by Lisa Morgan

Created on: May 23, 2009   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

In the United State, every year we have spent billions of dollars, expended millions of man-hours, and used thousands of ad campaigns to inform the general population about the dangers of marijuana use. The FDA has repeatedly stated that there are no medical benefits associated with this plant, steadfastly sticking to this conclusion in the face of growing evidence to the contrary. Untold numbers of people have been arrested, prosecuted and sent to jail, sometimes receiving life sentences due to the three strikes your out law. Law enforcement officers are often overwhelmed with drug related crime, usually in the form of personal use tokers, and our prisons are overpopulated to the bursting point due to the War on Drugs.

There seem to be strong emotions on both sides of the legalization issue of marijuana use, often clouding the actual facts of its benefits and its disadvantages. There are a few facts that are irrefutable; marijuana is a drug that can alter the mental state of the person who imbibes it, but then again so can alcohol, cigarettes and allergy medication, just to name a few. Marijuana can be abused by those that use it, but then again anybody can become addicted to anything; alcoholics, gamblers, coffee drinkers and video gamers are just a few examples of people who have become addicted to their favorite things.

In medical studies the overriding evidence seems to point out that marijuana may be no worse than alcohol, but unlike alcohol it may actually have medical and health related benefits. Studies have shown overall health improvement in cancer patients using marijuana by easing their nausea, increasing their appetites and decreasing their pain to manageable levels; it has also shown promise in stopping breast cancer from spreading throughout the body, in reducing the size of brain tumors and can slow the growth of lung cancer. When used to treat arthritis in can reduce inflammation and joint pain, can lower blood pressure in people suffering from hypertension, and be used to open up constricted airways for asthmatics. While none of these procedures has received FDA approval in the United States, other countries around the world and even in Canada our closest neighbor use marijuana to help their patients recover more quickly, manage pain more effectively and in general gain a better quality of life.

The hemp plant, from which marijuana is harvested from, also has what seem to be almost unlimited possibilities in the ways it

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>