Medical Marijuana
“Until its prohibition in 1937, extract of Cannabis sativa (marijuana) was one of the top three most prescribed medicines in the U.S.” (Cannabis). Medical marijuana may have been deemed illegal in 1937 but that has not stopped states from getting around the laws. “Twenty-three states and Washington D.C. have approved the medical use of marijuana, 16 states and D.C. have decriminalized its use, and in 2012 Colorado and Washington voters made their states the first political jurisdictions to regulate production and distribution of marijuana” (Drug). Some of the states in the United States have already legalized medical marijuana, but what is stopping the rest of the states from legalizing medical marijuana? If medical marijuana is illegal, then why are multiple states legalizing and decriminalizing it? Medical marijuana should be legalized throughout the United States because of the multiple uses of marijuana during illnesses which show that is has medical benefits, the few side effects it has, and how it is already readily available.
A lot of people believe that marijuana is a weed; however, “marijuana is a mixture of the plant Cannabis Sativa—the hemp plant” (Marijuana). There are over 400 chemicals that make up marijuana. The main chemical is marijuana is THC which is”…responsible for many of the drug’s psychotropic (mind-altering) effects” (Marijuana). All of these chemicals in marijuana can affect the body in many ways. The use of marijuana can cause the chemistry in the body and brain to dysfunction:
When one smokes marijuana, its active ingredient, THC, quickly passes from the lungs into the bloodstream, which then carries the chemical to the organs throughout the body. When THC reaches the brain, it acts on the Cannabinoid receptors, resulting in interference with the normal function of these brain areas. (Addiction)
Since the chemicals in marijuana can cause the body and the brain’s chemistry to not function properly, why do people...