Medical marijuana is a concept that has been around for ages, yet is extremely new in our society today while lacking the substantial amount of information that is needed to assess a drug. The reason for this lack of information is an easy answer; the fact that marijuana is illegal in the United States. The Governing Data map shows that twenty-six states have legalized marijuana in any way so that the drug is not fully illegal or not illegal at all. These rules make it so that only someone twenty-one or older may purchase the drug in some states, or that the drug may only be used medically in some states. These actions have sprung within the last decade which means the rise of the legalization of marijuana is present on the horizon. With the expansion of marijuana legalization, why should the Federal Government legalize only medical marijuana at the national level but still keep it fairly restricted?  The National Government should legalize medical marijuana nationally because of the benefits the drug has on an adult who needs it, but still leave restrictions on it due to the potential health risks that lie within the youth user as well as the unknown knowledge we have yet to observe. With more states giving in to the rise of marijuana, it seems prominent that the medical aspects of the drug become available to the nation as a beginning step in order to possibly legalize the drug fully in the future if the drug is able to be fully observed as safe for a user. This can only be done with more testing which means that the drug being medically legal would provide a pathway to test these drugs and find the knowledge we need to assess marijuana medically. 

In order to fully assess medical marijuana, you need to become aware of the history of the drug medically and the fact that it may seem to be a recent debate that is sprung up, but the debate has gone along for centuries now. Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains how marijuana was used a long time B.C. by Chinese emperors to see how it affected malaria and poor memory. Once this began, the use of marijuana spread drastically but was still put to ease due to the conception that marijuana made you see the devil or hallucinate as well as have sexual problems. An Irish doctor later on in life eventually introduced marijuana to England as well as the Americas. Nausea, cramps, and many other tiny illnesses where treated with marijuana and even the Queen of England back in the 1800s was for the use of this drug medically. Eventually the drug then evolved in the United States by being present in corn yeast and cough medicine while the medical implications where listed in many books. The downfall came when the media made the drug seem more intense than it really was with exaggerated commercials and movies. Marijuana was also seen as something to un-motivate someone. The use of marijuana in the wars started to be outlawed which set the way to outlaw it all together (Gupta). The fact that marijuana has been seen as a medical benefit since the early ages suggests that the drug has been in a stage of debate for a long time to whether it should be used medically, which also suggests that for a long time now there have been a hefty amount of people in favor of this drug being medically used. There also shows to not be much evidence for deeming it illegal in the first place which suggests that evidence may have been ignored for its benefits due to the public’s eye having a negative image toward it early in the 1900s.

Since marijuana has been around for centuries, we also need to truly understand what medical marijuana is. Dr. Mercola explains that medical marijuana is “the use of the whole, unprocessed marijuana plant and its pure extracts to treat a disease or improve a symptom,” and no other pesticides should be present in the marijuana strain either (1). Cannabidiol, which is also known as CBD, is where the healing part of marijuana comes from while THC is also present which is what causes a psychoactive effect (Mercola 1). More studies are attempting to increase the CBD content in some strains and also decrease the THC content as well to create medical strains that can be allowed. Dr. Mercola explains that “Cannabinoids interact with your body by way of naturally occurring cannabinoid receptors embedded in cell membranes throughout your body,” and the main ones come from the brain. These receptors play a big role in many body functions especially when these functions are still growing, which proves its’ importance to our overall health. “Metabolic regulation, pain, anxiety, bone growth, and immune function” are all regulations that are affected by this receptor which is why medical marijuana is used to help with mood disorders, Parkinson’s, PTSD, and other common diseases (1). With this knowledge of the interaction between medical marijuana and induvial with diseases related to these functions, we can see that the reaction is beneficial, meaning it should be acceptable for a doctor to prescribe marijuana instead of advise it.   

It has been hard to assess how well marijuana can help an individual in medical need due to the fact that the drug is nationally illegal, which means that testing is not able to take place. With the recent changing in laws in certain states however, tests are starting to take place because these new state laws allow for the drug to be used by a user in some way. Kevin Loria and Jennifer Welsh both explain that even with the limited amount of testing available, only 6% of the studies on marijuana are actually observing the medical aspects of this drug. These 6% of testing are how we have been able to find out about CBD and THC, as well as their interaction with the brain (Loria and Welsh). The known benefits that researchers have recently become aware of are tremendous and important to the growth of finding new benefits or information. 

One of the biggest searches in the medical world is for the cure to Cancer. While marijuana may not cure an individual from Cancer, it may slow the rate at which the disease spreads. Kevin Loria and Jennifer Walsh explain that Cannabidiol, which is about 50% of the cannabinoids found in marijuana, turns off the Id-1 gene which stops the spread of Cancer because this disease “makes more copies of this gene than non-cancerous cells, which helps them spread through the body (1).” By stopping the production of this gene, we can reduce the spread of Cancer, while some doctors are suggesting it may even kill the cell if the full amount of Cannabidiol is present to stop the gene’s growth even further (Loria and Welsh 1). Medical marijuana becoming legal would allow for this testing to occur with the full amount of Cannabidiol that is found in marijuana, which would allow us to really determine if the suggestion of marijuana completely killing Cancer cells is true. 

Dravet’s Syndrome is a disease that some may not have heard of, but it is when an individual experiences severe amounts of seizures.  Kevin Loria and Jennifer Walsh explain how an individual who has Dravet’s Syndrome was treated with a medical marijuana strain recommended by a doctor. According to the doctor, the strain caused the individual to have just one seizure a day rather than the 300 seizures she originally would have each week. The reason for this rapid decrease in seizures is due to “the plant interacting with the brain cells to quiet the excessive activity in the brain that causes these seizures (1).” Another common and unfortunate disease which commonly affects elderly is glaucoma, which is a disease that increases the pressure inside the eyeball. This damages the optic nerve eventually leading to blindness or loss of vision. When a user smokes marijuana, it decreases the pressure inside the eye which does not completely get rid of the disease, but slows it to where blindness may be prevented. 

There is a hefty amount of individuals in the United States who want medical marijuana to be legal. Now that more and more states are allowing this to happen, doctors are even taking the sides of citizens who look to have this drug legal. Christopher Ingraham explains that “more than 50 physicians, including a surgeon general and faculty members have formed the first national organization of doctors to call on states and the federal government to legalize and regulate the use of marijuana in the interest of public health (1).” This is remarkable because the men and women who make the decision about what is wrong with you and how to fix it are all turning their backs to the national government by saying that this drug has the medical benefits that our society needs. The only ones stopping the doctors from giving prescriptions of marijuana and still just advising patients to get some marijuana on their own are the higher up government organizations. Christopher Ingraham explains that if you were to make something illegal, the health consequences of whatever you made illegal need to be bad enough for criminal consequences and actions which was never the case with marijuana, since the American Medical Association felt objected to it in the early 1900s (1). With doctors on board to start prescribing this drug, it is only a matter of time before the higher up organizations such as the FDA or NIDA start supporting the cause more while still relaying the effects it could have on adolescents in a negative way. 

With marijuana legalization rising and the medical aspects being seen more clearly, marijuana’s medical benefits may come with a cost still. Marijuana and its medical benefits may be only eminent in older individuals with a fully developed brain and body functions. People will claim that every marijuana smoker loses IQ points and memory, making people lazier and zombie-like. Laura Saunders explains that this isn’t entirely the truth because “scientific evidence that does exist suggests that marijuana is far less dangerous than other drugs, but it is not harmless.” This explanation is due to the fact that marijuana can cause permanent damage to a youth’s brain while it is developing (17). When someone smokes marijuana, the THC enters their brain and attaches to the cannabinoid receptors, which is protein along the brain that is sprinkled everywhere but mainly in the areas that involve movement, thinking, memory, and appetite. They then become altered if they aren’t fully developed which impairs your ability to walk, think, and many other everyday tasks (Saunders 18). With this in mind, an individual with a fully developed brain may not experience an altering of the receptors on their brain and if they do, they would only be brief changes that would return to its normal developed ways. Legalizing medical marijuana nationally would be a benefit, but the restrictions that should be put into place are due to the dangers toward adolescents which means it should still be illegal for them to consume or purchase the drug, even for medical purposes.  

Laura Saunders explains that when a brain is developing, it can also be said that it is vulnerable. The brain being affected by marijuana when this happens tends to alter the way a person thinks and could permanently change it, which also plays a role in addiction. This is because “young adults, ages 18-25, who use marijuana at least once a week were more likely than non-smokers to have structural differences in two areas thought to be involved with addiction (19).” Marijuana’s effect on the individual now shows that there is a stronger chance of addiction when the brain is altered during growth, which is common in adolescents. This provides us with insight to why the youth usually becomes more addicted easily. Addiction is more common with adolescents which is a reason that no one under the age of 25 should smoke marijuana, especially not for medical reasons, since it is shown to be more destructive toward their developing brain. The main diseases or illnesses that marijuana can be beneficial toward are usually occurring in adults and elderly people which also means that the youth should not be involved with this drug once again. Bertha Madras also explains that addiction can rise from excessive dopamine levels which is what is responsible for the “feel-good” feeling you would get with inhalation. The dopamine levels rise more with the more you smoke. This is what impairs the brain, especially if the brain is developing currently since the “brain is more robust with early age inhalation (11916).” It is reoccurring that the dangers faced with marijuana are all pointed towards the functions of the brain, but now we are further aware that these altercations may be more detrimental just towards the youth, rather than someone who is in need of the drug’s use, rather than just recreationally.    

With the understanding of the benefits of medical marijuana, making marijuana medically legal is crucial and may not be easy. While this process may not be easy, the outcome will prove beneficial not only to an individual personally, but also to the field of marijuana research. A prime example of the opportunities of medical marijuana lies within the first state to legalize this drug medically.  John Hickenlooper explains that the state was aware of possible negative side effects of marijuana, but the beginning goal of the state was to “address these and a wide variety of other public health concerns” so that proper consumption and use of the drug becomes known to individuals seeking the use of it. The state has also been able to now observe trends in the drug; relating to amounts consumed, addiction, and more in depth brain research (246). The implementing stage of medical marijuana becoming legal allows for endless research that can prove whether the drug truly is beneficial or more defeating to the individual user since previous testing was limited due to the criminal identity of the drug.  

Over the course of our history, marijuana hasn’t been seen as a medical asset only now. For centuries, this drug has been seen as a medical benefit but was soon deemed illegal in various societies for various reasons without proper observations. Marijuana can be easily abused by individuals typically when they are younger and their brains are still developing, which can lead to an altered formation of the brain. With this in mind, the national government should make only medical marijuana legal with enforcement and punishments still present for recreational use. These restrictions will still take place because most of the society attempting to smoke marijuana for fun comes from adolescents. Since adolescents are in the most danger for potential harms or abuse, the drug should remain illegal recreationally, as well as a restriction on the age you may consume medical marijuana. With further research, its apparent that marijuana’s benefits outweigh the defects for an adult seeking medication, except these benefits do not outweigh the defects for someone who’s brain is in the process of developing. While the youth should be restricted from marijuana however, the middle aged adults and elderly should in fact be pushed toward it. Coming from first-hand experience, I have observed two cases personally where marijuana has affected an individual medically in a beneficial way whether it being prescribed for anxiety, glaucoma, and more.

Marijuana is a special case where we are just taping on the surface of information. There is so much more potential and risks that can be explored once marijuana is legal nationally at a medical level. This is due to the fact that in-depth national testing cannot occur since the drug is illegal, but can begin once the drug becomes legal. For someone seeking medical marijuana currently, they won’t even be able to attain this through a doctor or prescription due to the fact it’s illegal. This means the doctor can only suggest the drug, which also discourages users who may not know of whereabouts to get it. Marijuana becoming medically legal provides the information and benefits that a large portion of our population desires while still weighing out the negative aspects by enforcing restrictions. When the medical benefits are substantial and outweigh most harmful aspects, there is enough reason to move marijuana into a prescription state that is available for those in need.   

  