Ok Pot.com

Marijuana legalization bill introduced to state legislators
Ballot initiative to legalize marijuana possession for all adults, allow on-campus use

Read more on The Western Front

Many organizations are pushing for the legalization of Marijuana as a medical drug. Marijuana has many medical advantages which include it being a therapeutic drug for cancer and AIDS patients. Many other research and studies dedicated to Marijuana has shown early signs that it can also inhibit cancer cell growth in animals.

In spite of these recent findings, many other organizations have tried to block the legalization of Marijuana as a medical drug. These organizations cited that only some isolated elements of Marijuana can be regarded as medically helpful and that the practice of smoking it does not necessarily have to be done.

Organizations Lobbying For Legal Marijuana Use

Patients out of Time and Law Enforcement against Prohibition are just two of the numerous organizations asking the government to change its mind regarding the prohibition of Marijuana use. Patients out of Time is an organization that has dedicated itself to the education of health care professionals and the general public regarding the therapeutic use of cannabis. This organization believes that Marijuana can be utilized as a drug to help patients who are suffering from several various diseases and illnesses.

LEAP or Law Enforcement against Prohibition is an organization that consists of former and current officers of the law and other individuals who wish to point out the failure of many drug policies. They believe that having a systematic regulation and control of drugs can benefit the community more than prohibition.

Anti-Marijuana

There are other organizations that believe that legalizing marijuana is a good idea and others also want to veto these suggestions from the pro organizations. Other research studies have also pointed out that using Marijuana can adversely affect the brain and the body. These are lifelong effects that can manifest themselves long after an individual has given up using Marijuana. The anti-marijuana organizations stress that there are other products in the medical market that have the same positive effects of Marijuana with little or none of the negative side effects.

Researches regarding the use of Marijuana in some individuals who are already sick have shown that it can complicate the illness and add to the severity of it. Most of these organizations that are against the use of Marijuana as a medical drug urge the government for more extensive research to bring to light the effects of the plant.

As of the moment, the laws enacting the illegality of using and growing marijuana are still in place. The government has not budged regarding the many lobbyists who ask for the lifting of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. In spite of the many advocates of pro-Marijuana use, the studies that have been done regarding the usefulness of the drug is still not enough to convince the government of its efficiency in the medical field. Some states in the United States of America have laws and regulations which are more lenient than other states. This is in lieu of sick people who wish to have release from pain and suffering caused by illnesses but there is a legal limit which needs to be followed.

The move to legalize the use and propagation of Marijuana will always have opposition since this plant is controversial. If the government does allow the use and propagation of Cannabis, there will always be a loophole which will be used by drug addicts and traffickers to be able to make money from the lifting of the ban.

Marijuana should be legalized but only under certain conditions. It should be only be legalized to certain farmers under government control and be grown to be used for clothing, food, and many other things that are beneficial to our economy. Medical marijuana should remain legalized only with the doctor’s approval to those with cancer, glaucoma, tremors, and aids. I think marijuana should be legalized but at the same time protected. It should be protected and made sure it is safe and away from illegal selling and growing throughout the United States.

According to the Christian Science Monitor, marijuana use continues to decline but it is becoming easier for teens to access and use it. The availability is becoming easier due to medical marijuana and illegal selling. Teens are getting a hold on their parents’ medicine cabinets and abusing the medical marijuana with friends. A study done by CASA indicated that 23 percent of kids age 12 to 17 could buy marijuana in an hour or less and 42 percent of them said they could do it in a day or less. In the Los Angeles Times, written by Jill Adams in 2008, it was said that an estimated 25 million Americans smoked marijuana within the last year, and almost 100 million people have smoked it at least once in their lives, according to the most recent National survey on drug use and health by the federal substance Abuse and Mental Health services Administration. Use of smoking marijuana can lead to many bad effects related to thinking, depression, lungs, and many other problems.

In the year 1976, a man named Robert Randall was arrested for cultivating his own marijuana. Robert won this case because he suffers from glaucoma, and explained that marijuana helped his medical disorder. With the passing of this case, Robert became the first American to receive medical marijuana. There are pros and cons to this example. The Government needs to make sure that marijuana is protected, and not just grown by anyone who wants to. The good thing about this is that Robert received medical marijuana for the right reason, which was a medical problem that he had, where it could help him.

As anyone can see, marijuana is a serious problem and needs to make sure it is carefully handled in today’s society for its uses. The reason why marijuana legalization has become such a debatable topic is because there any many ways it can be beneficial, but also many ways it can be harmful and used wrongfully. Marijuana should be legalized under the certain circumstances that it is used correctly and is protected from any illegal activity and use.

Works cited:

Marijuana goes up in smoke as federal agents raid Dispensaries, August 11, 2008, Dan Glaister, November 20, 2008, http://www.sirs.com

Damaging Habit? August 18, 2008, Jill U. Adams, Los Angeles Times, November 20, 2008, http://www.sirs.com

Youth access to drugs increases, August 14, 2008, Uri Friedman, Christian Science Monitor, November 20, 2008, http://www.sirs.com

Marijuana Legalization Timeline, 2008, ProQuest Staff, November 20, 2008, http://www.sirs.com

Banned in the USA, April 2002, Catherine Cowan, November 20, 2008, http://www.sirs.com

Marijuana Legalization: Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Liberty: people deserve freedom to use marijuana. The first and most basic reason that marijuana should be legal is that there is no good reason for it not to be legal. Some people ask ‘why should marijuana be legalized?” but we should ask “Why should marijuana be illegal?” From a philosophical point of view, individuals deserve the right to make choices for themselves. The government only has a right to limit those choices …

Tennessee Congressman Steve Cohen takes FBI Director Robert Mueller to task on marijuana legalization and the “gateway theory.”