For many years the legalization of marijuana has been a controversial issue. On one side there are those who claim marijuana is not an effective way to alleviate the pain of a terminal illness. However on the other side, there are those with the terminal illness who insist that smoking marijuana helps them to cope with everyday life. The main argument here is whether or not an illegal substance should be made legal. The issue has become a heated debate, with both sides holding strong viewpoints. .
There are several organizations and groups in favor of the legalization of marijuana, but few who oppose it. The trend that can be seen is that most Americans approve of legalization. One web site that favors the legalization of marijuana is www.masscann.org. They claim that marijuana in high demand among those with AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, and neurological disorders. Marijuana imposes therapeutic effects on them, however they must attain it through illegal means. Currently there are federal laws that allow the distribution of far more dangerous drugs, yet marijuana remains excluded from the medical market. The web page states "Physicians are forbidden to provide for people who are dying, going blind, or being crippled, therapeutic access to marijuana." Many feel as if our government imposes hypocrisy upon them, when thousands die each year from legalized alcohol.
Perhaps the most impressive web site out there is NORML (The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws). In their introduction, the web site claims, "NORML supports the removal of all penalties for the private possession and responsible use of marijuana by adults, including cultivation for personal use, and casual nonprofit transfers of small amounts." The organization promotes the legalization of a .
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controlled marijuana market. NORML would like to see a law that would provide a market "for personal use from a safe legal source.
