Legalizing Marijuana For Medicinal Purposes (pro)
In the U.S., cannabis sativa, which is better known as marijuana, is illegal for medicinal purposes because federal law includes it in Schedule I, a category for drugs deemed unsafe, highly subject to abuse, and possessing no medicinal value. After many scientific researches and people investigating the evidence, this has been proven to be quite inaccurate. First of all, Francis L. Young, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s chief administrative law judge, concluded not only that marijuana’s medical utility had been adequately demonstrated, but also that marijuana had been shown to be “one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man” (“Medical Marijuana Briefing…”). He also ruled that marijuana has legitimate medical applications and should be available to doctors. Lyn Nofziger, former deputy chairman of the Republican National Committee, said, “Marijuana clearly has medicinal value. Thousands of seriously ill Americans have been able to determine that for themselves, although illegally. Like my own family, these individuals did not wish to break the law but they had no other choice” (Marijuana Rx). Only eight people today receive marijuana through a federal “compassionate use” program which
Many people have already agreed that marijuana should become available for medicinal purposes only. For example, an ABC News/Discovery News poll released on May 29, 1997 found that 69% of American adults supported “legalizing medical use of marijuana” (“Medicinal Marijuana Facts”). A Family Research Council survey released on June 18, 1997 found that 74% of the respondents agreed with the statement, “People who find that marijuana is effective for their medical condition should be able to use it legally” (“Medicinal Marijuana Facts”). Moreover, since 1996, medical marijuana ballot initiatives have received a majority of votes in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington state. Also, numerous organizations have recently taken place in support of legal access to medical marijuana and/or opposing the criminalization of medical marijuana-using patients. Some of these organizations include the AIDS Action Council, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Public Health Association, the California Medical Association, the Lymphoma Foundation of America, the Multiple Sclerosis California Action Network, the National Association of People With AIDS, and the New England Journal of Medicine (“Medicinal Marijuana Facts”). In conclusion, marijuana does have therapeutic uses. There are many terminally ill patients who can benefit from its use. Unfortunately, many people have used marijuana for criminal purposes. Therefore, legalizing marijuana as a Schedule II drug would be a very serious and considerable step for Congress to take. Without a doubt, this would have to be under consideration for quite some time. Yet, there are many patients
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Approximate Word count = 1174
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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