By snoadmin
California Attorney General Jerry Brown released more specific guidelines for the use of medical marijuana last week. The directive more clearly defines the differences between legal users, sellers and criminals.
In response to this release, the debate over the federal government’s handling of marijuana has again become a hot topic here in California. The Los Angeles Times, in fact, devoted several pages weighing the pros and the cons of the illicit drug.
With pot back in the limelight, the lingering question presents itself again: should weed be legal in America?
On the one hand, marijuana is an addictive substance that, when used regularly, may lead to depression, psychosis and all-around laziness, according to several studies published in the L.A. Times.
On the other hand, the drug can relieve the pain and nausea associated with certain diseases and treatments certain for diseases, the same Times article reported.
Although abusing the drug can cause serious health problems, we cannot outright forbid the use of a substance that can be used as a medicinal device to help people who suffer from pain.
Contrary to some popular myths, marijuana has not been scientifically proven to cure any ailments. In fact, smoking the drug can actually make certain conditions, like mental problems or certain cancers, even worse.
Weed does, however, reduce the symptoms of certain diseases and effectively provide relief from pain.
In a study published in the “European Journal of Neurology,” patients suffering from multiple sclerosis experienced a 30 percent decrease in spasms.
In a similar study published in the “European Journal of Cancer Care,” researchers found that for many patients the chemicals found in marijuana smoke more effectively relieve the nausea associated with chemotherapy than standard anti-nausea drugs.
Similar to how one might take aspirin to relieve the hindering pain of a headache, patients can use marijuana to reduce symptoms that disturb their everyday lives.
Certainly, one drawback to legal marijuana — as with any prescription drug — is that there is room for abuse. As has been demonstrated in California over the past decade, drug users looking to smoke recreationally often feign, exaggerate or even fabricate symptoms to get a legal prescription.
Dispensaries, oftentimes, will even employ on-site doctors who literally prescribe marijuana to anyone who walks through the door.
As with any medication, marijuana should be used only as directed by a doctor and only when no other measure can be taken. Improper use may lead to addiction and/or lung disease, although the risk is not much higher than smoking cigarettes.
Despite its tendency to be abused, however, marijuana has the potential to increase a patient’s quality of life significantly.
By denying genuinely sick people access to a drug that can allow them to live more fulfilling lives, federal laws that ban marijuana deny patients the opportunity to cope with the pain of a disease or treatment.
Would we deny a patient prescribed Vicodin for pain relief after surgery? Of course, we wouldn’t.
Sure, it is an addictive drug that can cause serious health problems when abused; But, when taken as directed, Vicodin is a medical tool that can safely and effectively remedy pain.
Marijuana’s medical benefits are clear. We as a nation must recognize this and allow those people suffering access to this drug without turning them into criminals.
We do wonder, though, that if ganja weren’t as popular a recreational drug as it is, if marijuana supporters would be as passionate as they are.
But, that’s for another Our View.
