Marissa Gerold

Mrs. Hensel
English IV
23 April 2015

Marijuana in Modern Society

Imagine a world where we had a medicine that could possibly assist in curing certain
illnesses, but the government refuses to allow it to be available to everyone. Sean McGrath, 28
years old, died from a rare form of cancer because he couldnt keep down any medicine and had
no appetite. Towards the end of his sickness, he began using medical marijuana and things
started to look better for him (Stories from the Marijuana Movement). Seans family often
wonders what the outcome wouldve been if he started using marijuana earlier in the process.
Our bodies already produce chemicals that effect our pain and inflammation, so the reason
marijuana is able to help relieve our pain is because marijuana can sometimes help those
chemicals work better (Feature). So it is completely understandable to wonder why marijuana
would be illegal in so many places, when it is scientifically shown that marijuana can improve
how chemicals work in your body. A 2013 survey done by the New England Journal of Medicine
found that 8-in-10 doctors approve of medical marijuana, and 92% of patients who have used
medical marijuana, have stated it has alleviated symptoms of their serious medical conditions.
(Marijuana as Medicine). The effect of the legalization, medical and recreational, on modern
society has been extreme in the forms of lowering crime rates, helping the economy, and helping
ease the pain of diseases.

Twenty three states and DC have some form of law legalizing marijuana, but focusing on
recreational use specifically in Colorado, crime rates have drastically changed since the
legalization of marijuana. According to the FBIs Uniform Crime Reporting data, overall crime
rates were down by 10.1% from 2013, violent crime rates have decreased by 5.2% (Ruckie).
Many warned that marijuana was a host of many negative consequences, but the Drug Policy
Alliance released a report that reveals the impact of marijuana on the state has been better than
expected. Although there has been an increase in the number of public use and consumption
citations in the state, marijuana is no longer taking up a lot of police officers time and resources.
Colorado police reported that on St. Patricks Day, 450 drivers were caught under the influence
of alcohol, compared to the 3 who were under the influence of marijuana (Ruckie).
In the first half of 2014, Colorados marijuana industry was responsible for generating
around $20 million in state taxes and fees (Colorado Marijuana Tax Data). These reports
include total marijuana tax revenue, marijuana tax collected by county, and marijuana tax
distribution by jurisdiction. There are around 2,000 or so marijuana business licenses in the state,
and about 10,000 have been employed by the industry. Colorado is enjoying the lowest
unemployment rate theyve had, 6%, which is a whole 10,000 more people employed.
Unemployment rates have always been an issue in the country, so if legalization occurred in
more states, more dispensaries would be opened, and its a safe assumption to say we would have
more job opportunities. These statistics prove that if marijuana is still helping people, even
legalized recreationally, there should be movements to have it legalized across the country,
Several illnesses cause people to lose appetite or have nausea, but the side effects of
marijuana help patients want to eat, and lose their feeling of nausea. In many cases there looked
to be no hope for a patient, and they were in so much pain, but with the help of marijuana,

several people are having their pain relieved. Its been proven with drastic measure before and
after using medical marijuana that the amount of people who are so malnourished because of no
appetite, begin eating more and becoming significantly healthier because of the appetite given by
medical marijuana. One evening after her father had finished giving her a bath, Charlotte Figi,
three months old at the time, started having a seizure. Alarmed her parents rushed her to the
hospital, only to have tests ran with no results. As Charlotte got older, her seizures got even
worse, and eventually at two and a half years old, she was diagnosed with Davet Syndrome,
which is a SCN1A gene mutation (Marijuana Stops). Relieved that Charlotte had finally been
diagnosed, her parents were quickly losing hope when after trying everything, nothing was
helping her get better. By the time medical marijuana was brought into question, Charlotte had
lost the ability to walk, talk and eat, along with having 300 grand mal seizures a week. At 5 years
old the hospital told the Figis family there was nothing else they can do. At this point Charlottes
mother felt she had no other choice but to try medical marijuana, although finding two doctors
to sign off on a medical card for Charlotte was no easy feat, she was the youngest patient in the
state to ever apply (Marijuana Stops). After finally finding two doctors to sign off, Charlotte
started using small dosages of THC oil, and the results were stunning. She went hours without a
seizure, and those hours turned into the following seven days, and her family couldnt believe it.
Now Charlotte only has two or three seizure a month and gets a dose of the oil twice a day in her
food. She can now do things her family never imagined, like walking, riding her bicycle, and
talking. After looking at such an article, its unfathomable to believe that marijuana is banned
from being used medically in a majority of states when the country could be making so much
progress in curing and sustaining different illnesses.

Although believed to be frowned upon because of it being illegal, marijuana actually has
several benefits that could improve modern society in all areas, if not recreationally, then
medically. Areas where legalized recreationally show a great improvement, whether in tax
revenues, job increases, crime rates, or just general community, and areas where marijuana is
even only legalized medically still show how amazing results can be in helping make lifelong
issues and sicknesses easier to live and deal with on a day to day basis. So its understandable
why its a large question in almost everybodys minds as to why the government refuses to
legalize marijuana, when modern society is getting almost nothing but good results from states
where it is legalized. In conclusion, marijuana, both medical and recreational, can be considered
a major improvement to the country, and our government should continue working on achieving
legalization in all states.

WORKS CITED
"Colorado Marijuana Tax Data." Colorado Marijuana Tax Data.
N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.
Feature, Anne HardingWebMD. "Medical Marijuana Treatment Uses and How It
Works."
WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
"Marijuana as Medicine: Consider the Pros and Cons." MayoClinic.com.
Mayo Clinic, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
"Marijuana Stops Child's Severe Seizures - CNN.com." CNN.
Cable News Network, 7 Aug. 2013. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.
Rucke, Katie. "Six Months In, How Has Marijuana Legalization Treated Colorado?"
MintPress News.
Mint Press, LLC, 30 June 2014. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.
"Stories from the Marijuana Movement." Stories from the Marijuana Movement.
N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.