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 believe marijuana should be decriminalized for medical usage. In 2001, 34 percent of adult Americans believed marijuana should be legal, at least in small amounts, the largest percentage since 1969, and up to 70 percent of adults approved of using medicinal marijuana for certain ailments (Cauchon 01A). However, several questions regarding medicinal marijuana usage must be addressed. The answers to these questions will support why marijuana should be legalized for medicinal purposes.
First, is marijuana a safe and effective medicine? Advocates 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 an overdose," and that it is effective and helpful for a variety of serious illnesses, from multiple sclerosis to cancer and AIDS. In fact, even the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) chief administrative law judge maintains the DEA should decriminalize marijuana partly because of its medicinal benefits ("Briefing Paper"). Clearly, a variety of experts agrees that marijuana has numerous medicinal benefits, and can help a wide variety of patients. .
Second, are other drugs available that are as effective? While there may be other drugs available that can aid in some of the medicinal uses marijuana is currently used for, marijuana seems to have more medical uses than many other drugs. Some studies have shown that .
marijuana is more effective in treating some cancer patients because they cannot tolerate the cancer drugs available, while they are able to tolerate marijuana. One doctor notes,.
It's true that other drugs are available for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, but he and other advocates contend that some patients can't take those drugs -- or any drug, including Marinol, that must be swallowed.
