Medical Marijuana: Should it be legalized?

There has been a lot of talk recently concerning Marijuana. A lot of people want to legalize Marijuana for pleasure and California took a step towards that. Proposition 19 was included in the November 2nd ballots in California. This propostion would have legalized Marijuana for non-medical use. According to Wikipedia, 54% of Californians voted No and 46% voted Yes. Proposition 19 was ultimately defeated and I think that was a good idea. I am all for legalizing Marijuana for medical use, but not for recreational use. Fourteen states, including California, allow Marijuana to be purchased for Medical use. I decided to look more into what Marijuana can be used for medically and the challenges that can occur.

I was very surprised when I saw that the U.S Goverment had an Accountanility Office that listed the uses for medical marijuana. According to the U.S Government, these are the symptoms or diseases that marijuana can be used for:

1. Alzheimer's Disease
2. Anorexia
3. AIDS
4. Arthritis
5. Cachexia
6. Cancer
7. Crohn's Disease
8. Epilepsy
9. Glaucoma
10. HIV
11. Migraine
12. Multiple Sclerosis
13. Nausea
14. Pain
15. Spasticity
16. Wasting Syndrome

I always hear about cancer patients who use marijuana. Marijuna decreases the symptoms of chemotherapy which includes nausea and pain. More recently, I have read about marijuana use for the disease I have, which is Interstitial Cystitis. For those that aren't in remission, the pain is terrible. It feels like someone is cutting the inside of your bladder with a knife. I always described the burning that I got as to when you pour alcohol on an open wound. When I wasn't in remission, I was taking four hydrocodone a day. It seemed that no matter how many I took, nothing worked. The only thing it did do was made me tired which was great because I knew it would help me sleep and the pain wouldn't keep me up. Well according to this website, there is a glimmer of hope that may be on the horizon, as a recent news release shows the remarkable findings of a new synthetic analog of a metabolite of TCH, which is present in a new experimental drug called IP 751. THC is the primary component in marijuana that makes it a drug , and the factor that makes it (cannabis) a pain reliever.
The powerful new drug has been shown to suppress bladder over-activity and pain in “hypersensitive” bladder conditions such as interstitial cystitis. Although I haven't heard of any of my IC sisters who have tried this therapy, it did show that it helped a Rat that had the same bladder symptoms! I truely believe this could help so many people who do not respond to other therapies. If I were desperate enough, I probably would have tried it somehow for the pain.
Even though marijuana may help you feel better, there can be side affects. According to our textbook on page 383, regular use can lead to abuse and can cause hazardous situations. Also, 7% to 10% of users do become dependent on marijuana.
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I did talk about this issue in this modules student seminar participation. I talked about the use of medical marijuana for such illnesses like cancer. I asked these questions:

• Do you agree with the legalization of medical marijuana?
• Do you agree or disagree with legalizing non-medical marijuana?

I was lucky enough to receive a response from both Salina Canning and Allison Cislarski. Both seemed like they were for the legalization of marijuana. Allison made the point that people will smoke marijuana rather it is legal or illegal. Salina was all for the legalization of marijuana for medical and non-medical use. She provided a chart that showed different drugs and there death rates.
ANNUAL AMERICAN DEATHS CAUSED BY DRUGS TOBACCO …………………… 400,000
ALCOHOL …………………… 100,000
ALL LEGAL DRUGS ………….20,000
ALL ILLEGAL DRUGS ……….15,000
CAFFEINE …………………….2,000
ASPIRIN ………………………500
MARIJUANA …………………. 0

I was absolutely surprised! Marijuana seems to be a decent drug that won't be bad for you or would cause death. Absolutely nobody dies from smoking marijuana. Yet, over-the-counter asprin causes 500 deaths.
No matter if you agree with the legalization or not, this topic will always remain open and there will always be different controversies.
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ParticipationI believe that I did really well when it came to posting my discussion and responding to others as well. These discussions really do teach you things that you never knew of before. I am also glad that I am improving when it comes to the discussions. I remember my first student seminar post, and it was horrible! Thanks to your feedback, I have been able to improve significatly.
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Definitions that I learned

Hashish- A resin generally smoke in a special pipe; is a highly potent derivative of marijuana plants.

Halluciogens- Physoactive substance that alter sensory processing in the brain, producing visual or auditory sensations that are not real.

LSD- A powerful halluciogenic chemical; ingestion althers brain chemistry and produces a variety of hallucinogenic and behavioral effects.

Club Drugs- Physcoactive chemicals used at parties, dances, festivals, and raves to enhance social experiences and increases sensory stimulation.