States federal government as
a schedule I drug (Boeri 258). Because of this classification, it has made it hard for extensive
qualitative studies to be performed on the medical benefits. The existing research on Marijuana
usage shows mixed results. Although significant amounts of research show that Marijuana
caused memory loss and under developments in certain areas of the brain (National Institute on
Drug Abuse), it has also been shown to help the chronic pain associated with diseases like AIDS,
Epilepsy, Cancer, Depression and MS (Web MD). Marijuana usage can have some side effects.
Regular use can make pre-existing mental health problems worse and lower testosterone levels in
men (Robinson 2). Despite these side effects, Marijuana has shown time in and time out that it is
an effective medication providing much needed relief to some groups of users. The negative
connotations as a schedule I drug assigned to Marijuana has historically stigmatized the drug and
its users. As states across the country continue to legalize the drug, new research is being
undertaken showing additional benefits to its medicinal use. National support to push
Marijuana is a safer and less addictive than an opioid pain killer. In 2016 116 people died
everyday due to opioid related drug overdoses (Secretary of the HHS Office). The United States
has experienced a massive opioid epidemic and one way to combat it is through using Marijuana
Popp 2
that relative to opiates, Marijuana carries essentially zero risk of fatal overdose. Not only that but
Marijuana is a lot less addictive” (Ingraham). More importantly, “some researchers found
Marijuana beneficial for people with drug use problems” ( Boeri 258). Marijuana can be used as
a safer alternative to opiate drugs especially because it has less addictive properties.
Marijuana can also play additional roles in combating the opioid epidemic. “In an
epidemiology study on legaliz[ing] Marijuana, […it was] found that in states where Marijuana
was legalized for medical or adult use, opiate-related overdose mortality rates decreased” (Boeri
259). Although less people are dying from opioid related overdoses, some worry about how large
a presence Marijuana might make in their community. However, “In states that legalized medical
Marijuana, U.S. hospitals failed to see a predicted influx of pot smokers, but in an unexpected
twist, they treated far fewer opioid users, a new study shows” (NBC News). On top of a decrease
in deaths “rates for opioid painkiller dependence and abuse dropped on average 23 percent [and]
hospitalization rates for opioid overdoses dropped 13 percent” in states where medicinal
Marijuana is allowed (NBC News). Yuyan Shi, a professor at the University of California
analyzed data from hospitals in the United States from 1997-2014. Her study found that in states
where medical Marijuana is legal, both opioid use and deaths were down. This study “was the
fifth to show declines in opioid use or deaths in states that allow medical cannabis” (NBC
News). In addition, “Marijuana is often highly effective at treating the same types of chronic
pain that patients are often prescribed opiates for” (Ingraham). Because of Marijuana’s ability to
treat the same pain, it makes it an effective alternative. More and more stories add “evidence to
the body of research suggesting that increasing Marijuana availability could help reduce the toll
of America's opiate epidemic, which claims tens of thousands of lives each year” (Ingraham).
Popp 3
Those within the medical community increasingly view Marijuana as a viable medicine.
The history of Marijuana in the United States has been a rocky road. Around 1916 many states
began to outlaw the drug. The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 made it illegal nationwide (Little). In
the beginning of the 1930’s a war on pot was started. Propaganda was developed demonizing
both the drug and its users. The era of “reefer madness” labeled pot smokers as rapist, murders
and thieves (Zhang). Because the government classified it as a schedule I drug a stigma was
born, and propaganda was bought into by society. The United States Government’s “Framing
[of] Marijuana as a highly addictive drug reinforced its stigma in the public view” (Boeri 258).
For decades, people continued to view Marijuana as a harmful drug. Crusaders against drug use
pointed to Marijuana as a “gateway drug”. During the 1980’s “the issue of drugs and crime was
really being hyped by the Reagan administration and the news media” (Ganeva). Nancy
Reagan’s “Just Say No Campaign” helped to perpetuate a false narrative and continued to make
Recently the false claims have been uncovered and the stigma is starting to fade.
Historically, the stigma that surrounded Marijuana made it almost impossible to legalize.
Because of the negative view that many people had on Marijuana based on what propaganda had
told them about the drug, they did not see the benefits that it can have. Those opinions have
significantly shifted in just the past decade. Gallup conducted a poll in 2017 where 64 percent of
respondents “said they support the legalization of Marijuana” which was up four percent in the
previous year (Nelson). Now for the first time “more Americans are in favor of legalizing
Marijuana than those opposed to it ” (Boeri 258). On top of that “Marijuana has become a
medicine by popular vote” (Boeri 257). Now an estimated 60 percent of United States citizens
Popp 4
reside in states where medical Marijuana is legal. It is clear that now more Americans than ever
created medications and can be life changing for some patients. Large drug companies are now
beginning to explore using Marijuana in their own products. One large pharmaceutical company,
GW Pharma has created a cannabis extract called Sativex (Mintz 19). This “cannabis extract
contain[s a] 1:1 ratios of THC: CBD” and it has been clinically shown to help reduce and in
some cases fully eliminate the seizures (Mintz 19). “More recently there have been reports that
cannabis extracts with high concentrations of CBD may be effective anti-convulsants for
children suffering from severe forms of uncontrollable epilepsy known as Dravet Syndrome”
(Mintz 19). Dravet Syndrome is a form of Epilepsy that does not respond to typical medications
(Young). Current medications used to control the syndrome are addictive and hard on the body
Syndrome(Young). Charlotte endured years of seizures and countless medical treatments before
they had stopped. (Young). Charlotte “was 5 when the Figi’s learned there was nothing more the
hospital could do” (Young). As a last resort her mother searched for “two doctors to sign off on a
medical marijuana card for Charlotte” (Young). Once Paige, Charlottes mom, found a
“dispensary that had a […] type of marijuana called R4, said to be low in THC and high in CBD”
(Young). She was able to start administering the CBD extract to Charlotte. She specifically
wanted it to be low in THC, so Charlotte would not get a high from the oil extract. Sure enough,
they “found three to four milligrams of oil per pound of the girl's body weight stopped the
seizures” (Young). To this day Charlotte remains seizure free. This is a perfect example of why
Marijuana needs to be legalized in the United States. If Marijuana can be shown to provide
Popp 5
significant improvements to the quality of life for a child, states should not be getting in the way
of a family decision.
diseases like Multiple Sclerosis and Cancer. “THC and CBD have been clinically found to be
more effective in treating cancer-related neuropathic pain [rather] than placebo” (Mintz 19). This
is a big deal because it means that the pain actually is gone. If only a placebo takes place then the
problems still occurring, but the brain perceives it as non-existent. One of the first medical uses
for Marijuana was to help chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting also known as CINV
(Mintz 20). The aggressive nature of many chemotherapy treatments can wreak havoc on a
patient’s body. Marijuana is used a pain reliever that does not have any additional severe side
effects. “There is a growing body of evidence that cannabinoids exhibit anti-tumor and cancer—
fighting effects” (Mintz 20). Some of these cancers include glioblastoma, breast, prostate,
thyroid, colon, skin, pancreatic, leukemia and lymphoma (Mintz 20). In “2013 a survey in the
New England Journal of Medicine found that nearly 8-in-10 doctors approved the use of medical
Marijuana” (Ingraham).
Marijuana should be legalized so more research can be done on the potential health
benefits that it may pose on humans. There may be additional medical conditions that could
benefit from the use of Marijuana or its components. With Marijuana being illegal federally, it
makes it difficult for research to be done as the funding critical to research is often inaccessible.
This status creates a kind of catch twenty-two because the FDA needs more research backing
that Marijuana is an effective medicine in order to move towards legalization federally. With the
drug being illegal it makes it risky to research and deters people from doing it. Because
Marijuana is a Schedule I drug it is classified with drugs like LSD (Rui 200). This negative
Popp 6
connotation makes people worry about what the government might do if they look into it. During
the Bush and Obama administrations, the federal government turned somewhat of a blind eye to
the Marijuana industry. Based on some comments coming from current Trump administration
Attorney General Jeff Sessions, there is fear that position may be changing. While doctors are
approving of Marijuana use, many are still reluctant about prescribing it. This fear may be based
on the position that because Marijuana is illegal federally, they put their medical licenses at risk
of revocation if they prescribe it. As stated earlier “Physicians who prescribed MM fearful of
losing their FDA approved licenses” (Boeri 258). Marijuana’s legal status in the U.S. has kept it
from being researched but “beneficial medical uses for cannabis [was] found in a plethora of
studies that were mostly conducted outside the United States” (Boeri 258). “After 60 years of
Marijuana prohibition, the United States population has had little opportunity to learn how to
Marijuana in Several Disorders claimed it was , “one of the few articles to carry out a search in
the last 40 years about cannabinoid drugs and the Marijuana plant, their medicals use and the
ethical dilemmas surrounding the issue” admittedly stated that even the evidence they collected
was not enough to make any conclusion about Marijuana (Alvarado 116). While this has become
a political topic “The debate over medical Marijuana has largely been dominated by vested
interests and advocacy groups on either side” (Ingraham). While on the other hand “patients’
voices have been either [silenced] or ignored completely” (Ingraham). When it comes to medical
Marijuana and all types of medical treatments patient’s voices need to be heard. “The Green
Party of Aotearoa conducted a medical Marijuana survey of [225] physicians” and 37 percent of
doctors said they did not know enough about the effects and uses of medical Marijuana
Popp 7
(Kondrad). As more stories of patient success spread, the number of doctors comfortable with the
However, some people say wide spread Marijuana legalization will have a negative
impact on communities. If Marijuana is legalized people will have much easier access to it which
could lead to over use. On top of that “Marijuana is associated with lower occupational status
and higher unemployment” (California Society of Addiction Medicine). Although this can be
seen as one of the stigmas associated with smoking Marijuana. However, studies actually show
a reduction in teen usage when it is legalized and brought to communities. This might be due in
part to the regulation making it more difficult to buy on the street. In Colorado many
dispensaries have put the neighborhood drug dealer out of business. Because of this people under
the age of 21 have no way buy weed unless they need it for medicinal purposes. “2015 state-
collected statistics from Colorado, where the first state licensed retail shops for legal Marijuana
opened in 2014, showed a decrease in Marijuana use by young people ages 12 to 17” (Boeri
259).
Also some people say Marijuana should remain illegal because it can cause unintended
health risk. Some of these risks related to ongoing pot use include lung changes, memory loss
and a number of other health problems. “Marijuana smoke is also filled with many of the same
(Watson 2). While some of these chemicals are known carcinogens, marijuana has also been
known to be anti-cancerous. While smoking Marijuana may cause some of the same health
problems associated with smoking of any kind, alternative ways of ingesting marijuana can be
very beneficial because they do not impose as many health risk. Some of these ways are through
extracts or oils. For pain CBD drops can be dropped directly on the tongue. CBD can be
Popp 8
embedded into food products such as butter. There are countless opportunities to create recipes
and products allowing a patient to ingest cannabis and benefit medically from its chemical
components. It is still unclear what long-term effect these active chemicals have on the brain.
Legalization would allow greater opportunity for this research to be undertaken. The
documented medical benefits that have been shown make legalization a worthwhile endeavor.
The limited research conducted using Marijuana show that it is a true and highly effective
medicine that should be fully legalized in the United States. One reason why medical Marijuana
should be legalized has to do with the opioid epidemic. Studies have shown that in states where
Marijuana was legalized for medicinal use, opioid use declined. Marijuana has also been shown
to be a pain relief substitute for opioids. Marijuana usage for medicinal purposes now has the
support of the majority of U.S. citizens. This wide spread acceptance should provide the impetus
for legislators to move on enacting legislation for federal acceptance. Federal approval would
allow families to no longer need to leave their home state to seek treatment in a more “marijuana
friendly state.”
Marijuana also can be used as effective pharmaceutical medicine to help treat disease. In
many cases, Marijuana may become the very last option as was discussed earlier in the case of
5-year-old Charlotte Figi. The current lack of federal legalization of Marijuana makes
comprehensive research difficult if not impossible. The research limitations stand as a road block
to the exploration of additional benefits Marijuana may provide. There are those that are still
concerned about what impact legalization might have on communities and any potential harmful
health effects to humans. Marijuana has been demonstrated to provide measurable relief to those
who are suffering from many medical conditions. Legalization would undoubtedly increase
access and provide comfort to those in need. Legalization provides the potential to enhance the
Popp 9
quality of life for many of our citizens and legislators should move to provide appropriate
medical access to all those who, in concert with their physician, believe it could be of help.
Popp 10
Works Cited
Alvarado, Ricardo Iván Nanni, et al. "Therapeutic Properties of Cannabinoid Drugs and
Marijuana in Several Disorders: A Narrative Review." Salud Mental, vol. 40, no. 3,
Boeri, Miriam and Aukje K. Lamonica. “The Social Re-Construction of Marijuana as Medicine.”
Journal of Ethnographic& Qualitative Research, Vol 11, no. 4 Summer 2017, pp.
257-276
California Society of Addiction Medicine, “The Adverse Effects of Marijuana (for the General
Public).” The Adverse Effects of Marijuana (for the General Public) | California Society
asam.org/adverse-effects-marijuana-general-public.
Ganeva, Tana. “Pot Prisoners: Meet Five Victims of the War on Drugs.” Rolling Stone, 13 Sept.
2017, www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/pot-prisoners-meet-five-victims-of-the
war-on-drugs-w502337.
Ingraham, Christopher. “Analysis | Legal Marijuana Is Saving Lives in Colorado, Study Finds.”
www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/10/16/legal-marijuana-is-saving-lives-in
colorado-study-finds/?utm_term=.54c2127750a9.
Ingraham, Christopher. “92% Of Patients Say Medical Marijuana Works.” The Washington Post,
patients-say-medical-marijuana-works/?utm_term=.6726e2de3648.
Popp 11
Kondrad, Elin. “What Are the Findings of Physician Surveys on Medical Marijuana? – Medical
medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000085.
Lehnardt, Karin. “45 Interesting Facts about Marijuana.” Interesting Facts, Fact Retriever, 10
Little, Becky. “Why the U.S. Made Marijuana Illegal.” History.com, A&E Television Networks,
National Institute on Drug Abuse. “What Are Marijuana's Long-Term Effects on the Brain?”
long-term-effects-brain.
NBC News. “Would Legalizing Medical Marijuana Help Curb the Opioid Epidemic?”
www.nbcnews.com/health/healthnews/legalized-marijuana-could-help-curb-opioid
epidemic-study-finds-n739301.
Nelson, Louis, et al. “Poll: Growing Number of Americans Support Marijuana Legalization,
www.politico.com/story/2017/10/25/poll-americans-support-marijuana-legalization
244155.
Robinson, Jennifer. “How Does Marijuana Affect You?” WebMD, WebMD, 18 Oct. 2016,
www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/marijuana-use-and-its-effects#2.
Popp 12
Rui, Cao, et al. “Is Marijuana Beneficial for Prevention and Treatment of Diabetes.” American
Secretary of the HHS Office, and Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs (ASPA). “About the U.S.
2018, www.hhs.gov/opioids/about-the-epidemic/.
www.webmd.com/pain-management/features/is-marijuana-safe-web#2.
Young, Saundra. “Marijuana Stops Child's Severe Seizures.” CNN, Cable News Network, 7
marijuana/index.html.
Zhang, Mona. “The Crimes of Reefer Madness.” High Times, 25 Sept. 2017,
hightimes.com/culture/crimes-reefer-madness/.