A. Marijuana is a controlled substance but it has been used historically for the medical treatment of different conditions.1. The main reason for subscription of marijuana was to reduce pain experienced by patients
2. Marijuana has also been used historically in the treatment of multiple sclerosis that result in muscle spasms, chemotherapy in cancer treatment, increasing appetite in chronically ill patients, reduction of seizures and treatment of Crohn’s disease (Kleber & Dupont, 2015).
3. However, marijuana use for medical treatment has several disadvantages that have led to its illegalization in most American states.
i. It leads to addiction in the patients.
ii. It causes hallucinations in the patients.
iii. Increased use of marijuana can cause mental disorders and even lead to mental conditions such as schizophrenia (Choo, et. al. 2014).
B. Many states have passed policies banning the use of marijuana for medical purposes
1. Massachusetts was the first American state to ban the use of cannabis for medical treatment in 1911
2. In 1915, President Wilson signed into law a bill requiring all physicians who prescribed narcotics as a treatment method for medical conditions to obtain a serial number from the Department of Internal Revenue.
3. Between 1915 and 1927, Ten American States passed laws prohibiting the use of Marijuana.
i. These states included Oregon, Iowa, Texas, Washington, New York and Arkansas.
4. In 1925, the global organization, The League of Nations passed legislation that banned the use of cannabis except for medical purposes.
5. In 1942, the United States removed marijuana from the Pharmacopeia losing value as a prescription drug.
6. There was increased acceptance of Marijuana for medical purposes.
i. In 1978, the state of New Mexico passed laws allowing for the controlled medical use of Marijuana.
ii. In 1991, San Francisco also passed laws allowing for medical use of Cannabis.
iii. In 1996, California legalized medical marijuana.
iv. In 1998, Alaska, Oregon and Washington legalized medical use of marijuana (Web.stanford.edu, 2012) .
v. On the onset of the 21st century, other states including Maine, Hawaii, Colorado and Nevada legalized medical Marijuana.
vi. Up to date, 23 American states have legalized medical use of Marijuana.
C. The use of marijuana for medical purposes contains to be controversial.
1. There has been a rise in acceptance of marijuana in treatment of medical conditions
2. However, some states still resist the use of the narcotic drug in medical treatments
3. The debate on the use of Marijuana for medical purposes arises from the side effects that it produces in patients.
- Choo, E., Benz, M., Zaller, N., Warren, O., Rising, K., & McConnell, K. (2014). The Impact of State Medical Marijuana Legislation on Adolescent Marijuana Use. Journal Of Adolescent Health, 55(2), 160-166. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.02.018
- Kleber, H., & Dupont, R. (2015). Physicians and Medical Marijuana: American Journal Of Psychiatry, 169(6), 564-568. Retrieved 1 December2015, from http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/abs/10.1176/appi.ajp.2012.12030373
- Web.stanford.edu,. (2012). Medical Marijuana Policy in the United States. HOPES. Retrieved 1 December 2015, from http://web.stanford.edu/group/hopes/cgi-bin/hopes_test/medical-marijuana-policy-in-the-united-states/
