Cottingim 1

Jared Cottingim

Professor Bicknell

English Composition II

12 April 2017

A Highly Debated Topic

Hank Kodak was a young kid who suffered from epilepsy, which is a disease commonly

associated with seizures. He was unable to live his life normally like all the other kids his age.

This seven years old cannot speak due to his epileptic seizures impacting his brains ability to

learn cognitive skills. Sometimes he would suffer from up to 25 of them in a single day. This

disease, like many others, currently does not have very effective medicine for all cases.

Nevertheless, today there is hope because of a study done on the active ingredient present in

marijuana known as Cannabidiol. The liquid drug Epidiolex was given to children whose

epilepsy could not be controlled on their current medication. The drug given to these children

does not contain THC (tetrahydrocannabidiol), which is the active ingredient in marijuana known

to cause its therapeutic effects. The results of this study were staggering, Diana Kwon states in

her Scientific American article that the drug showed to, decrease the amount of seizures a child

had by 45%-50%. A small percentage of these patients eliminated their seizures completely, and

there was even one who learned how to walk during the experiment (Kwon). Even though the

federal government has declared marijuana as an illegal drug since the 1970s. Recent research

has shown conclusive results supporting the medicinal power of marijuana, and for this reason it

is becoming legalized in more states every year.

Ever since president Nixon passed the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, marijuana has

been labeled a Schedule 1 drug. Which meant that it was one of the most dangerous drugs and
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carried the highest penalty for possession on a scale from one to five, five being the least

dangerous to humans. This same law is still in effect today, yet does not even recognize the

difference between the marijuana and hemp plants. Hemp originates from the same plant as

marijuana, but the main difference is that hemp is used more for food, fibers, and oil. Rather than

for its THC (tetrahydrocannabidiol) concentrated counterparts in marijuana, hemp naturally has

almost none of the proponents of marijuana that will get you high or Stoned.

Legalization of marijuana has begun to take shape in some US states since 1970. The first

ballot coming from California in 1972, which did not pass when voted upon by the people. The

first state to decriminalize marijuana was Oregon in 1973. Then in 1996, the first state to legalize

medical cannabis was California under California Preposition 215. Now in present day, nearly

42 years have passed since prohibition, and seven states have passed marijuana laws for

recreational use of marijuana. The first state to legalize recreational cannabis, Colorado, passed

its vote in 2012. The number of states with widespread legalized marijuana in some way totals

twenty-six, which is over half of the United States. The fact that over half of America has already

legalized marijuana in some fashion is a step in the right direction for the movement.

The medicinal power of marijuana is starting to make news headlines across America.

According to Jill Cavalet, a Rheumatologist, there is currently evidence to support marijuanas

effectiveness in the treatment of symptoms associated with, Chemotherapy, Glaucoma, and

Multiple Sclerosis (Cavalet). As well as other acute effects of the plant such as relaxation or

increased appetite, which is something that could positively impact those with difficulty putting

on weight. Especially if you are someone who has been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, who

struggles from lack of appetite and chronic pain. Marijuana can help stimulate your appetite to

the point where eating enough food is not a challenge. This will put you at a healthier weight that
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which also gives you more confidence with yourself, while also providing therapeutic effects that

aid in dealing with pain associated with this disease. The same can be said about a person who

has a very stressful job, coming home at night and consuming marijuana for its therapeutic

effects can allow a person to unwind and relax. Stress is something that can be very harmful to a

person if not dealt with properly. It can disrupt eating and sleeping patterns, making your health

deteriorate.

Alzheimers disease is the leading cause of dementia, which is a brain disease that causes

the host to lose cognitive function as well as memory. In the article The Highs and Lows of

Medical Marijuana the author and Rheumatologist Jill Cavalet states that Despite known

adverse effects on memory and cognition with acute use, studies have shown that marijuana

might inhibit the development of amyloid beta plaques in Alzheimer disease (Cavalet). This

study was done using marijuana that was administered orally. Though the results are not fully

conclusive, it is still very promising to believe Alzheimers disease finally has a medicine

showing some positive results for this seemingly incurable disease.

There are more areas in which marijuana can potentially give positive effects to its users.

Cavalet goes on in her article to say, There are some additional areas of potential therapeutic use

of marijuana. Limited evidence has revealed that marijuana has anti-inflammatory properties,

leading researchers to examine its use for autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and

Crohns disease. Studies investigating marijuanas potential ability to inhibit cancer growth and

metastasis are ongoing (Cavalet). Once again, the evidence to support medicinal advances in

marijuana are very promising, but there simply needs to be more research and testing done on

marijuana to uncover its true potential medicinal uses.

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Many people today do not realize just how addicting and harmful prescription opioid

drugs are. The number of people who abuse or overdose on these medications each year are

staggering. It is estimated that around 30 million people abuse opioids worldwide; nearly 2.1

million of which live in the United States. Allen Frances MD is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry

and former Chair at Duke University. He writes in his Huffington Post article, Opioid Companies

Lobby Against Medical Marijuana a statement which reads, Drug cartels are rightly

reviled. But drug companies are now more deadly and only marginally less

ruthless (Frances). These drug companies who are selling large amounts of

a more harmful and addictive drug than marijuana are profiting billions every

year. In 2015, nearly 35,000 people died from these prescription drug

overdoses and that number is rising every year. In the states with medically

legalized marijuana, those numbers drop by 25% on average. This is because

each physician writes over one thousand fewer prescriptions each year,

because marijuana can help supplement with chronic pain and anxiety.

Which means people do not need to resort to these harmful drugs for their

ailments because they can be controlled using marijuana.

Health effects of the most common opioid pain killers are very frightening. Some of the

side effects include vomiting, dizziness, confusion, addiction, unconsciousness, respiratory

depression, increased risk of heart attack, coma, and death. Respiratory depression is when your

body no longer performs the involuntary action of breathing, which could lead to someone

suffocating when they fall asleep. This is because opioids work by attaching to opioid receptors

which affect the brain stems ability to send signals throughout the body. In an article written by

Jill Cavalet states, Since there is a near absence of cannabinoid receptors in the brain stem,
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marijuana does not stimulate the autonomic nervous system. It is therefore believed that

marijuana use cannot be fatal. Corroborating this theory, no deaths have been reported from

marijuana overdose (Cavalet). The general population believes that marijuana is very dangerous

and could potentially be fatal. This quote carries heavy weight in a sense because it gives

scientific reasoning as to why the common thought is completely incorrect. Now that research

has shown exactly why marijuana does not cause overdoses, possibly the door has been opened

for those who were not pro marijuana before to think differently regarding the plant.

Many of times, people are looking for something to replace an old, and harmful habit.

Whether it be smoking tobacco or drinking alcohol, marijuana is a safer alternative by far. In the

article, No High Risk: Marijuana May be Less Harmful Than Alcohol and Tobacco, a New Study

Asserts written by Maren Shapiro, who graduated from Harvard College in 2010 with a degree in

Molecular and Cellular Biology as well as a degree in Health Policy, is currently in her fourth

year of medical school at the University of Pennsylvania. She makes a statement about

recreational drugs reading, The report, published in Scientific Reports at the end of January,

compared the potential of death from the typical, recreational use of 10 drugs: marijuana,

alcohol, tobacco, heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, methamphetamine, diazepam, amphetamine and

methadone. Marijuana was, by far, found to be the safest, even when compared to alcohol and

cigarettes (Shapiro). This article concludes that marijuana is the safest recreational drug, even

considering two of the drugs on this list are completely legal by federal law. So in essence, we

have made illegal a drug that can potentially have life changing impact on some people. While at

the same time being less toxic to the human body than tobacco or alcohol.

Adding to these previous statements about marijuana, the positive effects go far beyond

anything medically or recreationally. The money saved from no longer needing to spend tax
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dollars on court costs for non-violent offenders would be substantial, totaling in the billions

every year. Along with this, the tax revenue brought in from legal sales of marijuana would also

bring in a great amount of money that could be put towards building new schools, maintaining

highway infrastructure, funding homeless people programs, etcetera. For example, Colorado

being the first state to legalize marijuana recreationally has profited approximately 128 million

dollars through taxation on marijuana sales. This amount of money may not be enough to

completely change an economy, but it is large enough to make upgrades and fund different

programs.

Those who are against the marijuana movement will always ask how addictive marijuana

is. Which with new research has proven to be contrary to popular belief. Marijuana is a substance

that not everyone develops dependence to. But for those that have used marijuana in large

enough doses, they will experience addiction. The addiction associated with marijuana use is not

as incredibly horrific as other drugs. The withdrawal effects are very minimal compared to very

addictive drugs like heroin or morphine. Yet when compared to something legal like tobacco,

even then the symptoms of addiction and withdrawal are much less. A person who is

experiencing marijuana withdrawal would have symptoms such as headaches, restlessness, loss

of appetite, irritability and loss of sleep. This is not difficult to believe when looking at the

subject from a standpoint of a person who uses marijuana recreationally to improve their sleep

habits. The amount of plant matter smoked to achieve its therapeutic effects would be equivalent

to about one cigarette. Approximately one gram of marijuana would be more than enough to

reach these desired effects, considering the average person would use approximately half a gram

of flower to achieve a high. Whereas someone who smokes tobacco cigarettes would smoke
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about 20 cigarettes, or just under 20 grams of tobacco in a day. This is the most important reason

why marijuana smokers do not experience the lung problems that tobacco smokers will develop.

Another widely asked negative to legalizing marijuana is the fact that the product will

more easily end up being consumed by minors. For this reason, many do not support the

movement because they do not want to endanger their young children. But what the general

population does not know is that legalization would most definitely put all the illegal street

pharmacists out of business. Drug dealers on our city streets are unregulated and often

dangerous. Taking these people off the streets would make it more difficult for underage persons

to obtain marijuana because everywhere the product is sold you must be 21 years of age to enter.

Whereas street drug dealers do not have an age limit, making a young teenager able to buy

marijuana without being of legal age. This legalization movement can be compared to

illegalizing guns, because if guns are made illegal it will only take them away from the good

people. When marijuana becomes legalized it will take the consumption of the product away

from those who can no longer legally obtain it by being 21 years old.

In conclusion, the legalization movement of marijuana is something that can potentially

bring many positives to the American people. Not only would there be hope for curing a myriad

of diseases and ailments, like Hank Kodak who was given a second chance at life, but also

money would come in through taxes that can be put towards other good causes. Communities

would be safer, and now people would have a completely different view of the marijuana plant.

Even though the federal government has declared marijuana as an illegal drug. Present times

have shown conclusive research on the medical power of marijuana, and for this reason it is

becoming legalized in more states every year.

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Works Cited

Fang, Lee. "The Anti-Pot Lobbys Big Bankroll. (Cover Story)." Nation, vol. 299, no. 3/4, 21

July 2014, pp. 12-18. EBSCOhost, <sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?

url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=voh&AN=96921470&site=eds-live>.

Frances, Allen. Opioid Companies Lobby Against Medical Marijuana. The Huffington Post.

TheHuffingtonPost.com, 12 Sept. 2016. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.

<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/allen-frances/opioid-companies-lobby-

ag_b_11287182.html>.

Ingraham, Christopher. One Striking Chart Shows Why Pharma Companies are Fighting Legal

Marijuana. The Washington Post. WP Company, 13 July 2016. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/07/13/one-striking-chart-shows-

why-pharma-companies-are-fighting-legal-marijuana/?utm_term=.3fa93bc1af33>.

Kwon, Diana. "Can Cannabis Treat Epileptic Seizures?" Scientific American. N.p., 21 Jan. 2016.

Web. 15 Apr. 2017. <https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-cannabis-treat-

epileptic-seizures/>.

Shapiro, Maren. No High Risk: Marijuana May be Less Harmful Than Alcohol and Tobacco, a

New Study Asserts. NBCNews.com. NBC Universal News Group, 26 Feb. 2015. Web.

03 Mar. 2017. <http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/legal-pot/no-high-risk-marijuana-

may-be-less-harmful-alcohol-tobacco-n312876>.

Vargo Cavalet, Jill. "The Highs and Lows of Medical Marijuana." Clinician Reviews, vol.

26, no. 10, Oct. 2016, pp. 40-53. EBSCOhost, <sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?

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url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=a9h&AN=119006956&site=eds-live>.