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Medical Marijuana Use Term Paper

¶ … Medical marijuana is slowly gaining steam in becoming a legal drug to treat disease and chronic illness. Its main beneficial component, THC, delivers a number of benefits such as increase in appetite, help with nausea, and even pain management. People with chronic incurable diseases like multiple sclerosis and AIDS have found relief through consistent use of medical marijuana. Marijuana has shown in multiple studies not only its effectiveness but its safeness compared to other typical treatments like opioids and steroids. Therefore it is my belief that medical marijuana should be legal nationwide for use in treatment of chronic illness and disease management. What are the major "PROs" of medical marijuana?

Some pros are the growing number of people using and growing marijuana. Not only does this help in making it more easily available, but it also increases its qualities and sellers have to compete and deliver better product, especially in places like Colorado where marijuana is legal. "Given its widespread availability throughout the United States and expanded use for medical conditions, it is reasonable to anticipate increasing number of adolescents...

647). Availability is a pro-as marijuana is also a lot cheaper and less toxic than traditional medications like Prozac and Valium used to treat anxiety and chronic or acute pain.
Chronic pain is a definite problem facing many Americans. Teens and adults have to face the reality of living with pain on a daily basis. Medical marijuana has been known to curb chronic pain. It also has lesser and less problematic symptoms if smoked, or used excessively and is less likely to create severe addiction.

In fact, in the past people used marijuana for a myriad of things, some of which were pain and loss of appetite. "During the mid- to late 1800's and early 1099s, cannabis was also used to treat symptoms of dysmenorrhea, insomnia, gonorrhea, stomach pain, loss of appetite, migraines, and typhoid fever" (Johnson, 2013, p. 301). If people in the past could see the use of marijuana from a medical standpoint, why can't it be used now to treat the same medical problems treated before? People who deal with chemotherapy suffer from a loss of appetite. If they can use something that does not make their condition worse, why should it not at least be an option for them?

In another article by Adams, the writer states several sources hypothesize marijuana use as a good alternative to treat loss of appetite. "Marijuana has also been hypothesized…

Sources used in this document:
References

Harrison, B.E., Bruce, B.K., Weiss, K.E., Rummans, T.A., & Bostwick, M.J. (2013). Marijuana and Chronic Nonmalignant Pain in Adolescents. Mayo Clin Proc, 647-649.

Johnson, B.L. (2013). Medical Marijuana. Mental Health Practitioner's Guide to HIV / AIDS, 301-303. Retrieved from http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4614-5283-6_60

Nunberg, H., Kilmer, B., Pacula, R.L., & Burgdorf, J.R. (2013). An Analysis of Applicants Presenting to a Medical Marijuana Specialty Practice in California. Journal of Drug Policy Analysis, 4(1), 1-8.
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