Essay/Term paper: Marijuana: persuasive essay

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Alcohol and Drugs

Marijuana: Persuasive Essay



In California there is still more controversial debate over the use of
marijuana for medical purposes. The advantage with using marijuana for medical
reason is, it eases the pain, and relaxes them so they can enjoy the rest of
their life. For these terminally ill patients the marijuana also makes them
happy and enjoyable to be around. The disadvantage is that after smoking it for
an extended period of time the majority of the patients will develop lung cancer.
That is not so bad for them considering there is no cure for their disease. My
stand point on this subject is that it is a good idea for marijuana to be used
as a medical drug for the treatment in terminal illnesses.
The state law proposition 215 which says, that pot is legal to smoke if
you are using it for medical reasons in terminally ill cases. This proposition
was on the November ballot and was voted into effect. The federal law that was
put into effect no to long ago, states that using marijuana for any reason
including medical reasons is illegal. This law was put into effect by the
president Bill Clintion. I feel that the law enforcers in California should
ignore the federal law or appeal it in court.
There is another drug that is illegal to use in any way but for medical
reasons. That drug is morphine, it is used in hospitals to relieve the sever
pain of any patient. The reason I know this is that recently my mother was in
the hospital for a brain aneurysm and when she got headaches she was given
morphine. This is just like what is going on in California, people diagnosed
with AIDS and other illnesses should be able to use strong medicines including
marijuana to ease the suffering that they are experiencing.
Especially in California where there are more AIDS cases there than any
other place in the nation. All over the state there are clinics that supply
patients with pot for them to use to relax. Some of these places have strict
guidelines for acquiring marijuana and others do not have so strict guidelines.
One of the clinics or clubs(as they call them) was raided and shutdown by state
narcotics agents. The club's name was Cannabis Buyers Club, which has
thousands of members was the one shutdown. The patients that received their pot
there were upset. City Hall, in the first week got 150 calls asking for help.
Officials went to the Healing Alternatives Foundation and asked for help.
Matthew Sharp, the foundation director and an AIDS patient told the mayor that
he would not help because of the guidelines.
Matthew sharp also said he "really never liked to smoke pot." But after
he was diagnosed with wasting syndrome, the smoking helped him to relax and it
helped he over come the nausea and start eating again. That is another way of
how smoking pot has helped these patients start enjoying their lives more.
There are more patients with stories like his and that is why I feel that
Proposition 215 should be enforce and not the federal law. I think that
California should appeal the federal law for the health and happiness of the
patients. That is my position on this subject.