Marijuana is one of the safest
therapeutically active substances known.
No one has ever died from an overdose, and
it has a wide variety of therapeutic
applications:
* Relief from nausea and increase of
appetite;
* Reduction of intarlobular ("within
the eye") pressure;
* Reduction of muscle spasms;
* Relief from chronic pain.
Marijuana is frequently beneficial in the
treatment of the following conditions:
* AIDS. Marijuana can reduce the
nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite
caused by the ailment itself and by
various AIDS medications.
* Glaucoma. Marijuana can reduce
interlobular pressure, thereby alleviating
the pain and slowing -- and sometimes
stopping -- the progress of the condition.
(Glaucoma is the leading cause of
blindness in the United States. It damages
vision by increasing eye pressure over
time.)
* Cancer. Marijuana can stimulate the
appetite and alleviate nausea and
vomiting, which are common side effects of
chemotherapy treatment.
* Multiple Sclerosis. Marijuana can
limit the muscle pain and spasticity
caused by the disease, as well as
relieving tremor and unsteadiness of gait.
(Multiple sclerosis is the leading cause
of neurological disability among young and
middle-aged adults in the United States.)
* Epilepsy. Marijuana can prevent
epileptic seizures in some patients.
* Chronic Pain. Marijuana can
alleviate the chronic, often debilitating
pain caused by myriad disorders and
injuries.
Each of these applications has been deemed
legitimate by at least one court,
legislature, and/or government agency in
the United States.
Many patients also report that marijuana
is useful for treating arthritis,
migraine, menstrual cramps, alcohol and
opiate addiction, and depression and other
debilitating mood disorders.
Marijuana could be helpful for millions of
patients in the United States.
Nevertheless, other than for the seven
people with special permission from the
federal government, medical marijuana
remains illegal!
People currently suffering from any of the
conditions mentioned above, for whom the
legal medical options have proven unsafe
or ineffective, have two options:
1. Continue to suffer from the ailment
itself; or
2. Illegally obtain marijuana -- and
risk suffering consequences such as:
* an insufficient supply due to
the prohibition-inflated price or
scarcity;
* impure, contaminated, or
chemically adulterated marijuana;
* arrests, fines, court costs,
property forfeiture, incarceration,
probation, and criminal records.
Background
Prior to 1937, at least 27 medicines
containing marijuana were legally
available in the United States. Many were
made by well-known pharmaceutical firms
that still exist today, such as Squibb
(now Bristol-Myers Squibb) and Eli Lilly.
The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 federally
prohibited marijuana. Dr. William C.
Woodward of the American Medical
Association opposed the Act, testifying
that prohibition would ultimately prevent
the medicinal uses of marijuana.
The Controlled Substances Act of 1970
placed all illicit and prescription drugs
into five "schedules" (categories).
Marijuana was placed in Schedule I,
defining it as having a high potential for
abuse, no currently accepted medicinal use
in treatment in the United States, and a
lack of accepted safety for use under
medical supervision.
This definition simply does not apply to
marijuana. Of course, at the time of the
Controlled Substances Act, marijuana had
been prohibited for more than three
decades. Its medicinal uses forgotten,
marijuana was considered a dangerous and
addictive narcotic.
A substantial increase in the number of
recreational users in the 1970s
contributed to the rediscovery of
marijuana's medicinal uses:
1. Many scientists studied the health
effects of marijuana and inadvertently
discovered marijuana's astonishing
medicinal history in the process.
2. Many who used marijuana
recreationally also suffered from diseases
for which marijuana is beneficial. By
fluke, they discovered its therapeutic
usefulness.
As the word spread, more and more patients
started self-medicating with marijuana.
However, marijuana's Schedule I status
bars doctors from prescribing it and
severely curtails research.
This information is courtesy of 2003 The
Medical Marijuana Briefing Paper
