Are there medical benefits of using marijuana that outweigh the negative effects? The uses of marijuana for medical reasons are controversial. This is because the use of marijuana without medical consent is against the law. Also, the effects of marijuana can be very hazardous on the body. Marijuana can kill brain cells and even lead to death. A person who uses medical marijuana could be happy because in this time of their life when they"re in pain, being able to smoke marijuana helps relieve their pain, and restore appetite, relieves nausea, and is used as a muscle relaxer. People think their needs are being ignored because they legally can't smoke marijuana. Some people don't like the use of marijuana because a family member could get hooked on marijuana and then marijuana could lead to harder drugs and ruin the person's life. Opinions range from thinking marijuana should be legalized, to marijuana should be used for medical purposes worldwide, to all marijuana should be destroyed. I think the medical use of marijuana is a good idea and should be legalized all across America.
Marijuana has been dated back to the 28th century BC, when it was used as medicine. Chinese Emperor Shen-Nung was prescribed marijuana to treat beri-beri, which is a degenerative disease that affects the nervous and digestive system and constipation ("The History").
There are many doctors out there who believe that the medical use of marijuana is a good idea. Cancer patients who have nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy, AIDS patients who are wasting away, and multiple sclerosis patients treating muscle spasms are good candidates for the medical use of marijuana. John Benson of Oregon Health Sciences University and Stanley Watson of the University of Michigan are both doctors who agree that the medical use of marijuana is an effective treatment for patients, and sometimes better then the old existing treatment ("Medical Marijuana: The Smoke Clears" 84).
