Two peer respond

Claire Haggarty 

Cannabis, is it a menace to society or a useful tool with various positive applications? Cannabis, or marijuana, has numerous practical uses and applications, especially in the medical field. The legalization of marijuana could have a positive impact on not only the medical field but also the economy and the overall health of people who are already using it illegally.

Background Information

Marijuana, or cannabis, originates from the hemp plant which can be found just about anywhere in the world. It was originally used for its textile applications such as rope or cloth. Areas in central Asia were the first to discover its medicinal drug qualities and put them into practice which later spread to the rest of the continents. In most historical practices, cannabis was used for religious purposes or for celebrations in order to both relax users and increase the appetite of participants. Later it was applied to traditional Indian medicine very similar to the way it is applied to specific therapies now in the United States.

Positive Applications in Medicine

The use of medical marijuana has become increasingly common. Cannabis has been used to help treat and alleviate the symptoms of various diseases and disorders over the years. Multiple studies have shown that cannabis-based medicine can aid patients suffering from cancer, multiple sclerosis (MS), eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and many more. I have known many people who have suffered from eating and anxiety disorders like anorexia who have used marijuana to either calm them down or to increase their appetite when they are at malnourished. There was a five week trial done with a group of 66 MS patients which came to the conclusion that with the aid of cannabis, sleep disturbance, tremors, and pain were either greatly reduced or better tolerated by those who used it opposed to the control group. Similar studies have been done with patients with HIV and those undergoing chemotherapy with very similar results. When given to patients with PTSD, studies have shown that cannabis helps patients cope and manage their condition. Studies also show that by helping PTSD sufferers sleep, patients showed more improvement.

Reducing Risk

Legalization will also allow for regulation of the substance and will reduce the risk of harmful substances being put into it and harming the users. Often times drugs that are sold by dealers can be cut or laced with countless harmful substances, such as rat poison, heroin, cocaine, PCP or acid in order to both make it more addictive and to also stretch their supply to make more money. There have been countless deaths and injuries related to “fake weed” or lacing such as a recent case in Illinois that resulted in the deaths of two people and fifty-four others left with severe bleeding. Regulation of the substance will greatly reduce this as well as the fact that if the substance is made available to the public, drug dealers will not be able to profit from it thus keeping people out of risky situations in order to obtain it. It should also be noted that states that have legalized marijuana have lower use rates than states that do not.

Helping the Economy

The legalization of marijuana also allows for the substance to be taxed, just like cigarettes, and will therefore help the economy as well. “an estimate of the price elasticity of demand for cannabis of -0.418, which suggests that legalizing and tazing recreational cannabis use would be lucrative for government treasuries” (Halcoussis). As seen in states such as Colorado, Maine, Nevada and California, the taxing of legalized marijuana have seen an increase of revenue.

Opposing Arguments

In opposition to all of this, many believe that the legalization of marijuana would be detrimental to our nation. Many believe that marijuana is a “gateway” drug and that long-term use can lead to addiction. Psychosis and pulmonary disorders have also been linked to long-term use of this substance.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, the legalization of cannabiswould allow for countless positive medical applications to be put into use nationwide, it would reduce health and safety risks to those who currently obtain it illegally, and would have a positive impact on the economy due to taxation and regulation. Overall, the positives of legalization vastly outweigh the negatives.

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