Persuasive Essay: The Use of Marijuana for Medical Purposes
In California there is still more controversial debate over the use of marijuana for
medical purposes. The advantage with using marijuana for medical reason is, it eases the
pain, and relaxes them so they can enjoy the rest of their life. For these terminally
ill patients the marijuana also makes them happy and enjoyable to be around. The
disadvantage is that after smoking it for an extended period of time the majority of the
patients will develop lung cancer. That is not so bad for them considering there is no
cure for their disease. My stand point on this subject is that it is a good idea for
marijuana to be used as a medical drug for the treatment in terminal illnesses.
The state law proposition 215 which says, that pot is legal to smoke if you are using it
for medical reasons in terminally ill cases. This proposition was on the November ballot
and was voted into effect. The federal law that was put into effect no to long ago,
states that using marijuana for any reason including medical reasons is illegal. This
law was put into effect by the president Bill Clintion. I feel that the law enforcers in
California should ignore the federal law or appeal it in court.
There is another drug that is illegal to use in any way but for medical reasons. That
drug is morphine, it is used in hospitals to relieve the sever pain of any patient. The
reason I know this is that recently my mother was in the hospital for a brain aneurysm
and when she got headaches she was given morphine. This is just like what is going on in
California, people diagnosed with AIDS and other illnesses should be able to use strong
medicines including marijuana to ease the suffering that they are experiencing.
Especially in California where there are more AIDS cases there than any other place in
the nation. All over the state there are clinics that supply patients with pot for them
to use to relax. Some of these places have strict guidelines for acquiring marijuana and
others do not have so strict guidelines. One of the clinics or clubs(as they call them)
was raided and shutdown by state narcotics agents. The club's name was Cannabis Buyers
Club, which has thousands of members was the one shutdown. The patients that received
their pot there were upset. City Hall, in the first week got 150 calls asking for help.
Officials went to the Healing Alternatives Foundation and asked for help. Matthew Sharp,
the foundation director and an AIDS patient told the mayor that he would not help because
of the guidelines.
Matthew sharp also said he "really never liked to smoke pot." But after he was diagnosed
with wasting syndrome, the smoking helped him to relax and it helped he over come the
nausea and start eating again. That is another way of how smoking pot has helped these
patients start enjoying their lives more. There are more patients with stories like his
and that is why I feel that Proposition 215 should be enforce and not the federal law. I
think that California should appeal the federal law for the health and happiness of the
patients. That is my position on this subject.
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