To Weed or Not to Weed

It is not difficult for me to give my opinion on the medicinal use of marijuana. I have witnessed the excruciating pain that is suffered by cancer patients and the various side effects from the surgeries and therapies, as well as the pain of cancer, itself. I am in favor of controlled use of marijuana as a prescribed medication in cases such as these.

There is the argument that marijuana has been shown to destroy brain cells in constant users. After a short remission after breast cancer, my best friend was in constant pain due to the pain of bone cancer, and her cancer had spread from there to her liver, lungs and brain. Since she was a terminal patient, I cannot see the harm in allowing her to legally procure and make use of marijuana. She would have been able to ease some of her pain, been able to rest and perhaps been able to live longer, since her death was hastened by the fact that she was in too much pain and too nauseated to eat properly, if at all. Her poor body was too malnourished by the time she was taken to the hospital to continue the fight.

Another person that I know is currently fighting colon cancer. Like my best friend, she has an aggressive form of cancer that gave her very little time in remission. She has experienced many rounds of chemotherapy, surgeries to remove tumors, and finally had to resort to removing a part of her colon, resulting in stint in her kidney and a colostomy bag that she hates, just so she can have a few more years with her children and grandchildren. She is in constant pain, she has a very difficult time eating due to nausea, and it is very difficult for her to rest. The pain medications and normal nausea medicines do not help her, much. She has even been prescribed Marinol (the synthetic THC for nausea), and that does not work.

I will not give names, since it is still illegal where they live to purchase marijuana to smoke, but I am told that both of these people were able to gain some relief by smoking marijuana. Certainly, smoking anything is a less healthy way of ingesting any medicinal substance, but since both cases are terminal, where is the harm? My sister-in-law is able to hold down more food and feel hungrier, while in less pain. My best friend, if she had been able to legally have marijuana without fear of repercussions may have been able to nourish her body and survive a little longer while in less pain.

There are many other conditions that cause severe, chronic pain. These conditions could include Multiple Sclerosis, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, AIDS, Lou Gehrig's disease, and muscular dystrophy. Marijuana should be treated as a controlled substance. Now, I am not foolish enough to believe that this will solve the illegal use of weed. There is plenty of illegal use of controlled substances, such as hydrocodone, oxycodone and alprazolam, to name a few. However, there will not be any more illegal use after allowing weed for legal uses than there already is.

In conclusion, I feel that the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes, as prescribed by doctors for certain conditions is quite alright. If nothing else, it gives people who are in the intense pain from the aforementioned conditions the legal right to try a medication that may help them to be more comfortable and improve their quality of life. I would hope that people would be able to put aside any preconceived notions and opinions to make people who are in varying forms of excruciating pain more comfortable with an attempt at a controlled usage.

Source:

Personal Opinion.
Experiences of personal friends.
Wikipedia.org
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/nyregion/12marijuana.html