Brief Description of Massachusetts’ Medical Marijuana Law
As of January 1st of 2013, the state of Massachusetts’ took into effect a law which was passed upon receiving the majority of votes to legalize the use of medical marijuana. While the Department of Health is still in the process of establishing more in depth regulations, this law has set several factors that are its foundation. Although there is no age requirement that one must be to consume medical marijuana, a person must be properly diagnosed by a licensed physician for having a severe illness such as cancer, glaucoma, and Parkinson’s disease to name a few. Under this law, patients as well as caregivers and physicians are not subject to a criminal prosecution. However, patients, caregivers, …show more content…
Even in this scenario where marijuana would be legalized strictly for purposes that would better a person’s health, communities are still skeptical and opposed to this idea. Marijuana in the medicinal form has been proven from numerous scientific studies to better the health of patients with severe illnesses. Melissa Dantz Zerbel mentioned that her father was diagnosed with stage four melanoma and this resulted in him eventually loosing the ability to walk around. After he began to use marijuana, his ability to once again walk around and laugh was returned (Towns Struggle 6). The overall goal of this law is not necessarily for business and the state to benefit financially but to physically better the health of people suffering from severe near death illnesses. However, there are certainly negative aspects to this law that are understandable and concerning. Employers are given no notification as to whether or not one of their employees is a registered medical marijuana consumer. This can be very troubling because if someone is working in a factory that requires operating machinery and they are under the influence, there is a lot that can go wrong. Another concerning aspect about this new law is that it will be hard to control who gets their hands on the drug. Security measures surrounding marijuana can be difficult because just as people of age purchase alcohol for minors, there is nothing stopping someone with a registration card to obtain marijuana for a minor or someone that does not need the
As of January 1st of 2013, the state of Massachusetts’ took into effect a law which was passed upon receiving the majority of votes to legalize the use of medical marijuana. While the Department of Health is still in the process of establishing more in depth regulations, this law has set several factors that are its foundation. Although there is no age requirement that one must be to consume medical marijuana, a person must be properly diagnosed by a licensed physician for having a severe illness such as cancer, glaucoma, and Parkinson’s disease to name a few. Under this law, patients as well as caregivers and physicians are not subject to a criminal prosecution. However, patients, caregivers, …show more content…
Even in this scenario where marijuana would be legalized strictly for purposes that would better a person’s health, communities are still skeptical and opposed to this idea. Marijuana in the medicinal form has been proven from numerous scientific studies to better the health of patients with severe illnesses. Melissa Dantz Zerbel mentioned that her father was diagnosed with stage four melanoma and this resulted in him eventually loosing the ability to walk around. After he began to use marijuana, his ability to once again walk around and laugh was returned (Towns Struggle 6). The overall goal of this law is not necessarily for business and the state to benefit financially but to physically better the health of people suffering from severe near death illnesses. However, there are certainly negative aspects to this law that are understandable and concerning. Employers are given no notification as to whether or not one of their employees is a registered medical marijuana consumer. This can be very troubling because if someone is working in a factory that requires operating machinery and they are under the influence, there is a lot that can go wrong. Another concerning aspect about this new law is that it will be hard to control who gets their hands on the drug. Security measures surrounding marijuana can be difficult because just as people of age purchase alcohol for minors, there is nothing stopping someone with a registration card to obtain marijuana for a minor or someone that does not need the