Medicinal Marijuana
Kristen Flick
Lehigh Carbon Community College

Abstract
Marijuana has been around forever. It has been illegal for many decades, but now more and more states are allowing it for medicinal uses. Currently there are 16 states that allow the use of marijuana for certain chronic diseases and ailments. You are allowed the use of marijuana in these states for things like cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, muscular spasticity, epilepsy, anorexia, and several other health issues. The legal use of marijuana varies state by state. For example, California allows the use of marijuana for anorexia, but Arizona does not. There are specific specifications and rules for obtaining and having medicinal marijuana in the states that allow it. There are several arguments that marijuana is a gateway drug. There are also many ways to use marijuana. All of these ideas and topics will be discussed further into the paper.
Keywords: medicinal marijuana, gateway drug, cannabis, THC

Medicinal Marijuana
Marijuana has been around forever. According to “Marijuana as Medicine” the first documented uses of marijuana were recorded by the Chinese emperor Shen-nung, in 2737 B.C. “Marijuana as Medicine” goes on to say that, “Many cultures, however, have recognized the therapeutic benefits of the cannabis plant. Among them are: India, Persia, Assyria, Greece, Africa, South America, Turkey, and Egypt” (n.d.).
Just in case you don’t know what marijuana is, it is “…a mixture of the dried and shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the cannabis sativa plant. The mixture can be green, brown, or gray.” The main ingredient that causes marijuana to produce its effects is THC or tetrahydrocannabinol (“Marijuana,” n.d.).
In the past few years laws have been passed that allow a person to use marijuana for “medicinal use.” So far 16 states, and Washington D.C., have legalized marijuana for this cause (“16 Legal medical,” 2011). Personally, if I were in charge of running these programs, there would be specific guidelines that I would set forth.
First, I would require that the patient requesting medical marijuana has had a history of diseases that cause chronic pain. If they do not have a history of any of these diseases I would require further examination. Next, I would set a limit on how much medical marijuana a patient could possess. Finally, I would come up with a system to make sure that the patient is in fact using the marijuana for themselves and not selling it or giving it to other people. If the patient is found infringing any of these rules they will immediately lose all rights to using medicinal marijuana, and they will no longer be eligible to be prescribed these “medications” in the future.
I believe pain is a legitimate reason to use marijuana. Many patients are not being relieved of the chronic pain they are suffering, and many of the traditional pain medications that are currently on the market are not working (“Marijuana as medicine,” n.d.). Plus all these medications on the market must be tested and researched, which takes a lot of time, and a lot of money. Marijuana is much cheaper to create, dispense, and it is naturally occurring (“Marijuana and pain,” n.d.).
Marijuana differs from prescription pain medication. First, it is naturally occurring. Secondly, it is cheaper to make, considering it is naturally occurring. Lastly, many arguments are made, that marijuana is safer than many prescription drugs. Every year there are thousands of deaths from prescription drugs, whether it is from overdosing or mixing drugs (“Is medical marijuana,” 2008).
As I previously said there are many states, along with Washington D.C. that have legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes. There states include: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington (“16 Legal medical,” 2011).
The times at which legalization