Joey Bruce
Mrs. Paullin
English 10
22 April 2014
Medical Marijuana There is a plant that for thousands of years has had a history for medicinal use within many cultures. What is that plant people might ask? The Cannabis plant. Cannabis is a plant used as a medicine and a psychoactive drug, more commonly known as marijuana. Although it can be used as a medicine, it is mostly seen as just another bad drug that kills brain cells. The sale, distribution, possession, and use of marijuana have been illegal since the early 20th century in most countries of the world. All people talk about are the bad things about marijuana, but what about the good things? Marijuana contains the psychoactive constituent “tetrahydrocannabinol”, one of the 483 known compounds inside of this plant. This plant is used as a medicinal and recreational drug. Medical Marijuana has many beneficial effects. It has been used to reduce vomiting and nausea in patients undergoing chemotherapy. According to procon.org, it also treats AIDS patients and their symptoms, for their muscle pain and spasticity. It has also been shown to alleviate the symptoms of glaucoma, and also has been found as a beneficial alternative to pain killers. Marijuana can be used in many different ways. These ways include vaporising, eating extracts, or smoking dried buds. Using marijuana creates a feeling called "euphoria". According to debate.org, euphoria is a neurological experiance that creates feelings of joy, well being, and excitement. This feeling could be very useful to people that are ill, but people dont see it that way. It is considered to be an exaggerated physical and neurological state. According to a study conducted by the United States Academy of Sciences, smoking marijuana is not