The Social Conflict of The Legalization of Cannabis for Recreational and Medical Use
There is a debate raging in the medical community about the increasing popularity of alternative medicine in the United States. It is estimated that forty percent of the public is using some form of alternative medicine, which reflects the changing needs and values in our culture today (U.S. Deportment of Education). The major criticism of these alternative therapies are that they have not yet been scientifically tested; therefore, the safety and effectiveness has been called into question. One alternative therapy that is gaining prominence is the medical use of marijuana for treating pain, nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, and severe weight loss associated with AIDS. Medical marijuana can be both a treatment in itself and used to help patients withstand the effects of accepted treatments (Bigelow). As a result of its effectiveness, 23 states including New Mexico have approved initiatives to make marijuana legal for medical purposes (The White House). The stumbling block has been the Federal government, which has threatened to prosecute any physician who prescribes marijuana. Likewise there are many people who have been incarcerated with having minimal amounts of marijuana, yet this actually costs more money for the state to arrest and detain medical marijuana users. Despite barriers, medical marijuana is beneficial and should be legalized by the federal government as a medical option for patients.
Marijuana is derived from the leaves and flowering tops of the hemp plant, cannabis sativa, which grows in many regions of the world. The marijuana plant contains over 460 known compounds, sixty of which are cannabinoids, compounds unique to cannabis. The chief psychoactive compound of marijuana is delta-g-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (Bigelow). THC effects the brain which “overwhelms the EC system, quickly attaching to cannabinoid receptors throughout the brain and body. This interferes with the ability of natural cannabinoids to do their job of fine-tuning communication between neurons…” (Scholastic, 2011). Although there is an interference due to THC, the effects of marijuana are both beneficial and somewhat detrimental. However, frequent debates relating to medical marijuana use are the effects on patients and the human body, and the treatment of the terminally ill or increasing the quality of life.
There are two potential, unintended consequences of legalizing medical marijuana. First, the smoke from marijuana is highly toxic and can cause lung damage. Those that smoke are, “more likely to wheeze, cough, and produce phlegm. You’re also at an increased risk of bronchitis and lung infections” (Healthline, 2017). The intention of smoking marijuana is not to cause more health problems but to remedy the effects of existing treatments. To prevent or reduce this consequence, pateints can use edibles with marijuana in them. Second, some people believe that legalizing medical marijuana may lead to the usage of harder drugs, and may be seen as condoning or encouraging recreational drug use. Nevertheless, this still has not been proven to be true. A report by the Institute of Medicine found no evidence that, “the medical use of marijuana would increase illicit use in the general population, nor was it a ‘gateway drug’ that would lead to the use of harder drugs like cocaine or heroin” (Morral, 2002). Although these are negative side effects, marijuana has numerous benefits to patients and the human body.
Marijuana benefits those with about two-hundred different medical conditions including multiple sclerosis, arthritis, PTSD, and cancer or AIDS (Bigelow). In general, marijuana helps reduce naseua, pain, psychological stress, relaxtion, aches, and pains. For patients with multiple sclerosis, medical marijuana eases the pain in their arms and legs or with arthritis, it has been known to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Although it is imposible to completely deactivate side effects, marijuana helps these patients live healthy, comfortable, and inspired lives. Patients with cancer, AIDS, or that are undergoing chemotherapy benefit from marijuana because it relieves nausea and vomiting, and increases appetite (Bigelow). The effects on these patients help them to live a relatively normal and comfortable lives while they are battling extreme diseases or infections. Although it may be considered a happy drug, marijuana also provides people effected by PTSD with psychological relief. This can include relief from night terrors or hallucinations due to the fact that “one pillar of PTSD is an endocannabinoid deficiency: the body stops producing enough endocannabinoids to fill receptor sites, and this is where the cannabinoids found in marijuana play a therapeutic role while also aiding the body” (Rahn). Even though these do not make up the entire list positive side effects, the benefits of marijuana should be considered while debating whether it is detrimental or not.
In the late 90’s, an analysis by a White House commissioned committee of independent scientists appointed by the Institute of Medicine concluded that "there was no evidence that giving the drug to sick people would increase illicit drug use in the general population” (Morral, 2002). This government sponsored study found solid scientific data that indicates the potential therapeutic value of marijuana (Bigelow). Why is the Federal government prohibiting this effective drug from being prescribed by physicians for patients suffering from specific treatment side-effects while twenty-five state’s governments have legalized the use?
It is the federal government’s position that marijuana must be subjected to the same rigorous clinical trials and scientific scrutiny that the FDA applies to all other new medications (The White House). In the November 1996 elections, Californians passed Proposition 215 by a vote of 56 percent to 44 percent to legalize the use of medical marijuana. Since then, twenty-three states plus Washington D.C., have also legalized the use of medical cannabis. The federal government’s view, regardless of state legality, is that marijuana is a controlled substance and is illegal under federal law (The White House). However, marijuana can benefit the income for the state and federal government by charging taxes on cannabis businesses. According to Yahoo news, the federal government takes in approximately 8 to 16 billion dollars per year in tax revenue from cannabis shops while prohibiting them from accessing the same financial benefits (Ferner). Representative Jared Polis states, “allowing small, legal marijuana businesses to have the same tax benefits as any other small business is critical to ensuring the regulated industry”. Regardless of political arguments, it is clear that cannabis use can be beneficial, through taxation, to the federal government while they can also reduce external payments by legalizing marijuana and reducing arrests of patients.
Despite the state legalization, many individuals break the law in the state in which they live, no matter whether it has legal use or not, in order to overcome or subside symptoms, and unfortunately, most of these individuals have small amounts of marijuana. According to ACLU, “In 2010, cops made one pot bust every 37 seconds [and] over seven million people were busted for having pot from 2001-2010”. Sadly this is not benefitting any patients or the federal and state governments. For patients, getting arrested for minimal amounts of marijuana can mean losing their jobs and everything they include, such as public benefits and a source of income. For everyone in the community, high marijuana arrest rates means wasting money that could be spent on education, etc. Even while enforcing marijuana laws, state goverments “waste $3,613,969,972” per year, when they could be bennefittng from taxation, production, and vending of marijuana. Many people would benefit from the legalization of marijuana and the booming business of cannabis. Three people in my life who would benefit and are involved in this cannabis controversy are Uncle Smokey, John Doe, and Gammie (names censored for security purposes).
Uncle smokey lives in Denver, Colorado, where the medical use of marijuana is legal as well as the recreational use. Living in the marijuana capital of the southwest, Uncle smokey has established himself as a legitimate business owner selling marijuana for all purposes. Although he has grown to be very successful, his success would be greater if the federal government wasn't impeding on his financial benefits. Likewise, Uncle Smokey lives in fear of being imprisoned by the federal government, meaning at any time he coud be arrested by the federal authorities against the choice of state or local officials. This is due to the discrepancies between state and federal governments. Another advantage to both Uncle Smokey and the government is the financial benfits that they would both receive, Uncle smokey would be able to put his income into banks which would only have exponential growth while the federal government would be able to tax against and receive substantial economical profits.
On the other hand, John Doe is a New Mexican citizen where the recreational use of marijuana is illegal and the medical use is threatened everyday. John Doe uses medical marijuana because of his traumatic time in the military. During John Doe’s service, he was near an IED explosion, which threatened his life. After this traumatic incident, John Doe started having psychological distress such as night terrors, where he wakes up in the middle of the night due to a recollection of these events; and stress from halucinations, where he believes the world around him is the battle line, which is usually triggered by an outside source such as the blades of a fan or loud sounds. Due to this horrible experience, John Doe started using marijuana to reduce and free himself from the PTSD effects. With the use of marijuana, from the time he exited the military until now, John Doe has been able to live a relatively normal life with less then three PTSD episodes.
Another personal example is my Gammie, a 65 years old lady who lives in California. In California medical marijuana use is legal, and recreational use is prohibited. This will soon change with the soon legalization of recreational use of marijuana. Gammie discovered medical marijuana uses due to her diagnosis of sympathetic dystrophy disease (RSD), a non curable disease, on May 5, 1995. For five years she sought out a way to prevent the stabbing pain in her arms and legs from become worse. Gammie took Morphine, Vicodin, and Norco but she woke up one morning, thinking that having all this pain medication was going to destroy her life. In 2004, Gammie began to utilize edible medical marijuana as a source to relieve pains. Using the medical marijuana, she later on began to have her own “Alice B. Tokless” brownies, which edged out the pain and made it possible to sleep comfortably. Along with the edibles, Gammie also used a variety of products such as muscle rubs, and body wash to ease the pain away through external therapy. Medical marijuana use made a huge difference throughout her life and, in 2012, Gammie attended the 5k race on the high desert and scored a time of one hour and twenty minutes. Gammie told me, “not only do I use and believe in medical marijuana, I encourage others to take that leap and eliminate the use of pain medication and the destruction of their major organs. It can only help!”
Along with New Mexico, twenty-three other states have made positive strides towards the legalization of medicinal marijuana. The personal accounts included in this essay put a personal note on a complicated social issue even though legalization is growing barriers for public awareness and understanding of its importance still exist. The quality of life of those suffering from cancer, AIDS wasting syndrome, multiple sclerosis, etc. should concern all of us. In particular the Federal government and the medical community need to participate as the leaders in a substantial program to promote medical marijuana use for patients to relieve symptoms. Despite some of the negative views on marijuana, it benefits today’s society in many ways. Even though the federal government disagrees with the use of marijuana as a medical option, they would receive profits while the state governments would also benefit financially with lower arrest rates. Marijuana also has numerous medical benefits that outweigh the detriments. Overall Marijuana should be a medical option. The quality of human lives hangs in the balance. The dignity and respect of every person's life should be a priority for the government and the community we live in. It is time to stand up for those who are the most vulnerable. This means legalizing medical marijuana, because for the patients it is truly a quality of life that they deserve.