Medical Marijuana

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how opponents fear that legalizing marijuana for medical purposes will open the door for legalization across the board. They claim that synthetic versions of the drug work as well or better. The paper explains that proponents hail marijuana as a wonder drug for a number of medical complaints and claim that synthetic marijuana does not offer the same relief as the pure form. The paper asserts that with many glowing recommendations and support from a myriad of medical organizations, it is puzzling why marijuana is illegal at all, particularly for medical purposes. The paper contends that arguments against the legalization of medical marijuana are simply not logical or founded in scientific research.

From the Paper:

"Archeologists in Taiwan uncovered clay pots from 8000 B.C. that were decorated with strands of hemp (Earleywine 4). Societies have been smoking, eating, making clothes, and trading marijuana for thousands of years. In fact, in 2737 B.C., the Chinese Emperor Sheng Nun declared cannabis as a "superior herb"(Merrett). Roughly a thousand years later, the Scythians, a cannabis-smoking tribe, came through Europe and Asia, introducing a useful tool for harvesting the crop (Merrett). The plant is even mentioned in the Bible: in Exodus, Chapter 30, God instructs Moses to take sweet "kineboison" as one of several ingredients to make holy oil (Merrett)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Alcohol Related Deaths. Narconon. Retrieved August 04 2006 from:http://www.stopaddiction.com/narconon_alcohol_deaths.html#
• "Controlled Substance Act." Wikipedia. 2006. Retrieved August 04 2006 from:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_Substances_Act
• Drug War Facts. Retrieved August 04 2006 from:http://www.drugwarfacts.org/causes.htm#item1
• Earleywine, Mitch. Understanding Marijuana: A New Look at the Scientific Evidence. Oxford University Press. 2002. Pp. 9,10,11,14,16,170,171,172, 211. Retrieved July 26 from Questia Online Library.
• Henderson, Stephen. "Court loss for medical marijuana: Users in the 11 states that allow it can still face federal prosecution, justices ruled by 6-3, while not invalidating laws in those states." The Philadelphia Inquirer. June 07 2005. Retrieved July 26 2006 from HighBeam Research Library.

More papers on Medical Marijuana:

• Analytical Essay # 123880 : "Medical Marijuana and Ethics"
• Argumentative Essay # 140031 : "Medical Marijuana - Poison, Panacea, or Placebo"
• Argumentative Essay # 127840 : "Medical Marijuana: Boon or Bane?"
• Analytical Essay # 74047 : "Medical Marijuana"

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