Legalizing marijuana for medical issues Research Proposal

Legalizing marijuana for medical issues - Research Proposal Example Legalizing marijuana is an extremely contentious issue in the United States today.   Many view marijuana as a getaway drug with no therapeutic or medical value; however, the medical community wants marijuana legalized to treat patients with a multitude of medical and mental conditions. Marijuana finds its application in the field of medicines and many patients of cancer and AIDS find quick relief owing to the drug. Diseases like arthritis, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and depression can also be treated with the help of this drug. Reports often reveal that marijuana has not only been able to improve the effects of prescriptions drugs, but also eradicates the negative impact of drugs sued for the treatment of cancer and AIDS. This was proved when the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 in California legalized the medical use of the drug. For several years the drug has been used for medical purposes. For instance in 1941, the drug has been used in the US Pharmacopoeia. Several challenges have been faced from the side of law with respect to the prohibition of the medical use of the drug encouraged government investigations and all these procedures have ensured the worthiness as well as the safety of the application of this drug in medicines. â€Å"Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known. The evidence in this record clearly shows that marijuana has been accepted as capable of relieving the distress of great numbers of very ill people, and doing so with safety under medical supervision. It would be unreasonable, arbitrary, and capricious for DEA to continue to stand between those sufferers and the benefits of this substance in light of the evidence in this record.† (Eidelman and Voth, 2002) A study carried out at the John Hopkins University of Baltimore deals with the impact of the drug on the cognitive