I am interested in this research topic because it has been such a controversial one ever since marijuana was first outlawed in the United States. I think that with all of the evidence behind it's legalization, it might as well be legalized nationwide. According to reports on the current legalized states, it's sale has skyrocketed income for each of the areas, especially because of the greatly profitable sales tax placed on it. Plus, with all of the proven medical benefits from its consumption, it only makes sense to administer it to the people that would be assisted from it. I am not personally affected by this controversy, considering it is not legalized in the state I live in, but I am all for reducing the nations debt and growing our economy exponentially. I think that if our nation comes together and it becomes legalized everywhere, not only would consumers and dispensaries benefit, but so would the government from all of the money collected. With this money, we could work towards improving our country by putting more money into innovative technology and research advancement in various fields

Source 1: In an article called "Medical Marijuana Should Be Legalized", the author introduces his work with a description of an organization called the "Marijuana Policy Project" that is attempting to change the US and state laws to legalize the use of medical and nonmedical marijuana. They go on to list the medical benefits of its consumption which includes: relief from nausea and appetite loss, reduction of intraocular pressure, reduction of muscle spasms, and relief from chronic pain. Not only this, but its benefits are also apparent in the treatment of AIDS, Hepatitis C, Glaucoma, Cancer, and the list goes on. The author of this also has points of emphasis on how marijuana holds up in court, the history of its legality, and just the explanation as to how each level of government plays a role in its legality. This author is credible because of its factual information backed up from many sources listed at the end.


Source 2: This article takes a different approach at the subject as its title is "Medical Marijuana in Plant Form Should Not Be Legalized." At the beginning, the author describes this alliance called SAM, or Smart Approaches to Marijuana, which is dedicated to a health-first approach to the marijuana policy. The more successful this group is, the more annoyed recreational users will potentially be. This writing is a very open-minded perspective, as it goes into description on the delivery methods of marijuana consumption and claims that smoking it is the improper way to get a reliable dose. Also, something to note is that marijuana is not an approved medicine under he U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but is legalized for use medically in almost half of the United States. It goes further to explain how marijuana legalized states have much higher percentages of marijuana use by adolescents. This author is credible because of the incorporation of current studies as well as supporting facts that were used. Also, sources to create this come from many books and internet sources.


Source 3: For my last source, I incorporated another article that opposes the first simply because of its opposite intentions. The title of this article is "Marijuana Use Can Increase Pain", and already by that we have two completely different viewpoints. At the University of Texas Medical Branch, scientists have found that in marijuana, certain "endocannabinoids," can apparently increase and prolong pain rather than soothe it. Scientists have also applied these endocannabinoids to slices of mouse spinal cord. This experiment concluded with the realization that the receptors for these endocannabinoids were in fact on inhibitory neurons. Additionally, the author sees a point for medical marijuana use only if the pain is neuropathic and not confined to the pain system of the human body. This author is credible because of the case study done at the University of Texas as well as the book and internet sources provided.


This research question is arguable because of the different perspectives you can have on the issue. Also, there are different arguments for each perspective, whether it is for medical marijuana legalization, or if it's just for the legalization for elderly people. Some of the arguments that I have found include the fact that it's consumption has been proven to relieve all sorts of pains and can help with the treatment of many diseases. Also, with it's legalization in some states and the sales tax implemented, states can make a lot more money than ever before. On the other hand, a study done showed that marijuana consumption can actually lead to an increase in some kinds of pains. I think that my perspective on the situation stayed the same after finding a lot of different articles. This is probably because most of the information that I found I had already known or known about.
