Medical marijuana madness

Medicinal Marijuana has been used to cure epilepsy.

Usa.gov

Medicinal Marijuana has been used to cure epilepsy.

by Austin Graham, Staff Writer

In the United States, only 23 of the 50 states have legalized marijuana for medicinal use. Marijuana is known to treat symptoms of epilepsy, insomnia, chronic pain, and many more health issues that are thriving in the U.S.

Marijuana is known to be the best cure for epilepsy in the medical field. Charlotte Figi, an 8 year old girl in Colorado, suffered from Dravet Syndrome causing her to have up to 300 seizures a week. At the age of 5 she could not speak, walk, or function like a normal 5 year old girl. A group of medical marijuana growers engineered a new strain of cannabis and converted it into an oil that Charlotte could take under the tongue. This particular strain relaxed her brain lowering her seizures from 300 to roughly 2 a week. This gave her the room she needed to learn how to walk, talk, and live her life.

Legalizing marijuana for medicinal use is something that could really help our country. Studies have shown that all the states legalizing marijuana recreationally would bring in $3.1 billion in tax revenue a year, and medically wouldn’t be far behind. It would be sold in a dispensary where patients come and show their card at the front desk and are allowed to purchase the amount on their prescription from their doctor. There is the possibility of this prescription being abused but that is something that comes with any prescription medication, the good must be taken with the bad.

Some of the effects of a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy are nausea, depression, and loss of appetite. Marijuana solves those issues by bringing a happy euphoric feeling and increases the appetite which can be a great help to someone undergoing chemo. Certain chemicals in marijuana slow down the rapid spread of cancer cells. A compound called CBD (cannabidiol) found in cannabis slows down the spread of all three types of breast cancer, including the triple negative.

If all the states in the U.S legalized marijuana medicinally as a country the benefits would be numerous. The use of prescription painkillers, sleeping pills, and antidepressants have had a toll on our country. Most prescription pills are addictive and have a negative effect on the body. Marijuana can take the place of all three of these and can be taken in healthy ways without all the negative effects of prescription pills ranging from muscle aches to addiction and even death. People also say marijuana is bad for the lungs because it’s something that is smoked, but unlike tobacco, marijuana can be vaporized, cooked into food products, and converted into oils or lotions to keep the lungs safe.

Medical Marijuana legalization can potentially be a new and better era of our country. There has never been a medication produced in a lab or in nature that has the potential for healing so much. Marijuana triumphs other medications with the power to help over 23 health issues. Healing for the sick, money for the states, and better lives.

It is an obvious choice that marijuana should be legalized medicinally in the U.S. Our government has chosen to deny millions of people in need saying marijuana is harmful and addictive when they have patented marijuana as a medical drug they can use at any moment.