Marijuana Position Paper
Steven Smigielski
July 23, 2013
Substance Abuse T/R 1:15-2:50

Marijuana Position Paper
Introduction
In this essay I will show both sides of the issue on the legalization of marijuana. I will also express my own opinions on the subject. Marijuana, or cannabis, is commonly described as a recreational drug. It’s been considered as an illegal narcotic for the past sixty to seventy years. Our government considers it to be harmful to the nation. They believe it causes health problems and accidents.
Methodology
In 1996, Propositions 215 and 200 were voted into effect in the states of California and Arizona. The propositions have laws allowing physicians to recommend marijuana as medicine and patients to grow, posses, and use it. Proposition 215 allows patients to grow and possess marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation. People suffering or dying can get a written or oral recommendation if the doctor thinks it will help the patient physically. Proposition 215 also says no doctor can be punished for supplying the recommendation.
In California, proposition 215 is called The Compassionate Use Act of 1996. Its vote won 56 percent to 44 percent among California citizens. In Arizona, a similar act was passed called Proposition 200. Many people, like doctors, law officers, Political officers, cancer, and AIDS patients argue for the proposition. They say that cannabis is very effective in treating cancer, glaucoma, AIDS, and other problems. A synthetic form of it is overly expensive and unpracticed, and they see no reason why doctors are allowed to prescribe addictive, powerful, and lethal drugs like morphine but are prohibited to recommend marijuana.
Many people like the National Institute of Health, and California's Governor Pete Wilson disagree with the act. They say that marijuana has many bad physical and psychological effects. They believe that it is a scam promoting the legalization of marijuana, for recreational use. They claim it creates legal ways for recreational growers, users and dealers to get away with breaking the law. They also point out that the act has no age resurrections. The government says that the drug is hazardous, and has no medical use, but there is a lot of scientific evidence contradicting this. There has been many studies done on whether or not cannabis is anymore harmful then other legal drugs. The U.S National Institute of Drug Abuse s bureau of morality statistics reports that per year there has been zero deaths caused by marijuana. In comparison, tobacco causes 400, 000 deaths, alcohol causes 100,000, aspirin causes 500, and all other illegal drugs cause 8,000 deaths per year.
Discussion
There has been many medical uses of marijuana discovered and rediscovered. It has been proven that it’s been effective in lessening the pain from serious illnesses, like cancer and AIDS. It helps people suffering from glaucoma, wasting syndrome, depression, migraines, muscle spasms, rheumatism, asthma, and multiple sclerosis. A study conducted to determine whether smoking marijuana can be linked to lung cancer, and it was false. People who smoke marijuana are less likely to get cancer than people who smoke cigarettes. Therefore, those who smoke both cigarettes and marijuana are less likely to get cancer, than those who smoke only nicotine.
A synthetic drug, called marinol, is prescribed legally in place of marijuana. It’s been designed as an alternative to smoking pot for medical uses. It was created to relieve nausea or increase appetite.
The Drug War going in the U.S is a term for the government’s recent crackdown on drug users and dealers. Serious problems are possible of destroying this