Medical marijuana is one of the most debated topics in the United States right now. Many people are for the federal legalization of medical marijuana because of the amazing benefits it can have on those who are sick or permanently ill. It has many different benefits ranging from helping those with easy problems such as insomnia or migraines to those with more severe problems such as cancer and epilepsy. This research topic is extremely meaningful to me because it affects some of the people that are closest to me. My little cousin has down syndrome and because of complications with it, he has recently started to suffer from many seizures a day. This is terrible for both him and his family because he now acts like a shadow of the person he once was and he has shown slight regressions in his speech and his ability to walk because of this. After many very expensive surgeries he is finally starting to do much better and now only suffers from one to two seizures a day. Medical marijuana, more specifically cannabis oil, could make a world of difference for my cousin and could stop his seizures all together, but it is not yet legal in their state. This is saddening to me because they have had to go through all of this drama and surgery, because the best treatment for his case is not legal. I feel that I am qualified to write on this topic after extensive research, and personally being able to see the types of problems that medical marijuana can fix. No one should have to go what my cousin and his family have gone through all because medical marijuana isn't legalized. 

The first source claims that medical marijuana can be very useful in helping with epilepsy and seizures. The article shows that not much research has been done with marijuana because of the legal restraints on it in most states but, if it were legalized, much more research could be done showing the benefits that it has for these problems. In almost all of the cases where it has been tested, research shows that medical marijuana greatly helped in reducing the amount of seizures that patients had and some that would have frequent seizures had none. This shows that medical marijuana must be legalized so that further testing can be done, families should not be spending thousands of dollars on unnecessary surgeries if the answer is already found in marijuana. The source is notably credible about this topic, it is epilepsy.com and it deals with all things that have to do with epilepsy, especially seizures. The bias of the author in this paragraph is toward legalizing marijuana to help with tests and find conclusive evidence of whether or not it is helpful. 

The second source shows that marijuana is extremely beneficial to those who are cancer patients. Medical marijuana helps patients in many ways, such as stopping nauseating and vomiting caused by chemotherapy treatments, slow and kill cells that are causing cancer to spread in ones body, and marijuana can also greatly help patients who are affected by neuropathic pain. Many cancer patients also suffer from extreme weight-loss and loss of appetite, medical marijuana has been proven to help stop weight loss in cancer patients, which can greatly help with their treatment. The American Cancer Society has shown that their views on this subject is that it is very promising but needs further research, and they will continue to supports further research. I think that they are a credible source to have gotten the article from, they know the most about cancer and the positive effects that marijuana can have on it. The bias in this paragraph is very clear, they are for the legalization of medical marijuana to help treat cancer patients, but they still keep mentioning that further research must be done. 

The last article is questioning whether or not marijuana is a medicine. The article provides a strong argument for cannabis being a medicine and gives plenty of examples. It shows that marijuana can control and stop seizures, treat mental illnesses, and help people who suffer from addictions. This article says studies show medical marijuana kills cancer cells and slows them from spreading, which greatly help those that suffer from cancer. Marijuana may not be the "cure" for cancer but it has been proven to help patients with other things that kill cancer, such as chemotherapy. The article also says that when patients take both marijuana and radiation treatments, it is shown to be much more beneficial to the patient than just doing one or the other. The author and website are both exceptionally credible, and it is a government website, the bias is towards marijuana helping out with patients and treatment, but they too say that further and greater research must be done. 

My research exigence is very arguable because of all of the research and backing that medical marijuana has. Many tests have been done showing the benefits of having marijuana and many people are for the legalization of medical marijuana. My topic would not be such a big argument in the United States at the moment if there wasn't such a good case for it. All of the articles generally agree that medical marijuana needs more government testing, but it is a very promising subject. These perspectives have only strengthened my values that medical marijuana should be legalized and that it is ridiculous that it hasn't been legalized already. To make a good argument for medical marijuana more research must be done, but like medical marijuana, this paper has all of the potential in the world.

