"Leagalize It"

The article I found on the legalization of medical marijuana was about supporting its legaliztion, but there also included some counter arguments as to why medical marijuana should not be legalized. One supporting statement from the article was, ".. not allowing those suffering from illnesses caused by diseases such as AIDS, chemotherapy-related malaise, and glaucoma, is a violation of their natural rights to live without pain. Pain and suffering should not have to be something one should have to live with simply because of a law that is only in place for different purposes". A statement of the opposing position stated in the article was, "For instance one critic of numerous states proposals to allow the drug for medical purposes states that as a country, "We cannot afford to further erode youth attitudes toward drugs by allowing marijuana to be falsely depicted as a safe drug and as effective medicine. Labeling marijuana as 'medicine' sends the wrong message to children that it is a safe substance." (Khatapoush 2004)".

I, personally, believe that medical marijuana should definitly be legal. There are other drugs that doctors prescribe and give out for reasons such as pain and medication of some sort, most of those drugs are highly addictive, and not safe (cauing dependency and other health issues). I agree with the article posted above 100% percent. People who are in pain, have a right to live without it, which is why they go to doctors to get prescribed pain pills and muscle relaxers and sleeping medication. Marijuana can be used to solve problems such as the ones that are solved with highly addictive pills. Those pills are ALSO NOT intended for recreational use, but many people and children use them anyway, and without prescriptions. Most of the pills given for pain and sleep can be easily overdosed on, causing serious health problems or death. It is also illegal to have any kind of medication on you that is not prescribed to you. Marijuana cannot be overdosed on, and it cannot kill anyone. Just because marijuana is illegal because of tax purposes, the goverment finds other reasons to make it illegal. The precautions about any drugs should be learned about just like any other legally prescribed medication. I do not think that if medical marijuana were to be legal that it would encourage our society's youth to think that other drugs were okay to use. The only reason that marijuana is seen as a "hard drug" is because it is already illegal.

Many believe that marijuana is a "gateway drug", but anything that gives you any sort of high could be considered a gateway drug. It is a personal choice to take other drugs because you want to get a bigger and better high. Tabacco and alcohol are both legal, and are both drugs. Those who drink and smoke at the same time do it because they want to maintain their high, or get higher. Over the counter medicines are drugs also, they can also give you a high, and they can also build up a dependency and be overdosed on (leading to serious health problems or death). I think the only reason that marijuana is illegal is simply because it cannot be taxed, and that would mean when doctors prescribe it to their patients, they will not be getting paid for it. But the whole reason for medicine in itself, is to better and help someone else, as is having a profession as a doctor, so the money should not really matter after all.

Marijuana relieves pain, and helps those who cannot sleep or have no appetite. It also makes people happy. If it were legal, people would not be so uptight and worried about things that do not really matter. There would be less fighting, and more money and reason to help those who need to be incarcerated for other things such as acutally 'hard' drugs, murder, etc.

"Put a smile on ya face, make the world a better place. Put a smile on ya face, do what ya wanna do"