Could Marijuana be an Alternative Medicine to Treat Severe Depression?

Should marijuana be legal to help people deal with depression? For some this could be a way to get away from taking anti depressants and all the side affects that come with taking anti depressants. Some people who have been prescribed anti depressants have actually committed suicide. I have been depressed for many years and I have been prescribed many different anti depressants. These drugs never worked for me, I started using marijuana. For me smoking marijuana did slow down my thoughts and it made it easier for me to deal with my depression. It may not have cured my depression, but it took away many of my negative thoughts. It also helped me relax and I was at most times in a better mood. I was not dwelling on my depression or crying over every little thing.

Although, this is not an alternative for all people suffering from depression, it may help some. Marijuana is legal in some states for people to use that are suffering from cancer or other diseases. If this drug helps some people with these diseases, then why couldn't it help people who are suffering from depression? Some people may argue that taking marijuana would not be healthy; well taking most prescription drugs is not healthy.

There may be risk involved in using this drug, but isn't there risk in taking all drugs? Some may even argue that this could impair ones ability to drive and that may be true. You see more people being killed from drinking and driving; there are not many, if any, people who are killed for driving while under the influence of marijuana.

There are negative things about marijuana; one being it tends to unmotivated the person who is using it. For some people who are suffering from depression it may also become addictive. I personally would rather be unmotivated then to have thoughts of suicide. Another negative aspect is that when a person has been using marijuana for a long period of time, they become immune to the drug. This makes the person using the drug use it more frequently then they normally would.

There are new drugs and research being done to cure depression or to help a person cope with depression. What would it hurt to do research on people who are severely depressed using marijuana? Where all else fails we should try new things if others do not work. If marijuana can be legal for one disease, then why can't it be legal to treat another?

I have used marijuana for over 20 years to help me with my depression and I am fine. It never made me do anything that would be considered a crime. I have been off marijuana for 3 years now and I still find my depression easier to deal with and I am not on any medications to treat my depression. I never have thoughts of suicide, although, I still have my "moods". These moods do not last as long as they once did and I seem to be able to control my moods. This is why I am all for treating severely depressed people with marijuana. When there is no hope and other medications are not working, I believe a person who is suffering from depression should have the choice to try and treat their depression using marijuana.