The world of modern medicine and technology has been expanding significantly for centuries, there is no limit to the possibilities mankind can discover in the upcoming years. Medicine, and the various effects that accompany it, is a very controversial topic across the globe. Unique remedies and formulas have existed for centuries, thought to have a positive medicinal effect. Shackled by the law exists one of these unique medicines, and now the United States is beginning to recognize its significant medical properties. Marijuana is a naturally grown plant that has been used for thousands of years. Embedded in the plant is a psychoactive ingredient called Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Cannabis is now being recognized for the positive medical effects it has on people’s bodies. The American government has had marijuana scheduled as a class I drug for nearly a century, a prohibition that has lasted longer than the alcohol ban. Recent scientific investigations and research are now revealing the truly remarkable medical qualities the cannabis plant and its various forms has on people. The drug has been outlawed, and the American people have been misinformed. The stigma surrounding marijuana has been massively negative until recently. Two years ago was the first documented year that over half of the American population was in favor of legalizing marijuana. Now, there are two parties that take place in this overthrow of previous ideologies: the industry of medical marijuana as well as recreational use for the drug. The public outlook is shifting, as various states are now legalizing the production and marketing of the drug. This research paper will outline the effects marijuana has on the body and mind of human beings. Marijuana has the potential to positively impact the lives of millions of people suffering from intense medical conditions, as well as relieve the need for dangerous unnatural modern chemicals. 

Marijuana as a whole has become something of a controversial topic across the globe. One is stuck to decide between breaking the law and alleviating the pain. The issue that has been present for nearly a century is the lack of information regarding the topic. The American public has been plagued with misinformation and propaganda following the national regulation of the drug in 1937. Since then, cannabis has been legally treated on the same level as heroin, LSD, ecstasy, and other serious drugs. The reason marijuana has been classified so heavily is because of the lack of knowledge the general public has on the drug. Marijuana’s active ingredient THC has baffled scientists until recent years, making it easy to discredit the drug as just another way to get ‘high’. The truth is that every human being is born with natural cannabinoid receptors in the brain. Over 60 types of cannabinoids have been identified, but the two most significant types that are being researched are tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol (CBD). The human body has its own cannabinoid system known as the endocannabinoid system, this is where the brain and immune system produce and process these cannabinoids and bind to the body’s receptors known as CB1 and CB2. Advances in science and technology have just recently allowed researches the ability to take a deeper look at the endocannabinoid system. The CB1 receptors are located in the brain and central nervous system, as well as other organs such as the digestive tract, lungs, kidneys, liver, and eyes. CB2 receptors are mainly found in tissues that deal immune function, including white blood cells, bone marrow, tonsils, and the spleen. The CB2 receptors have been proven to reduce pain on levels equal to morphine. This is significant because this side of marijuana does not produce the feeling of being ‘high’, opening a door to a new and natural non-narcotic pain relieving treatment. This has become the base level of studying marijuana as a medicine in the past couple decades. Now, over 23 states as well as the District of Columbia have made medical marijuana legal. 

Marijuana has received intense negative feedback for many years due to general lack of knowledge and perspectives of the public. Marijuana contains two significant active ingredients. The most well-known ingredient in cannabis is THC, the American government used to educate young people as this being the only layer to what marijuana is. Tetrahydrocannabinol is the psychoactive ingredient that is responsible for the feeling of being ‘high’; this is where the negative stigma clouding marijuana stems from. The government noticed this effect following an experiment conducted during the First World War. They immediately condemned marijuana as a drug that alters the reality of the user. The other layer of marijuana that most Americans are uneducated on is cannabidiol, which is responsible for the various healing effects associated with the drug. Researches are now suggesting CBD is effective for treating the symptoms of nausea, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, movement disorders, anorexia, chronic pain, and even the adverse effects associated with chemotherapy. More recently, CBD has demonstrated impressive neuroprotective effects, which translates to the potential anticancer cancer effects marijuana may contain. Brain cancer patients are being treated with CBD; it has been shown cannabinoids actually slow the growth of cancer cells in the most fatal brain tumor known as gliomas.   

The history of marijuana in the United States dates back to over a century ago. The drug has been under government prohibition since the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. This means that the production, possession, and distribution of the drug have been illegal because of its classification of a schedule I drug. The United States government began increasing restrictions in 1906, as they labeled cannabis as a poison. Outright prohibition of marijuana emerged in the 1920’s, and by the mid 1930’s marijuana was regulated as a drug in every state. Hemp plants used to be exported by the colonists of Jamestown to do their fair share towards supporting England. The production of hemp plants would grow to support the expansion of the American colonies. George Washington previously grew hemp as Mount Vernon; it was one of his three primary crops. The use of hemp was widely explored; rope and fabric became popular throughout the 18th and 19th century. The first medicinal exploration of cannabis became available in American pharmacies as early as 1850. William O’Shaughnessy was one of the first to associate marijuana with its medical benefits in western medicine in 1839. This, however, is only documented American history of the drug. Cannabis has been used medicinally for almost 5000 years; the first documented use of marijuana was in 2900 BC in China. The criminalization of the drug in the United States began with the Pure Food and Drug Act that was passed by Congress in 1906. This law required certain drugs, including cannabis, be labeled with the ingredients contained within. This is where the ambiguity of marijuana as a whole began in America. The following years resulted in various bans and speculation about the drug or poison and states soon began to criminalize the drug entirely. The American public was left in the dark as politicians sought to remove marijuana from society. Many are familiar with age old allegations of ‘reefer madness’. This saying marked the beginning of propaganda regarding the drug and resulted in a nation uneducated on and against the use and possession of cannabis. Due to the lack of scientific exploration and analysis, the American government closed all doors with everything surrounding marijuana. The drug became illegal and was classified on the same level of heroin and LSD. Both of which were noticed to have significantly visible adverse effects to the human body. A popular American filmed, Reefer Madness, condemned the use of marijuana and associated the drug with violent actions. The film focused on the American youth trying the drug for the first time. Directory Louis Gasnier depicted the ‘effects’ marijuana had on people. Gasnier associated actions such as suicide, rape, hallucination, and decent into madness due to marijuana use and addiction. This film had a groundbreaking effect on the public outlook of the drug because of its connection with the youth of America. Gasnier produced a fictional film that transformed into an educational tale about the negative effects of marijuana. The older generation during the time became frightened of the potential effect marijuana would have on their children. Throughout the late 1930’s, the public attitude shifted strongly against any form of marijuana without any solidified scientific knowledge of the drug. The first opposition to this outlook came nearly 60 years later. California passed the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, which allowed chronically ill residents to possess and use cannabis if prescribed by a medical professional. This was the birth of marijuana emerging as a medicine and sparked national interest regarding the true effects the drug has on the body. Twenty years later, intense scientific efforts and discoveries have been made to enhance the knowledge of marijuana and its medicinal properties. 

Marijuana is an increasingly popular industry and is emerging as a potentially extraordinary medical discovery. However, there are still millions of Americans entirely against the drug. While popularity of medicinal use of marijuana continues to increase, there is much backlash that accompanies its success. Legally, marijuana is still banned both medically and recreationally in more states than not. State governments possess the power to legalize marijuana within its own legislature; however the federal government is still able to act against these state laws.  Various raids have been conducted by the federal government on local state approved medical dispensaries. There is still much skepticism regarding the true medicinal properties marijuana is capable of. Because the medical marijuana phenomenon is still in its infancy, it is apparent there is still much unknown information regarding the topic. The fear of ingesting something both illegal and unknown to the user accounts for reasonable disagreement with the movement. While medical marijuana has received much attention for the positive effects it has, there is significant scientific evidence that indicate potential negative effects associated with consumption of the drug. Marijuana has accumulated various nicknames and slang terms to reference the drug over the years, including weed, pot, bud, ganja, grass, and the list goes on. Cannabis can be consumed in a variety of forms; the most popular form of consumption is to smoke the herb. The ingestion of smoke within the lungs can cause health complications in the future. Also there is much speculation regarding the long term effect cannabis has on the human brain. Studying the brain is intensely complicated, there is still much that is unknown about it. Researches have just recently discovered the cannabinoid receptors located in the brain, and evidence suggests there are adverse effects marijuana can cause within the brain. It is proven that the brain of adolescents is still developing for longer than many believe. The frontal lobes do not completely mature in most humans until the age of 25. The use of marijuana in adolescents is hypothesized to inflict long term complications within the development of the brain, including memory loss. Use of the drug before the brain is fully matured is also believed to induce potential psychological addictions to the substance, which may lead to abuse of marijuana or more serious drugs. There is still much reason to wade into the world of medical marijuana with caution.

The science behind modern medicine appears to many like a language that can only be understood by medical professionals. This leaves millions of Americans with no choice but to trust the advice and recommendation of local doctors and physicians. Prescription drugs have existed and been used across the globe for decades, and primarily consist of confusing and arduous chemicals unknown to the average American. The purpose and effects of these drugs are examined in laboratories and sold to the public on a massive scale daily. However there is a unsurmountable number of side effects that come into play when using these drugs that are meant to heal. When compared to the side effects of medical marijuana, prescription drugs appear as the drug that should be illegal. The abuse of prescription pain killers alone resulted in the death of over 15,000 Americans in 2015. Addiction and overdose are two words that are almost always coupled with prescription pain medication. Throughout the history of the world, there has not been a single documented fatality of a human being caused by the use of marijuana. Researched have discovered it is physically impossible to ingest enough marijuana for it to become remotely fatal. Despite the evidence, pain medication is prescribed and distributed on a massive scale to Americans every day. Yet the United States continues to struggle to legalize a plant that has been scientifically proven to reduce the frequency and severity of seizures in patients with epilepsy. Children voluntarily swallow chemicals that not even the most prestigious medical professional can explain the long term effects it will have. Questions are being asked of a newly emerging medical wonder drug; perhaps society should be wary of what goes unquestioned. The complete implementation of marijuana to the medical industry would benefit the lives of millions. 
