Our government forbids us from something that grows naturally on the earth, and could actually save and provide relief to so many people who suffer from extreme mental and physical illness.  “More than 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, which is severe pain that lasts longer than six months.” (“Chronic Pain Management,” 2016) Chronic pain can either come in episodes or can be nonstop and completely absolutely unbearable. As Alison Mack describes to readers in her novel Marijuana as Medicine?, “Cannabinoids have shown significant promise in basic experiments on pain. Peripheral nerves that detect pain sensations contain abundant receptors for cannabinoids, and cannabinoids appear to block peripheral nerve pain in experimental animals. Even more encouraging, basic studies suggest that opiates and cannabinoids suppress pain through different mechanisms. If that is the case, marijuana-based medicines could perhaps be combined with opiates to boost their pain-relieving power while limiting their side effects.” (p. 79) There are facts that prove that marijuana can alleviate pain to some extent and have minimal side effects compared to the medication that is used now. The commonly prescribed drugs for chronic pain are called opioids and are highly addictive and sometimes even potentially lethal. The number of prescriptions have increased 400% since 1999 and along with that comes a shocking parallel to drug overdoses. In 2014, around 28,000 died from an opioid overdose and then rose 73% the following year. Everyday around 40 people die from drug overdose. With all the positive side effects that marijuana entails, including chronic pain relief and a decrease in drug overdoses, it seems only reasonable to legalize it for medical purposes. 

Opioids, better known as prescribed pain killers, alleviate the pain of millions of Americans who suffer from chronic pain every day. Sometimes to the point where patients grow a tolerance to the drugs and need more to feel better, which then results in an overdose. According to the Scientific American, “Prescription overdoses killed more than 165,000 Americans between 1999-2014, and the health and social costs of abusing such drugs are estimated to be as much as $55 billion a year.” The only setback to this number is that this study can’t determine who was prescribed to opioids or who was taking them illegally, when they overdosed. Between these years, the states that legalized marijuana for medical use had a decrease of 25% in opioid overdoses. The article proposes the idea that the chemical found in cannabinoids can work with opioids to help mediate pain. Also, found in the Scientific American are the results of a study that followed 176 chronic pain victims in Israel that tried medical marijuana, and they found that 44 percent of them stopped taking prescription opioids. That is 77 people that found relief from the positive side effects of marijuana, which is why it should be legalized.

The article on WebMD, written by Dennis Thompson, also agrees medical marijuana should be legalized with the title, “Marijuana Seems Safe for Chronic Pain.” The end of the article describes why the title isn’t marijuana is safe for chronic pain. He quotes Dr. Johnathann Kuo, an interventional pain management specialist at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, NY, as he says, “We frequently find that opiods are not a good long-term solution for chronic pain. We’d like to see more of these long-term safety profiles of medical cannabis, and studies like these are important steps forward in that direction. I’d like to see more definitive studies before prescribing this to my patients in the future.” Thompson reports on a study based on 215 adults with chronic pain who used cannabis for one year. The patients who used the medical cannabis didn’t have any serious side effects. Most suffered from headache, nausea, or being dizzy. Although this article was supposed to be based on the safety of the cannabis, it was also noted that the participants felt some sort of pain relief due to marijuana. The participants were given marijuana containing 12.5 THC, and they could choose how to consume it. The only obstacle is that this study involved people who were familiar with marijuana, so the study results may have been different for someone who isn’t as familiar. “Paul Armentano, deputy director of MORML, said the study further provides evidence that the use of marijuana doesn’t deserve to be criminalized.” (“Medical Marijuana Seems Safe for Chronic Pain,” 2016)

Donald I. Abrams, M.D. is chief of the Hematology-Oncology Division at San Francisco General Hospital and a Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of California San Francisco. His interest on cannabis and its effect on people suffering from pain goes as far back as 1989 when his partner died of AIDS prior to refusing AZT, which was the only available drug at the time for AIDS. His partner found advantages from smoking cannabis, which he decided to do daily. In 1997 he received funds from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to perform experiments relating the use of cannabinoids to HIV. Then he was granted more funds by University of California Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research to conduct more studies on the use of cannabinoids on different medical conditions. In 2009 he gave a speech on the effects of cannabis on Neuropathic pain, which is a kind of chronic pain. He describes how our body produces endocannabinoids when needed. Endocannabinoids are a group of cannabinoid receptors located within mammal’s brains that assist certain functions such as appetite, pain-sensation, mood, and memory. They also can effect nausea and consciousness.  The CB2 receptor is what helps with immune system, but more importantly in this research project, it helps with pain and inflammation. Dr. Abrams also explains a chart put together by a drug company displaying the symptoms and side effects of cancer, which include weight loss, getting full quickly, moderate to severe pain, anxiety or depression, and nausea. He tells the audience that most doctors look at this thinking that it will take about seven medicines to fix this problem, but in reality cannabis could benefit them all. Dr. Abrams says that the best way to consume marijuana for the fastest and strongest effect is through eating it, because the liver activates it into bioactive metabolite. That’s why when they take dronabinol or eat a brownie they seem to be more “sedated.” When smoked, marijuana has a very short-lived and low peak compared to when it is consumed orally. In the animal model of this experiment, cannabinoids worked to relieve nerve pain and opioids didn’t. 

An article on Business Insider, Evidence shows that marijuana works for pain, the medical reason most people want it — but doctors still have questions, brings up the biggest problem that doctors are having with suggesting marijuana. How can it be regulated? As Kevin Loria says, “When it comes to marijuana, "millions of people are using different types of cannabis products for supposedly therapeutic purposes," says Vandrey. That introduces a lot of uncertainty to the equation. The marijuana bought at one dispensary in California is going to be very different from an oil bought at another Colorado medical marijuana shop; both will be different from a cannabinoid drug designed to help with pain. All of these substances fall under the cannabis umbrella, but depending on their specific cannabinoid content and the means through which they are ingested, they're going to have different effects. Because marijuana can be used for so many different conditions, ranging from mental health to physical pain, it is hard to regulate the doses and products to use. The article raises the other big question about cannabis when dealing with pain. How strong is it on a scale of over the counter medicine, such as Advil, to a prescription drug such as an opioid? Many believe that different forms of cannabis can relieve different extremities of pain. The article also states that according to a report by the National Academies of Science and Engineering and Medicine (NAESM), it is definite evidence that cannabinoids can be used for the treatment of chronic pain. According to this research along with other experiments it also questions the status stated in DEA Schedule I that says marijuana has “no currently accepted use.” Loria ends the article with the statement, “But clearly, if it's effective — especially if it can replace more dangerous drugs like opioids — that research is important.” This statement hits on the fact that the government really needs to fund more researching on this topic, if it can potentially help people who are suffering.

Dr. Sunil Aggarwal addresses the side effects of chronic pain such as the loss of functional working opportunities, depression, and the use of long term medicine that can potentially cause death in a high dose, itching, etc. All of these problems come from the drug used to treat chronic pain now, the opioid. These drugs are not meant to be used long term and when they are they have appalling side effects. Dr. Aggarwal, like Dr. Abrams, highlights on the fact that marijuana is especially helpful for chronic pain in the nerves. It helps when there is a nerve going out of control, leaving a person in extreme pain for more than six months. He explains how studies show that if you smoke cannabis compared to a placebo cannabis that one could receive a thirty to forty percent reduction of pain. Cannabis and cannabinoids if not used alone for pain, could reduce or stop the use of opioids by chronic pain sufferers.  

Steven Cohen, the author of Cannabinoids for Chronic Pain, comes up with the conclusion that marijuana, “Is effective but research is needed to decide which subgroups of people benefit most.” In the article, Cohen reflects on the past and how marijuana has almost always been used to numb pain, and how it is coming back. The article presents a study that included 96 patients with diverse neuropathic pain. When the study was finished, the results were all over the place. Some of the participants reported feeling tired, tingly, and sick. While there was a small subdivision of patients who found pain relief from the cannabinoids. The cannabinoids were linked to a relief of pain associated with multiple sclerosis, and other central pain syndromes. This all goes back to how we really need to research more about the issue. If it even could help a small subgroup of people, then it’s reasonable to legalize it for medical purposes.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine wrote a book by the name of, The health effects of cannabis and cannabinoids: Current state of evidence and recommendations for research. There is an article in the book that focuses on chronic pain. The chapter talks about a study performed. There was a really interesting statement that said, “In contrast, many of the cannabis products sold in state regulated markets bear little resemblance to the products that are available for research at the federal level in the United States.” (NAESM, “The health effects of cannabis and cannabinoids”) There isn’t much knowledge on the doses, efiicancy, or even the side effects from these products found in markets in the United States. This is a problem that I think could easily be fixed. The conclusion of the chapter is, “There is substantial evidence that cannabis is an effective treatment for chronic pain in adults. (“The health effects of cannabis and cannabinoids” pg. 88)

As far as objections go, there are thousands of them. The number one opposition is that people think that marijuana is a highly addictive drug, or otherwise known as a gateway drug. People also believe that education would be adversely affected, due to the inability to focus and remember information. Injuries from impaired driving would increase, because marijuana affects coordination, perception, and decision making. And lastly, environmental damage would occur. According to Top Ten Reasons Not to Legalize Marijuana, “Outdoor marijuana grows pose a significant threat to our natural resources and wildlife. Marijuana farms on public lands in the northwestern parts of the United States have been linked to deaths of area wildlife including bobcats, mountain lions, minks and fishers, a rare breed of forest mesocarnivores. The animals are being poisoned by chemical pesticides used in marijuana grows.” While I respect all of these opinions and don’t necessarily think that they are wrong by any means, I believe that they are hypocritical. First off, alcohol is legal and is also highly addictive, effects education, and causes injuries from impaired driving. If anything, alcohol affects your coordination, perception, and decision making worse than marijuana. Obviously I know that drinking alcohol and driving is illegal, which makes me wonder why driving under the influence of marijuana could just be illegal too. Another objection I have is that the pain killers that doctors are currently giving chronic pain patients are just as addictive, if not more addictive. There are proven statistics that people get so addicted to these pills that they feel tolerant to them and feel the need for more, which eventually ends up as an overdose. Next, the last opposition that claims that the legalization of marijuana would cause environmental damage. This really doesn’t make much sense to me because the growth of tobacco isn’t damaging our environment, and it’s essentially the same concept. Overall, I just don’t think any of these oppositions justify enough evidence that marijuana is dangerous. Over 443,000 people die a year from the use of tobacco. An estimated 89,000 people die a year from an alcohol related accidents. It is proven that there are zero deaths a year from the use of marijuana, because it is not toxic and cannot cause death by an overdose. Essentially, I think that we are allowing things that we know are more dangerous than marijuana, so I don’t think these oppositions are persuasive.

So now the question is where does all this research get us? How many years and how many studies does it take to prove that medical marijuana could actually be beneficial to people in severe pain? Obviously some states in the United States do have laws that make medical marijuana not only legal, but easily accessible for people who need it. There are 28 states total that allow their citizens to buy marijuana for medical reasons. This is more than half of our country, so it definitely is something that is progressing. For now, the government needs to provide funding for research to learn more about the long term effects and the benefits that marijuana could potentially have. Not only would it help millions of people who are suffering, it also could bring in a lot of revenue to our country. There needs to be more people educated on the topic so that American’s can fight for changes to be made. There is more than one third of our country struggling and dealing with unbearable chronic pain, and also thousands of people dying from the drugs that doctors are using now. These people deserve to have people care enough them enough to figure out a cure that can help them from their suffering. 

There needs to be more research done on the topic of whether medical marijuana should be legal nationwide. There are so many studies and research projects on the issue, while every study shows that medical marijuana can help chronic pain, every one concludes with “there needs to be more research on the issue.” Personally, I think that considering the fact that almost every study shown proved the same thing, that cannabis should be legalized. The drugs that doctors are using to treat this problem now are proven to be harmful when taken long-term and marijuana isn’t. With all the pain relief and the decrease in drug overdoses in states where medical marijuana is legal, I think it is smart to legalize it nationwide.
