Studies have proven medical marijuana has therapeutic effects concerning pain management, nausea, vomiting, seizures, and appetite loss, for patients suffering from medical diseases. These diseases include cancer, HIV, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis. Legalizing the use of marijuana as a medical remedy for treating symptoms and combatting side effects of the treatment would improve a patient’s quality. Legalizing marijuana as medicine could also help boost our economy with taxation of the plant, create jobs in a time of economic struggle, and save our economy billions of dollars.
Our government should legalize marijuana solely to benefit those individuals with terminal and debilitating medical diseases, and help stimulate a boost in the United States economy. Research has verified a huge amount of marijuana benefits for patients who suffer from medical conditions in the United States. Studies conducted have revealed that “Marijuana alleviates nausea and vomiting accompanying cancer chemo therapy, weight loss associated with HIV infection and cancer, weight loss in patients with AIDS and advanced cancer, movement disorders including dystonia, Parkinson’s disease,
Huntington’s disease, and tics associated with Tourette’s syndrome. ” (ProCon. org) The government should legalize medical marijuana nationwide, due to the facts shown by these studies. People who have been diagnosed with terminal and severe medical conditions would be the only ones allowed usage of this drug. Many citizens are for medical marijuana being legal and voting has revealed that “73 percent of Americans support making marijuana legally available for doctors to prescribe. ” (NORML. org) This shows how many American citizens would like to allow medical marijuana usage by seriously ill patients.
These voters also understand how if legalizing medical marijuana came about, it would be only accessible for ill patients and not for recreational use. American patients should be given their rights in all fifty states so each patient can use marijuana without being penalized. Even if citizens of the United States are born severely ill, they still have rights and never should be deprived of them. Studies show patients suffering from HIV have also expressed their feelings about how the pharmaceutical drugs provided did not help them through their disease.
Medical marijuana has proved for some patients to have even better results than the drugs prescribed by a physician, which is quite an unexpected discovery. The legalization of medical marijuana could not only benefit the health of our citizens, but it would also create a great opportunity for revenue due to taxation. If the Drug Enforcement Administration would allow marijuana to become legal, it could potentially boost our economy, create employment due to marijuana dispensary stores, and provide another source of revenue in each state. Taxing marijuana would essentially be exactly the same concept as taxing cigarettes today.
“It can be estimated that excise taxes in this range would rise between $2. 2 and $6. 4 billion per year. Altogether, legalization would save the taxpayers around $8 – $16 billion. ” (ProCon. org) Aside from multiple medical benefits, it is important to recognize how the United States economy could save an estimated 7. 7 billion dollars annually, if they let citizens have an alternative legal form of medicine such as marijuana. Much of our country’s money saving would come out of the amount of money spent in order to arrest, prosecute, and incarcerate those who use marijuana. In short, the money saved by eliminating law enforcement costs and taxes the government
could apply to marijuana would bring in an estimated $17 billion yearly. This means our nation could profit along with patients benefiting at the same time. The opposing side argues “Why legalize medical marijuana when it is merely a pain killer not a life saver? ” They should understand even though it doesn’t save lives, it makes certain patients’ lives livable and puts them into a state of comfort. Patients have indicated they benefit from the use of medical cannabis, so why not allow them to use it? Opponents also feel as if marijuana is addictive and if legalized would create an increase in usage among non-prescribed users.
This view was proven wrong by a study which displayed sixteen out of twenty states where medical marijuana is legal actually saw a decrease in marijuana use among individuals. Another concern the opposing side argues is how allowing marijuana to be smoked will only cause an increase in lung cancer. They figure what’s the point of allowing patients who are ill to smoke and decrease their health even more? The National Academy of Science confirmed that “marijuana’s short term medical benefits outweigh any smoking-related harm for some patients. ” (Reichbach) A study by UCLA also showed no connection between lung cancer and marijuana.
The idea that someone should suffer with an illness when there’s an effective option for relief existing is essentially a violation of human rights and those who are against legalizing medical marijuana should reconsider their views. Our federal government should take the time to recognize the benefits of the natural chemicals found in medical marijuana. Among us are thousands of individuals who are suffering every day, when they could be experiencing affordable relief from a tremendous amount of pain and weakness attributed to illnesses like cancer, HIV, MS, and glaucoma.
Research has already proven how marijuana has multiple benefits economic and medicinal wise, therefore it should not be withheld from patients any longer. Pain and suffering should not be something patients should be living with simply because of a law that was put in place with disregard for medical purposes. Works Cited Reichbach, Gustin L. “A Judge’s Plea for Pot. ” The New York Times.
The New York Times, 16 May 2012. Web. 26 Nov. 2014. “NORML. org – Working to Reform Marijuana Laws. ” NORML. org – Working to Reform Marijuana Laws. N. p. , n. d. Web. 26 Nov. 2014. “Medical Marijuana ProCon. org. ” ProConorg Headlines. N. p. , n. d. Web. 26 Nov. 2014.