Marijuana which is also known as Cannabis is said to be a psychoactive drug that comes in many different forms and can be consumed in different methods. Marijuana is identified with diverse names which include weed, pot, bud, Mary Jane, hemp and herb. The drug has been used for a long time both in recreational and medical manners. The dried flowers of this Cannabis plant contains more than 500 other chemicals, but the key chemical in the herb is known as THC or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Marijuana is considered to be the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana is said to be immensely prevalent amongst young adults ranging from 18 to 25 years of age. Marijuana has roots that date back as far a 500 BC in Central Asia, where hemp was grown and used to create ropes and textiles. Throughout time a better understanding of this plant has led to scientists and researchers to discover that Cannabis extracts are psychoactive meaning that they have mind-altering effects. The consumption of marijuana has short and long-term effects on humans; short-term effects include the over-activation of parts of the brain leading to altered senses and mood while the long-term effects include altered brain development and impaired memory in certain cases.
Introduction
The issue regarding medical marijuana in the United States has for many years aroused diverse opinions among people with some supporting the legalization of marijuana while other opposing its legalization. The struggle for the legalization of marijuana has a deep history in the United States. Marijuana has many benefits and deficits at the same time which makes it extremely difficult to make a profound decision that does not show bias to either side of the discussion. In the early days, people had free access to marijuana where it was used as a medical drug, for pleasure, and trade. However, a law that limited the use of marijuana was introduced in 1937, the Marijuana Tax Act. Since then, the issue of medical marijuana has evoked an intense debate which seeks to establish whether it is safe for usage in society. (Lewis & Sznitman, 2017). There has been the implementation of laws that aim to limit the usage of marijuana and some that seek to encourage its usage. The latest law that has intensified the debate about marijuana is the legalization of medical marijuana in different States in the United States. Medical marijuana has both positive and negative impact on the society which results to people having contradicting opinions in regard to the legalization of medical marijuana. Owing to the above-stated facts, this expose seeks to establish a critical analysis on the subject of medical marijuana.
Marijuana is listed under the US Drug Enforcement Administration as a Schedule I controlled substance meaning that it cannot be legally prescribed under federal laws. Certain states have legalized the use of marijuana as a treatment plan for certain cases in which a patient must undergo a series of questioning to get the “authorization” for its use. In addition to it the legalization of medical marijuana there are certain states that have passed laws for the recreational use of these drugs. Marijuana has evolved from being a criminalizing drug to being medicalized, legalized and decriminalized nationwide. Medicalization refers to the process that human conditions come to be fully understood and treated as medical conditions, therefore, becoming parts of medical studies and treatment plans.
The legalization of marijuana in certain states in the United States has caused a socioeconomic boost. States like Colorado have seen astronomical figures of sales in the recreational and medical spectrums, with combined marijuana sales exceeding $1.5 billion dollars. The legalization of in this state not only has brought in more money into the state but also increased employment, tax revenues, and overall revenue. All this success does not come without a kickback from the big pharmaceutical companies, as the expansion of the medicalization continues to occur big pharmaceuticals has predicted that they would incur losses of near $18.5 billion of the legalization and medicalization was uniform across all 50 states.
The list of medical benefits that patients could reap goes on and on, but not enough has been done to convince every one of its legitimacy and practicality. Big pharmaceutical companies seem to be the most intimidated by the legalization and social acceptance of marijuana in society, due to the sheer fact that it hurts their money. Years ago marijuana was deemed the gateway drug to addiction and now is being prescribed and given in certain regions as a treatment method for certain diseases with positive results, this alone shows the movement that the medical world is going through due to medicalization.
Benefits of Medical Marijuana
Medical marijuana has vast benefits in the society. The key benefits of medical marijuana entail pain control, where people with nerve pain, multiple sclerosis, and general pain can use medical marijuana to relieve pain. When provided with the right dose of medical marijuana, many patients in the United States have benefited from medical marijuana allowing them to continue with their normal activities without having the feeling of being detached (Powell, Pacula, & Jacobson, 2018). Medical marijuana is said to be an exceptional muscle relaxant, and it is also allied with the ability to lower tremors in Parkinson’s disease and aptitude to reduce chronic pain and also to treat glaucoma. Medical marijuana helps to manage weight loss and nausea.
Doctors recommend medical marijuana to their patients due to its immense benefits. Medical marijuana is prescribed for patients during chemotherapy as it plays a significant role in reducing vomiting and nausea. HIV/AIDS patients use medical marijuana to enhance and improve their weight (Shepard & Blackley, 2016). Medical marijuana is effective in treating mood disorders and anxiety; emotional pain can be dangerous and devastating to patients as physical pain. Medical marijuana, therefore, plays a significant role in treating conditions such as depression, PTSD, anxiety and chronic insomnia which can lead to poor performance at work and poor mood. Medical marijuana offers patients suffering from mood disorder an effective alternative. Currently, medical marijuana can be effectively and safely integrated with the existing psychiatric medications enhancing effective treatment.
Impact of Medical Marijuana on the Society
Medical marijuana has a significant adverse impact to the society that outweighs its benefits. Many people in the United States do not understand the conditions that encompass the use of medical marijuana, and most people use marijuana thus violating federal laws. The issue encompassing medical marijuana lacks detailed supporting evidence in some cases thus raising the question of whether it should be legalized. The use of medical marijuana mostly short-term use elevates the risk of major and minor adverse impacts (Cerdá, Wall, Keyes, Galea, & Hasin, 2012). The long-term effects of using medical marijuana remain vague thus lacking concrete supporting evidence which is a significant issue. The known side effects include vomiting, dizziness, hallucinations and feeling tired.
In 2011, the United States Department of Health And Human Services affirms that 455,000 emergency rooms received visits in cases associated with the use of medical marijuana (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2017). Medical marijuana plays a significant role in the rise of drug and substance abuse in the community here many people use medical marijuana as an excuse to abuse drugs. Medical marijuana results to devastating effects on the society where people, precisely the youth misuse it and use it as a perfect excuse to indulge in drugs. Consequently, many young people get addicted to drugs where they have to engage in crime and violent behavior to acquire money so that they can get drugs.
Medical marijuana contributes to the rise of violence in society. It leads to many young people to end up dropping from school and engaging in violence and crime (Powell, Pacula, & Jacobson, 2018). Addiction adds to hopelessness and frustration among the young people in the society thus they adopt a reckless life which leads to the rise of HIV/AIDS in the community, teenage pregnancies where most of the children born have medical conditions and abnormalities. Due to the elevated levels of violence in the society which is associated with medical marijuana, many people die in society mostly the young people. Death of the young people is related to the violence and gangs that deal drug where most of them evade the law using medical marijuana as their escape.
Medical marijuana has many benefits, but its negative impact on the society outweighs its benefits. It causes more harm than good in, and thus I firmly believe that medical marijuana should not be legalized. Medical marijuana limits the ability of the drug enforcement Administration to perform in the fight against drug and substance abuse effectively. It is challenging to establish real users of medical marijuana and those who are abusing it. Due to this reasons, the drug enforcement administration finds itself in the crossroad on where to classify medical marijuana and how to control its use (Shepard & Blackley, 2016). The doctors have their reasons for recommending the use of marijuana to their patients, however, outside the hospital setting, it is impossible to control the use and abuse of medical marijuana, and this gives room for drug dealers and drug users the opportunity corrupt the morals of the society.
Medical marijuana plays a significant role in exposing the young people to drugs since they can easily access the drug under the pretense of doctor’s prescription or just saying they need it to reduce pain. The conditions under which medical marijuana can be accessed are still vague, and this provides perfect room for its abuse in the society (Wall, Poh, E., Cerdá, M., Keyes, Galea, & Hasin, 2011). The ability of the law to control the use and access of medical marijuana has been limited due to controversies and divided opinions encompassing the issue of medical marijuana.
It proves impossible to solve the problem regarding legalizing medical marijuana since people who support medical marijuana and those who oppose will always have valid conflicting opinions. While this war on contradictory opinions continues, many more young people die on the streets from addiction and violence. It is imperative to solve this issue before many young perish due the presence of medical marijuana in the society and the society will continue to rot with immorality rising among the drug uses affecting all aspect of life within the community which is very dangerous (Lewis & Sznitman, 2017). Medical marijuana despite its benefits is still a drug and people will always abuse it. Legalization of medical marijuana plays a vital role in making the society become permissive of abusing drugs where people will have an excuse to abuse marijuana in the name of medical purposes.
In conclusion, this paper has established a critical analysis on the subject of medical marijuana. Medical marijuana has its medicinal benefits; the doctors recommend the use of medical marijuana to address specific medical issues where medical marijuana helps reduce pain. Medical marijuana plays a significant role in boosting the economy and creating more employment. The issue of medical marijuana is faced with contrasting opinions among the people in the society where some advocate for its legalization while others oppose this idea. Medical marijuana has been depicted to have negative impacts on the society as stated outweighs its benefits. Medical marijuana has significantly contributed to the elevated levels of drug and substance abuse in the society, the high levels of crime and violence and death of people especially the young people. The conditions and situation under which medical marijuana can be used and accessed remain vague which provides drug dealers and drug users the opportunity to abuse medical marijuana. It is highly difficult to regulate the use of drugs and the increasing violence in society since some people use medical marijuana as an excuse to abuse drugs.
References
Lewis, N., & Sznitman, S. R. (2017). You brought it on yourself: the joint effects of message type, stigma, and responsibility attribution on attitudes toward medical cannabis. Journal of Communication, 67(2), 181-202.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2017). The health effects of cannabis and cannabinoids: The current state of evidence and recommendations for research. National Academies Press.
Powell, D., Pacula, R. L., & Jacobson, M. (2018). Do medical marijuana laws reduce addictions
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Shepard, E. M., & Blackley, P. R. (2016). Medical marijuana and crime: Further evidence from
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Wall, M. M., Poh, E., Cerdá, M., Keyes, K. M., Galea, S., & Hasin, D. S. (2011). Adolescent marijuana use from 2002 to 2008: higher in states with medical marijuana laws, cause still unclear. Annals of epidemiology, 21(9), 714-716.
Cerdá, M., Wall, M., Keyes, K. M., Galea, S., & Hasin, D. (2012). Medical marijuana laws in 50 states: investigating the relationship between state legalization of medical marijuana and marijuana use, abuse and dependence. Drug and alcohol dependence, 120(1), 22-27.