The Benefits Of Medical Marijuana

Marijuana and hemp have been used and cultivated in the United States and other countries for centuries. Hemp was grown for its fibers that can be used to make clothing, ropes, and paper. It can also be used to make an oil which has many purposes such as cooking, and it can be made into fuel. Hemp and marijuana are valuable resources that can be used to replace some the natural resources that are currently being used in daily life. Both plants contain THC which caused the halt in production. Why was marijuana and any plant containing THC criminalized? They were criminalized because not enough was known of the plant and assumptions were made. In past decades, more research has been conducted and more knowledge has been gained which contradicts …show more content…
For centuries, marijuana has been used to treat various illnesses. Marijuana is a known pain reliever but it can also help glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, appetite stimulation, nausea and vomiting, epilepsy, bipolar disorder, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, Tourette’s syndrome, and asthma, (Moccia, 2002). Just like any other medication, marijuana must be prescribed by a licensed physician in order to help or treat any of these illnesses. Currently, medical marijuana is legal in 24 states. The state of Colorado sees the potential marijuana has on other illnesses and ailments. Because of this, they approved $8.4 million to research the medical effectiveness of marijuana on childhood epilepsy, post-traumatic stress disorder, Parkinson’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, pediatric brain tumors, and spine pain (Ingold, 2014). Medical marijuana has already helped some of these diseases and disorders, but researchers want to see more concrete evidence than some medical survival stories. Unfortunately, because of the strict guidelines set by the FDA, drug development will rely on man-made pharmaceuticals because they are more controlled and won’t contain contaminants that plants can, (Maule, 2015). Marijuana has already been legalized for medical purposes in some states, and has already saved numerous lives. Many news …show more content…
Some states have already legalized the plant for recreational and medical purposes and has already seen the effects it can have on the economy. Colorado, alone, has had $700 million in medical and recreational marijuana sales and this caused $63 million in tax revenue, (Ingraham, 2015). As part of the law agreed upon by voters, a percentage of the revenue will be used to help the school systems and raise awareness of marijuana. In January of 2014, marijuana raised $195,286 and a year later it raised a total of $12,623,379 for the Public School Capital Construction Assistance Fund Transfer (Colorado Department of Revenue, 2015). Colorado is also having problems placing all of the tax revenue collected, so they have thousands of dollars that have not yet been allocated. These funds will be distributed wherever necessary. Oregon, another state to legalize marijuana, has also received economic help. According to the Oregon Department of Revenue, “…[marijuana will bring in an] estimated $10.7 million in revenue for the 2015-2017 biennium,” (2016). The tax revenue will be divided between the Common School Fund, law enforcement, government programs, and drug abuse/prevention programs. Both states are benefiting from the legalization and both states are using the tax revenue for similar purposes. The revenue is helping out the schools, but in a sense legalizing marijuana is paying