Austin Starnes

Professor Dagher
UWRT 1102
April 6th, 2015
Want is true in the Medical Marijuana controversy?
Medical marijuana is one of the most controversial topics in the United States right now
because there are so many different points of view and a lot of mis skewing of information. A story for
example, a young girl has been diagnosed with severe cluster headaches. A issues that medical
marijuana has been proven to help with. Her state of residence has not approved marijuana to be used
for medical purposes, so how was the problem dealt with? Most likely the girl will be prescribed
multiple prescriptions. One day she feels a cluster headache beginning to happen and goes to the
bathroom to take some medicines, she does and feels better for a bit but it doesn't quite fix the issue. So
she takes another pill, her body could not handle the extra amount of medicine in her system and goes
into shock trying to regulate it. Marijuana could have possible allowed this girl to have a alternate
source of medication after the first pill did not work. I live in NC a state that currently has not legalized
medical marijuana, that being said I do not have any hands on experience with the plant however I have
multiple coworker who do or have in the past used marijuana. I chose this topic because you see a lot
of things being said about this drug that are negative, however their has never been any deaths recorded
from it so I think that it a important aspect of medicine that needs to be explored and utilized in the best
way possible. I have heard people say its addicting and is a gateway drug, yet only 10% of people who
use marijuana experience withdrawal symptoms when no longer using, and I know people that the only
drug they do is marijuana and say it has deferred them from trying any other kind of drug.
Any form of medicine is important and serves a valuable purpose, so I would like to explore
into some of the facts that are heard about marijuana and come to a conclusion about it through proven
facts. This is a issue that I believe effects everyone because with the major monopoly that the

government and the healthcare systems have on the ability to control and regulate the prescriptions that
are handed out it would be beneficial to have access to another form of medication that you cant
overdose on and is significantly cheaper then prescription medicine. I believe that having a alternate
sources of medical attention would allow for people who have multiple heath concerns to address them
without having to bankrupt themselves with prescriptions. They could use medical marijuana for some
of the not as major issues so they can focus their money on anything that marijuana would not help
with. Be able to provide the population with a cheaper alternative medicine would make a huge
difference in a lot of peoples life especially from a financial stand point. I think that addressing the
controversy that surrounds the issue was the best way to approach it because some of the information
present is from two different points of view.
Now the issue is that there are two extremes that are address on the forefront when talking about
marijuana. The supporters stand behind claims that praise its medical benefits, how it has never been
linked to any deaths, and comparisons to other drugs such as less inhibiting then alcohol and not as
addicting or dangerous as tobacco. The Opposition stands by claims that it is a gateway drug (meaning
the user will tend to move towards using stronger drugs), that long-term use can kill brain cells and hurt
overall IQ levels, and is a highly addicting substance. I would like to address both sides and determine
what I believe are the true facts and determine my point of view. I want to draw from both sides with
positive and negative views to make sure that the view that I form utilizes all information and forms a
TRUE view with a absence of bias.
Now not unlike all medications Marijuana does have its benefits and its risk. One of the primary
risk is that most user choose to self-medicate, typically in the form of inhalation. When Marijuana is
smoked in the form of a cigarette, if compared directly to tobacco users, studies show that smoking
marijuana actually delivers almost four times as much tar into the smokers lungs than tobacco, however
tobacco users also take in about twice as much carbon monoxide. These are the two primary factors to
diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and

asthmatic bronchitis. When comparing symptoms of these diseases it is also found that tobacco and
marijuana users share a lot of the same symptoms however marijuana users did not experience a
shortness of breath in the same time period as the tobacco users. Note that there was also no link
between Marijuana and COPD/Lung disease. Controversy arrises when talk of the trues safest way to
medicate using marijuana. Marijuana can be inhaled, eaten, or taken in a pill form.
Safety is the priority when one is taking any form of medication, and certain measures must be
taken prior to use.The most ideal and safest was when choosing to self-medicate medical marijuana is
to use a edible. Precautions arise when taken a edible, such as quantity, quality, and how long one
wants the desired effect. If one takes to much the high may be too intense or scary, however there has
never been any confirmation of a cannabis based overdose. Another options that has recently been
growing in popularity is that of Vaping. Vaping is the process of heating the marijuana between two
hot plates to exactly the necessary temperature to release THC, while other chemicals are released
some may be controlled when applying this method. Dabbing is another option in which one applies
a wax form of THC to a hot plate and inhales the smoke produced. This option is less favorable by
most due to the over concentration of THC and normally results in a bad or unsatisfying high.
Another main argument is that Marijuana is addicting. Marijuana is is addicting in the form that
users normally have a higher dependency and are highly habitual users. However only 10% of
Marijuana users experience withdrawal symptoms when no longer using Marijuana. The 10% who do
experience withdrawal feel that the symptoms are very similar to those of tobacco withdrawal. Being
that only 10% experience these symptoms I personally would not say that they are addicting but due to
it having some form of addictive quality it will generally be considered addicting. A close friend of
mine was a active marijuana user for over 10+ years, and due to some recent issues they were required
to stop smoking marijuana. This person says that they feel no symptoms of withdrawal except for lack
of sleep and lack of appetite.
After reviewing this I am leading toward the view of the supporters of marijuana, its ability to

treat a multitude of health concerns proves that it should be recognized as a viable form of medicine.
However I cannot say that without addressing the way it is used. I think that if it is going to be used as
medicine the primary focus of the government should be finding away to distribute the necessary
amount of Marijuana that is necessary to treat certain issues and find away to provide that in a way that
the patient could use it without inhalation, because even thought marijuana wont kill you inhaling any
kind of hot smoke is not beneficial for ones body and is not the proper way to self-medicate. I would
like to say that I have seen both sides, I know people who smoke every morning and consistently
throughout the day and have the ability to continue to be productive but I have also seen people who if
the use marijuana are no longer functioning at the same speed that they due when not under the
influence of the drug. I believe this is due purely on just they way each individual responds to the drug
which is another factor to take into play when addressing marijuana form a medical perspective.
Discovering all of the uses for medical marijuana it changes how I view these dispensary and
medical marijuana. I believe that it could be made into one of the most effective forms of medicine if
we just put the time and money into proper research. And I am disappointed that the United States has
not been more active in trying to utilize medial marijuana in a appropriate fashion. I am still curious to
see what all different kinds of things that medical marijuana could help with. I would also like to see
how the overall spread of the use of medical marijuana moves across the states of the US. If I were to
continue to research this topic I would like to address the financial aspect of using this as a alternate
source of medicine.

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