Over the past few decades, marijuana has been known as a means of an escape, or just a way to get high; however, getting high is not the only use of marijuana. In fact, in politics over the past decade, the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes has become a very popular topic. This has become a popular topic because the intake of the drug has healing effects on common diseases in the United States such as cancer and arthritis. Today, in twenty-nine of the states in America the medical use of the drug is now legal. However, in the states where the drug is not legal, users of the drug, even for medical purposes, can be arrested.  It is irrational that people in the United States are not allowed to legally heal their pain in a safe matter through the use of medical marijuana; therefore, medical marijuana should be legal in all fifty states because it adds medical value, and does not have an overall negative impact on society when legalized.

Even though most of the states have marijuana legalized, in the few that don’t, one must wonder why they are not on board with the legalization of medical marijuana. The main reasons why people do not want medical marijuana to be legal are for fears of the future in the lives of children, the life of the user, and the economy. The first fear is of ruining the youth, because many people believe that by making the drug legal for medical use, it also makes the drug more accessible for youth. The common fear of ruining the youth can be summed up by the quote “Marijuana may affect the development of the brain if smoked at a young age. This is not only harming the future of young people, but also the future of our country and the world. If marijuana was legalized, then it would become more easily accessed by younger generations” (“10 Reasons Marijuana Should Remain Illegal”). To some people this quote may seem irrational, but it is a very common fear amongst many people that is extremely rational because there is no denying that marijuana will become more accessible once legalized. The second fear comes from the fear for the safety of the user. The use of marijuana, even in a medical sense, impairs the user, and has been previously linked with dangerous narcotics. A further fear for the user is that through the most popular method of taking the drug, smoking, many people are fearful that this will cause the user to take on further diseases such as lung cancer. Medical studies prove that “It is difficult to administer safe, regulated dosages of medicines in smoked form. Secondly, the harmful chemicals and carcinogens that are byproducts of smoking create entirely new health problems” (ProCon.org).  Beyond the health of the user, many people fear that the surrounding economies will fail due to the legalization of medical marijuana because a common outcome of the drug is lack of motivation, which may cause an increase in unemployment rates; however, there are no accurate or conclusive studies yet to be found to support these fears. 

Despite the fears of many citizens, there are many who believe that the legalization of medical marijuana should be legal due to its undeniable healing effects, and that it is more effective in its healing methods than current opioids used to treat pain. Many studies conducted on using the drug for pain control have concluded a common result “its medicinal benefits are incontrovertible, now proven by decades of peer-reviewed, controlled studies published in highly respected medical journals. Marijuana has been shown to alleviate symptoms of a wide range of debilitating medical conditions, including cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), epilepsy, Crohn's disease, and is often an effective alternative to narcotic painkillers” (Drug Policy Awareness). This quote illustrates the fact that marijuana alleviates the pain of many medical issues that a large amount of people in the United States struggle with. Of the many studies, conducted on the effects of marijuana, one of the more interesting and progressive studies was conducted by a lab in Canada on people who struggle with neuropathic pain. The study concluded that “when they (people struggling with neuropathic pain) smoked cannabis containing a low 3.56% THC (and no CBD), compared with a 17% reduction in those who smoked a sham joint. Likewise, in a study of patients with chronic neuropathic pain, Canadian researchers found that a single, 5-second inhalation of pot three times a day reduced participants' pain scores about 15% more than a placebo” (Graves). Marijuana is also very effective in helping people who struggle with the common diseases of fibromyalgia, and arthritis. In addition to fibromyalgia and arthritis, marijuana can also assist with glaucoma, the intake of the drug has been proven to prevent blindness in many patients who suffer with the disease. 

Further evidence beyond marijuana’s healing benefits are seen when comparing it to the current drugs used to heal the same diseases, opioids. One response to the fight between opioids and marijuana comes from the Director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, David Katz, Katz states that “Medical marijuana is not the most addictive of medicines nor the most dangerous, and it's safer than many drugs in use. Plus, there are times when it can provide relief when little else does’” (Graves). Katz is just one of many that share this belief.; in fact, opioid overdoses kill thousands of people each year, while not a single death has been linked to marijuana overdose because it has not been proven to be possible. More benefits of marijuana over opioids is that marijuana is not addictive, so it can be used over longer periods of time without harming the user. Of the multiple studies conducted on the effects of marijuana versus opioids, the study from Dr. Teater who says that “Chronic use of opioids decreases the number of opioid receptors and our own opioids, as the brain quits producing these. We wind up with less motivation, less happiness, and less success. Opioid users have twice the rate of depression as nonusers. The longer you take them, the worse off you’re going to be” (Schneiderman). Most studies tend to conclude that the use of marijuana over longer periods of time are more consistent and safe in successfully treating pain for people who suffer with many illnesses and diseases.

Moving further into the future of marijuana, there are high hopes for its future in helping cure certain strains of cancer, and brain trauma. The article provided by the Drug Policy Alliance states that “More recent research has only confirmed marijuana's broad spectrum of medicinal benefits, even finding that marijuana has potent anti-cancer properties and could one day help unlock new cancer treatments” (Drug Policy Alliance). This is further evidence that legalizing the use of medical marijuana could go even further than just allowing patients to comfortably use marijuana for pain relief, it could open more opportunity for further research to see how the drug could assist in the fight for cancer. A second interesting problem in the United States that marijuana may prevent concussions or head trauma. Based off recent research, “A recent study in the journal Cerebral Cortex showed that in mice, marijuana lessened the bruising of the brain and helped with healing mechanisms after a traumatic injury” (Loria). Both studies on cancer and brain trauma reduction are possible reasons to push the legalization of marijuana as it will help fund further studies on these two large medical issues in the United States.

The legalization of medical marijuana has been a slow and steady race to the completion of the legalization in all states. The ongoing battle is due to many people who fear for the long-term effects of the drug on the economy, the youth, and the health of the user. On the other hand, many people are able to over see the fears of the possible negative effects on the youth, economy, and health of the user, and see the promised healing abilities that the drug possesses for many diseased patients across the United States. The legalization of medical marijuana in all fifty states will provide many people who struggle with disease with relief and comfort, and will open the doors to funding on finding the healing effects on further diseases and issues than those that are already known. It is clear that medical marijuana adds medical value to many people who struggle with diseases in the United States, it is also more effective than current drugs such as opioids which are currently used to numb these pains, and the legalization will not have an overall negative effect on the United states.
