De Jong, Prentiss, McFarland, Machekano & Israelski (2005) note in one study that medicinal marijuana use may be particularly useful in patients suffering from HIV with moderate to severe nausea. There study points out that adherence to antiretroviral therapy (AT) is an essential and critical component for successful treatment of HIV infections. Further a recent study conducted by the researchers suggest that smoking marijuana improves adherence to AT, and thus leads to more successful treatment of HIV infections in patients (De Jong, et. a, 44).

The relationship that existed in this study was confirmed using a multivariate analyses controlling "for the interactions between nausea and marijuana use" in which "other illicit drug use remained a factor related to nonadherence" (De Jong, et. al, 44). This study confirms the notion that medicinal cannabis may be beneficial where other therapies or drugs have not. However to demonstrate further benefits or a more causal…...

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References

Berman, J.S., Symonds, C. & Birch, R. (2004). "Efficacy of two cannabis-based medicinal extracts for relief of central neuropathic pain from brachial plexus avulsion: Results of a randomized controlled trial." Pain. 112(3): 299-306

Burstein, S.H., Karst, M., Schneider, U. & Zurier, R.B. (2004). "Ajulemic acid: A novel cannabinoid produces analgesia without a high." Life Sci, 75(12): 1513-22

Carter, G.T., Weydt, P., Kyashna, T.M. & Abrams, D.I. (2004 - May). "Medicinal cannabis: rational guidelines for dosing." Idrugs, 7(5): 464-70.

Christenson, V. (2004). "Courts protect ninth circuit doctors who recommend medical marijuana use." Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 32(1): 174

Evidence largely suggests that the subject in question would have been given a well-established pain-management strategy otherwise lacking had marijuana been available. Unfortunately, this plentiful, profitable, easy-to-grow and highly accessible substance has been demonized and victimized by hostile propaganda even as dangerous and deadly substances such as tobacco, alcohol and antidepressants remain highly proliferated.
From the combination of my experience and my value system, I must implore you to reconsider your position on the subject. You needn't simply take my work on the matter. Please conduct some actual research through peer-reviewed medical journals and I am confident you will find overwhelming critical evidence to support my position. Further, please consider, as will be detailed in the fact sheet hereafter, that the your political concerns over the position are unfounded. Public support for the legalization of marijuana has never been higher, and is largely a product of the view that it…...

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The United States has demonstrated itself on the whole to be increasingly more receptive to decriminalization on a state by state basis. To date, 14 states have joined a growing list of those in which medical marijuana is legal. Florida is, in this regard, behind the more progressive nations in the Union. (MPP, 1)

Research suggests that marijuana is anatamocially beneficial as a therapeutic substance for a wide array of health maladies. According to Ogborn et al. (2000), "There are indications that marijuana is sometimes used to alleviate pain from cancer, to reduce nausea from chemotherapy, to mitigate the wasting syndrome of AIDS, and for the treatment of glaucoma, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and a variety of other disorders.1,2 A few studies have suggested that the medical use of marijuana is common among people with HIV / AIDS3,4 and those with certain psychiatric conditions." (p. 1)

Evidence suggests that any of the health hazards which are currently related to marijuana use

Medical Marijuana Use
Drugs & Alcohol

Marijuana is a plant or herb that grows on various parts of Earth. Other names for marijuana are hemp and cannabis, which refers to its biological name in Latin, cannibus sativa. Cannibus simply is the Latin word for marijuana, and sativa is the supine form a Latin verb meaning "sown" and "useful." The issue of marijuana use has been prominent in American culture since at least the 1930s, with propaganda films against the use of marijuana like eefer Madness. Marijuana use has been in the news over the past few decades with specific regard to the medical uses of marijuana. There has been increased attention and research into the medical properties and benefits of marijuana, which is a new endeavor or perspective from mainstream America, as it has been historically viewed and publicized as a narcotic that makes users vulnerable to the use of much…...

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References:

Okie, MD, S. (2005) Medical Marijuana and the Supreme Court. The New England Journal of Medicine, 353(7), 648 -- 651.

Seamon, M.J., Fass, J.A., Maniscalco-Feichtl, M., Abu-Shrarie, N.A. (2007) Medical marijuana and the developing role of the pharmacist. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacists, 64, 1037 -- 1045.

Advocacy for Medicinal Marijuana Over Other Drugs
For a considerable period of time, the reliance for the betterment of the health of an individual has depended on herbal remedies, and in many part of the world and in many households even, these continue to take a preference over the more advanced medical drugs that have come to define modern medicine.

Cannabis or Medical Marijuana is one such example of an herb that today is surrounded by controversy as regards to its usage and benefits. Besides the more negative connotations that seem to be attached to Marijuana, the medical benefits of it seem to surpass its disadvantageous. It will be the purpose of this paper, therefore, to establish a case for the use of Medical Marijuana based on its advantages as compared to Medical Drugs.

History of Cannabis:

Marijuana has come to be known by many names usually being a result of the different regions…...

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Works Cited

Manila Bulletin. (2011, April 7th). AP IMPACT: Synthetic Drugs Send Thousands to ER.

Amar, M.B. (2006). Cannabinoids in Medicine: A review of their therapeutic potential . Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 1-25.

Barnes, R.E. (2000). Reefer Madness: Legal & Moral Issues surrounding the Medical Prescription of Marijuana. UK: Blackwell Publishers Ltd.

Drug Enforcement Administration. (n.d.). "Medical" Marijuana - The Facts. Retrieved December 9th, 2011, from United States Drug Enforcement Administration: http://www.justice.gov/dea/ongoing/marinol.html

Medical Cannabis
As of November 2012, eighteen states plus the District of Columbia voted by ballot initiative to legalize marijuana for medical use. The revolution in voter attitudes towards marijuana reflects a social, political, and to a lesser degree, economic trend. Many Americans already use marijuana, pot, also or "more appropriately" known as cannabis (NOML). However, cannabis has been banned at the federal level, classified as a Schedule I Substance under the Controlled Substances Act, which is the highest and strictest classification any drug can have. "Along with heroin, LSD and some other drugs, marijuana is classified as a Schedule 1 substance under the federal Controlled Substances Act. That means the drug is considered to have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse," (Andrews 1). Federal law prohibits or strictly controls scientific investigations into marijuana, which has stymied the growth of research into the plant for its potential…...

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References

American Medical Association. "AMA Policy: Medical Marijuana." Retrieved online:  http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/sourcefiles/AMA09policy.pdf 

Andrews, Michelle. "New medical marijuana initiatives haven't convinced insurers." The Washington Post. Nov 19, 2012. Retrieved online:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/new-medical-marijuana-initiatives-havent-convinced-insurers/2012/11/17/2a5ebbcc-6a2e-11e1-acc6-32fefc7ccd67_story.html 

Cohen, Rebecca Richman. "The Fight over Medical Marijuana." The New York Times. Nov 7, 2012. Retrieved online:  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/08/opinion/the-fight-over-medical-marijuana.html 

Conaboy, Chelsea. "Massachusetts voters approve ballot measure to legalize medical marijuana." Boston Globe. Nov 6, 2012. Retrieved online:  http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2012/11/06/Massachusetts-voters-approve-ballot-measure-legalize-medical-marijuana/EpDzgJGfBjnOAkoXpJwm1K/story.html

Paternalistic legislation, even when warranted, must be logically consistent both in theory and in practical application, in the case of marijuana, prohibitions against its medicinal use, even if still unproven in clinical trials, is logically and ethically inconsistent with the legal status of substances like tobacco which are devoid of any possible beneficial use and which, unlike marijuana, have actually been proven to cause disease and premature death.
Governmental paternalism is appropriate in many instances, including ensuring the safety and efficacy of substances used for medicinal purposes. However, the application of paternalistic legislation must, if nothing else, be logically consistent.

Federal prohibition criminalizing marijuana, even for medicinal purposes, is completely unjustified, particularly in light of the legal status of tobacco, which has absolutely no beneficial medical use and whose recreational use accounts for tremendous human harm.

References

The American Medical Marijuana Association website, (2007)

Retrieved November 21, 2007, at http://americanmarijuana.org/

Advocate organization dedicated to the…...

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Critical literary work on constitutional law, civil rights, and the moral justification for paternalistic legislation authored by attorney and Harvard University law professor, Arthur Miller.

Taylor, R. (1982) Freedom, Anarchy, and the Law: An Introduction to Political Philosphy. Buffalo: Prometheus

Critical literary work on the logical basis for social norms, laws, civil rights, and the morality of ethical principles in human life authored by renowned ethicist, and Cornell philosophy professor Richard Taylor.

The design of the study was to compare the patterns and frequency of recreational drug use of various types, and of the attitudes expressed by residents of California to the behavior and attitudes on the same issues in the 10 other states after California legalized marijuana for medicinal use in 1996. The number of respondents in California was 2,651 and a total of 12, 916 in the other 10 states. The Trevino and ichard study (2002) involved a sample of 188 drug users and non-drug users surveyed for their responses to questions about their opinions about the legalization of marijuana, and also of other illicit recreational drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines.
The Page, Verhoef, Stebbins, Metz, and Levy study (2003) utilized a self-reported questionnaire developed specifically as a tool for this study designed to identify differences in the choices made by patients with MS to use marijuana as…...

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References

Khatapoush, S. And Hallfors, D. "Sending the Wrong Message': Did Medical

Marijuana Legalization in California Change Attitudes about and Use of Marijuana?" Journal of Drug Issues, (Fall 2004): 751 -- 770.

Page, S.A., Verhoef, M.J., Stebbins, R.A., Metz, L.M., and Levy, J.C. "Cannabis Use

as Described by People with Multiple Sclerosis." Canadian Journal of Neurological Science, Vol. 30 (2003): 201 -- 205.

Medical Marijuana Legislation and Civil Liberties
When the historic passage of legislation permitting medical marijuana use in states like Arizona (2010), Delaware (2011) and Massachusetts (2012) is considered in conjunction with the fact that 13 other states have similar legislation or ballot measures pending, the traditional conception of marijuana ingestion as a criminal act is being reexamined on a societal level. Further bolstering this assertion is the legal situation in California, Colorado and Washington, where marijuana has been decriminalized entirely and permitted for recreational sale by licensed dispensaries, providing the platform for a restoration of basic rights in these jurisdictions. With approximately half of the states in the union already affording citizens with medical needs the liberty to seek relief in the form of marijuana, while the federal government's ostensible ban on the substance remains in effect, the stage has been set for a national debate over the merits of legalizing…...

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References

Mill, J.S., Smith, J.M., & Sosa, E. (1969). Mill's Utilitarianism: Text and criticism. Belmont, Calif: Wadsworth Pub. Co.

Legalization of Marijuana
Marijuana is one of the most popular recreational drugs in the United States, exceeded in popularity by only alcohol and tobacco. Recent research reveals that "more than 70 million Americans have smoked marijuana at some point in their lives, and that 18-20 million have smoked during the last year (NORML, 1999)."

According to R. Keith Stroup, Esq., the executive director of National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML, 1999), "Like most Americans, the vast majority of these millions of marijuana smokers are otherwise law-abiding citizens who work hard, raise families and contribute to their communities..." A national survey revealed that 32% of voting adults in the U.S. have acknowledged having smoked marijuana at some point in their lives.

The legalization of marijuana has been a topic of controversy for several years. Many proponents of the drug argue that marijuana should be legalized for both medical and recreational use.…...

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Bibliography

Marijuana Policy Project (MPP). (March 30, 1998). Multiple Sclerosis Patient Arrested for Using Medicinal Marijuana in U.S. Rep. Jim Rogan's Office. Retrieved from the Internet at  http://www.mpp.org/releases/nr033098.html .

National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). (1999). Federally Commissioned Study Supports Medical Marijuana, Dismisses Drug's "High Potential For Abuse. Retrieved from the Internet at  http://www.norml.org/medical/iomresponse.shtml .

National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. (1999). Testimony of R. Keith Stroup, Esq. Retrieved from the Internet at  http://www.norml.org/recreational/testimony99.shtml .

Rosenthal, Ed. Kubby, Steve. (2003). Why Marijuana Should Be Legal. Thundermouth Press.

marijuana should be legalized only for medicinal purposes.
The debate over medicinal marijuana usage and legality is a controversial one. Many experts argue the drug costs society too much money in terms of law enforcement and incarceration costs when the monies could be better spent in other law enforcement areas. A large majority of the American people does believe marijuana should be decriminalized for medical usage. In 2001, 34% of adult Americans believed marijuana should be legal, at least in small amounts, the largest percentage since 1969, and up to 70% of adults approved of using medicinal marijuana for certain ailments (Cauchon 01A). However, several questions regarding medicinal marijuana usage that must be addressed.

First, is marijuana a safe and effective medicine? Proponents maintain marijuana has been used medicinally for thousands of years and for a variety of uses. They claim that it is safe, no one has ever "died of…...

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References

Author not Available. "Medical Marijuana Briefing Paper." Marijuana Policy Project. 2003. 22 March 2004.  http://www.mpp.org/medicine.html 

Cauchon, Dennis. "Marijuana Attains Record Support." USA Today, 24 Aug. 2001, pp 01A.

Fackelmann, Kathleen. "Marijuana on Trial." ScienceNews.org. 22 March 1997. 22 March 2004.  http://www.sciencenews.org/pages/sn_arc97/3_22_97/bob1.htm 

Frood, Arran. "Dope at the Wheel." NewScientist.com. 23 March 2002. 22 March 2004.  http://www.newscientist.com/hottopics/marijuana/dopeatthewheel.jsp

Medical Use of Marijuana
Increasing use of medical marijuana

Having looked at the various areas that medical marijuana has been brought into use and the various forms in which marijuana is administered, it is also important to take note of the various challenges that come with it. There have been various researches that have been conducted that covers the medical as well as the ethical side of the medicinal marijuana, and there have been a dilemma in the balance of the two sides on whether to institutionalize the drug or to stop it, and even on whether the medicinal use can be made to work without the proneness to abuse as is the case at the moment.

Medicinal marijuana has neither medical nor ethical standing within the contemporary society where drug abuse is one of the biggest worries of governments across the world and the alternative medicines that medical research can appropriately come…...

Introduction
Medical marijuana has increasingly been in the news as a growing number of states throughout the U.S. have passed measures or at least put on the ballot an initiative to legalize either medicinal or recreational marijuana usage.  The history of marijuana in the U.S. is one that goes back as far as the country itself:  hemp (a type of marijuana plant) was used for rope, paper and a number of other purposes because of its strong fibrous tissue.1  It was not until the Prohibition Era of the 1920s that marijuana began to be prohibited by law in the U.S.—and within a decade, it was regulated among most states under the Uniform State Narcotic Act.2  Thus, from its very first days as a crop grown by the Virginia Company for exporting to England by decree of James I—and in fact from the days of the first President of the U.S. George…...

For example, in the state of Montana, initiative organizers and supporters "face much opposition from local law enforcement and youth substance abuse prevention groups" that claim legalizing marijuana will lead to a great increase in the number of users. However, as the organizers of the low police priority initiative point out, the evidence to support this assertion does not exist; in fact, "We know that liberalizing drug laws in other places has not led to an increase in drug use. This assertion has also been equated with the "eefer Madness mentality," a reference to the film "eefer Madness" of the 1930's which depicted marijuana smokers as deranged criminals ("Lowest Law Enforcement Priority," 2006, Internet).
According to statistics provided by the National Organization for the eform of Marijuana Laws, voters in the city of Oakland, just north of San Francisco, "overwhelmingly approved the nation's first-ever business tax on retail marijuana sales,"…...

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REFERENCES

"Ban with the Bull, Chill with the Bear: The Coming Collapse of Marijuana

Prohibition." (2009). NORML. Internet. Accessed July 22, 2009 from  http://norml.org .

"California: Oakland Voters Approve Nation's First Marijuana Business Tax." (2009).

NORML. Internet. Accessed July 22, 2009 from

S.
Conclusion:

Like alcohol and tobacco, marijuana has been consumed in human societies for thousands of years, and likely since before recorded history. Also like alcohol and tobacco products, marijuana is associated with certain dangers that warrant appropriate government paternalism in the form of legislation prohibiting its use by minors, regulating its manufacture and sale to ensure its relative safety and quality, and preventing the use of any substances capable of altering human perception in connection with the operation of motor vehicles. However, there is no logical basis whatsoever for distinguishing between alcohol and marijuana in terms of criminal legislation, and both substances are considerably less harmful to human health in the manner of their typical consumption than tobacco products.

Instead of subjecting marijuana users to criminal prosecution, government authorities should simply apply the same approach to marijuana as has been traditionally applied to alcohol and tobacco. The Prohibition era of American history…...

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Bibliography

Brecher, E.M. (1972). Licit and Illicit Drugs: The Consumers Union Report. Boston: Little, Brown & Co.

Dershowitz, a. (2002). Shouting Fire: Civil Liberties in a Turbulent Age. New York: Bantam Books.

Drug Policy Alliance. (2008). Medicinal Marijuana. Retrieved February 17, 2009 from the Drug Policy Alliance website, at  http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/medical/ 

Friedman, a. (2005). A History of American Law. New York: Touchstone.

Legalize Marijuana Now!
Today, the United States enjoys the dubious distinction of incarcerating more of its citizens than any other industrialized nation on earth. Perhaps even more troubling still, the majority of these citizens have been imprisoned for nonviolent crimes involving drugs, with marijuana being one of the most prominently drugs. Furthermore, these issues have assumed new importance and relevance in recent years. As the country continues to struggle to recover from the Great Recession of 2008, dwindling federal and state budgets have forced lawmakers to scramble to identify ways to save money in order to turn the tide for economic recovery. One initiative that has been advanced time and again is the legalization of marijuana because it would reduce the number of people being incarcerated and help generate new tax revenues. To determine if this is the legalization of marijuana is a truly viable option, this paper provides a review…...

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Works Cited

Cameron, Kenzie A., Campo, Shelly and Brossard, Dominique. (2003). "Advocating for Controversial Issues: The Effect of Activism on Compliance-Gaining Strategy

Likelihood of Use." Communication Studies 54(3): 265-266.

Dripps, Donald A. (1998). "The Liberal Critique of the Harm Principle." Criminal Justice Ethics

17(2): 3.