Free A Closer Look At The Legalization Of Marijuana Essay Example

Bob Marley once remarked that, “Herb is the healing of a nation, alcohol is the destruction.” This statement is reflective of many people’s views on marijuana, and it is considered the lesser evil in drug usage. Marijuana was mostly used by those who smoked it for leisure until recently when the use for medical purposes was made legal. The legalization of medical marijuana by 23 states may be ill-advised since research shows that it has significant side effects, potent risk of abuse, and little evidence to support healing factors.
According to research by pediatricians Steven Wright and Cheryl Guttman Krader, the medical benefits of marijuana have minimal or no supporting evidence. They examine the availability of data supporting the effectiveness on marijuana in treating certain conditions such as chronic pain, insomnia, wastage syndrome in cancer treatment, and depression. The researchers conclude that there is insufficient research and data on successful treatments with marijuana. Therefore, the legalization of medical marijuana without supporting research based evidence is questionable.
Wright and Krader indicate that the side effects of marijuana are numerous and potentially dangerous. The side effects indicated on patients include paranoia, hallucinations, and insomnia among others. Some of these side effects can complicate a patient’s mental health which makes marijuana not favorable for treatment. For example, marijuana is said to increase euphoria, perception, recollection, depression and anxiety; which distort a patient’s mental disposition. Long term use can, therefore, be detrimental to a patient’s mental health, needing further treatment.
Marijuana can be abused due to its addictive nature and lack of clear guidelines on dosage. Marijuana remains a psychotic drug; these drugs are normally addictive and abused by drugs and substance addicts. A new method of administering marijuana is dabbing which according to pediatrician Mary Beth Nierengarten, releases potentially higher doses. Teenagers are especially susceptible to drug abuse and exposure to readily available marijuana increases this risk. Legalizing marijuana makes it more available and may also encourage access by drug users. Drug abuse is a threat in all societies anything that has the potential to be abused should be disapproved.
Closely related to addiction, is the detrimental action on the brains of children. Research by Krader indicates that marijuana can affect the brain size of developing children, affecting their mental capacity and damaging the brain irreparably. The potential risk to children is increased by the ease of accessibility that comes with its legalization. Marijuana is also recommended for use when other conventional medicines have been inefficient. This precaution reflects the uncertainty that surrounds its use.
Supporters of medical Marijuana argue that it is efficient in treating some conditions. Whiting Penny examined the reports on successful treatment with marijuana and they note the efficacy of Marijuana in managing chronic pain. This supports the benefit of marijuana for treatment, and it rationalizes its legalization. The evidence presented by Whiting also show that many of the conditions listed as treatable by marijuana do not have sufficient clinical reports to support their success. The conditions listed as treatable by marijuana are areas where conventional medicine is available and effective, beating the purpose for use of marijuana for their treatment.
The data presented by the most recent research poses questions on the wisdom of legalizing marijuana for medical use. The reasons against medical use of marijuana outweigh the reasons for. The available reports on its ability to treat indicated conditions do not offer conclusive research based evidence. Marijuana should not be legal since there is lack of adequate evidence to support its efficiency.
The emerging research on the use of medical marijuana requires stakeholders to go back to the drawing board and assess the use of marijuana. The safety of marijuana should be established, to protect children and adolescents from its possible detrimental effects. Extensive research should also be conducted on the efficiency of marijuana to establish the success in treatment. The law legalizing medical marijuana in certain states should be repealed to allow for further interrogation of this issue.