Medical Marijuana Benefits

As alluded to earlier in this paper, Marijuana has both health and non-medicinal benefits to the users of the plant. This paper will start by analyzing the health benefits and will conclude by outlining the non-medicinal benefits of the drug. Medical Marijuana can be used to prevent and treat glaucoma in patients. Glaucoma is a disease that increases pressure in the eyeball and causes loss of vision as it often damages the optical nerve. In a study conducted in 1970 by the National Eye Institute reveals that when smoked, Marijuana lowers intraocular pressure in people with and without glaucoma thus preventing blindness (Bello, 2010). The American Medical Association published a research in 2012 that revealed that Marijuana does not impair lung function and instead increases the capacity of the users’ lungs (Bello, 2010). Contrary to what critics say, the study researched the lung function of approximately five thousand adults over a span of two decades. It was established that the tobacco users in the sample lost lung function over the period of the study while the contrary was true for Marijuana users. Their lung capacity improved over the period of the study. Dr. Delorenzo in his journal article published in the journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics established that Marijuana is an alternative that can be used to control epileptic seizures. In his research, epileptic rats exposed to extracts from Marijuana were rid of seizures for a period of approximately ten hours and thus leading to his inference that indeed tetrahydrocannabinol can control epileptic seizures as it triggers and binds the brain cells that cause relaxation and excitability (Werner, 2011). It also controls seizures that occur because of Dravet Syndrome. Most importantly, tetrahydrocannabinol, the active element of Marijuana has the capability of averting or suppressing cancer. According to the research, Marijuana suppresses Id-1 genes that accumulate in cancer-infected organs of the body. It also kills cancer cells thus limiting the spread of the disease (Werner, 2011). Marijuana as …show more content…
While some states within the United States of America have legalized the use of Cannabis Sativa, this paper is of the view that all other states and countries should follow suit and legalize use of Marijuana to ensure people fully reap from the benefits of ingesting the contents of the contentious plant. According to the research, there are 23 states in the U.S. allow their citizens using marijuana as medicine purpose. California is the first state passed the law of legalizing marijuana in 1996 with 56% votes. However, the law also mentions the dosage and approved conditions to ensure the user’s health. Surprisingly, Delaware is one of the 23 states and the government passed the law in 2011 (23 Legal medical, n.d.). The problem is that some people may lose the opportunity for some better treatments. Marijuana is a natural occurring substance that is devoid of chemicals and toxins. Many individuals however avoid using the plant for recreational purposes because of the fact that it is illegal in most parts of the world. As an alternative, the individuals take up other recreational substances that are more harmful to their health as they have gone through the manufacturing process and laced with toxic chemicals. This paper suggests that legalizing Marijuana would indeed keep individuals off other forms of drugs that are far more lethal and have no health benefits whatsoever, for instance, cigarettes and