Marijuana Legalization for Medical Purposes

There will always be many debates about the legalization of marijuana for medical and recreational purposes. I believe most of those opinions to be based on circumstance, lifestyle, and upbringing. I believe people should research facts before they come up with an opinion. I have done a lot of reading and research about the benefits of using marijuana medically. Some suggested medical benefits include easing symptoms of chemotherapy in cancer patients, schizophrenia symptoms, controlling nausea and vomiting, and can help arouse the appetite. Over the years there have been few studies done due to the lack of funding. In some of the studies it was proven that the THC in marijuana slows the growth of cancers and can add time to the persons' lifespan.

In the United States, there are only 16 states that have passed a bill to allow marijuana for medical purposes. Missouri however, is not one of those states. Apparently, Missouri is a state that severely punishes for the possession of marijuana no matter how small the amount.

In my opinion, I honestly do believe that marijuana should be legal in the medical community. I do not understand why so many people seem to have a problem with it. I am sure that if we had a loved one in severe pain or not eating, we would want to ease their pain and suffering in any way possible. I also support the recreational use of marijuana with restrictions of course. Alcohol and cigarettes are much more deadly than marijuana. I've seen alcohol and cigarettes ruin lives; many of my friends started drinking and smoking before they ever got high off of anything. Of course, we're going to put limits on the age and quantity for marijuana use. If so much money is being used to stop it from coming in and there's still an abundant quantity left, imagine how much money we would be making if we did legalize it. It's going to bring the economy back and plus with companies growing it, it would eliminate the foreign cartels, thus making the world a little bit safer. I see no reason for it to be illegal.

As far as the long and short term effects go, I believe that cigarettes and alcohol have many more damaging effects than marijuana. There are many disasters that happen from smoking and drinking. There are no proven long term effects on users of marijuana.