The Controversy Over the Medicinal Use of Marijuana...

The debate about marijuana in the United States is ever changing and not lacking in attention by any means. Just the topic of marijuana legalization brings about varying opinions on many different levels and which has the potential to divide a country, a state, a county, a city and in some instances, maybe a household. The topic of marijuana and its legalization for whatever reasons contains within it, many topics which the debate currently revolves around. However, the debate to decriminalize marijuana for medicinal purposes is the most profound. But, many who do not know may ask the questions. Who is involved in the debate and for what reasons? How has it affected our society or nation as a whole? Or, what is the past and what may†¦show more content†¦Advocates for medicinal marijuana argue that clinical tests have established that marijuana has definite and valid therapeutic values. It is the Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in marijuana that is the active chemical comp onent for the relief o pain and symptoms. Marijuana suppresses AIDS-related nausea and nausea in patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy, along with appetite loss and abnormal pressure in the eye which leads to glaucoma, the #1 cause of blindness. Marijuana is also believed to be a safe and inexpensive alternative in treating muscle spasms, epilepsy, anorexia, asthma, insomnia, depression and other disorders. Marijuana is not only believed to help with physical ailments, but psychological ones as well. A former chairman of the 1991 established Office of Alternative Medicine’s (OAM) Program Advisory Council said, â€Å"When used appropriately, marijuana could be extremely helpful to people undergoing certain kinds of emotional crises.† Then there is the opposition who says that there is still no consensus that confirms marijuana as a legitimate medicinal agent. The opponents believe the THC damages the brain, the heart, the lungs, the reproductive and immune systems, and that marijuana use is linked to increased aggressiveness and violent behavior. It is also reported to reduce memory, inhibit driving ability, limit attention span, increase the risk of schizophrenia,