Briana Elome

Writing for the Sciences

Position Paper

Is Marijuana Effective and Should it be Legal? NO!

      It has been a discussion among the science community whether marijuana should be legal and if it is effective as a treatment. Marijuana comes from a Cannabis plant that contains the chemical THC. It is used as a drug in the United States that possibly help patients. However, it has been used to satisfy people’s own needs and has led to addiction, especially among young people. The articles “Medical Use of Marijuana in Palliative Care” by Suzanne Johannigman, “Medical Cannabis: A guide to the clinical and legal landscapes” by Lara Carson Weinstein and “Cannabis for Chronis Pain: Challenges and Considerations” by Alfonso Romero-Sandoval either support or oppose the legalization of marijuana and the effects on the health. The articles discuss their views on whether they believe that marijuana should be medically used or if it should be legalized. Marijuana is in many ways harmful to the body and should not be legalized.

   A major argument in the topic of Marijuana is whether it is effective for the body. This article states that “research on pediatric patients who have epilepsy characterized by refractory seizures has shown that the impact of cannabis on their disease is promising … experienced a statistically significant reduction in number of seizures” (Caron-Weinstein). This shows that with epilepsy, medical marijuana is effective and people who use it shows progression.  However, another article states, “Smoking any substance has been linked to lung cancer, which carries the highest mortality rate of any cancer type in the United States” (Johanningman). Later on, the author mentions that, “states with legalized marijuana use have a significantly higher rate of marijuana use, abuse and dependence… marijuana has a documented withdrawal syndrome that produces side effects similar to other drug withdrawal syndromes” (Johanningman). This shows that although marijuana may be helpful for some, it also has negative effects such as it possibly being associated with cancer and it can be used for abuse, that there are side effects when one tries to withdraw from it.

     The use of cannabis may or may not have an impact on not only the physical health, but also the mental health. In regard to the mental, Weinstein mentions that “panic attacks are often associated with cannabis use”. Not only that but “there is moderate evidence suggesting that cannabis abuse is associated with psychiatric treatment and an increase in severity of PTSD symptoms”. These articles show that the use of cannabis has effects on people on people with disorders. While it may be advertised that the use of cannabis gives you a “good feeling”, it has long term effects. In his article, Romero-Sandoval states, “The report also indicates that the frequency of cannabis use is associated with progression to cannabis abuse. In fact, approximately 18.8% of people who use marijuana daily develop cannabis use disorder” (Romero- Sandoval). Cannabis use disorder, also known as marijuana addiction, is a diagnosis given to people who is negatively impacted by marijuana and experiences distress. It is something may be a result of the using marijuana.

     There are been testing done on the impact of marijuana. However, people who support the legalization of cannabis argue that there has not been enough testing done and this is because of it being illegal in many states. They also believe that with the legalization, a lot of other things can be determined and measured such as perfecting the quality of the marijuana. This article states “Legalization of a cannabis for medicinal purposes provides a significant advantage to control the quality of the cannabis plant by setting high-quality standards to produce a… certified safe and clean, toxic-free, and pure product with known cannabinoid concentrations” (Romero-Sandoval). In states where this drug is illegal, there is no control over it due to people secretly selling and buying it. It is no longer being used for medical reasons which causes people to misuse it. Carson- Weinstein states, “Given the significant complexities of performing medical research with plant-based Cannabis in the United States, little research has been done. (Carson-Weinstein). If marijuana was legal in the states that they are not legal in, there would be more research to be done and see its true impact on different people. However, the limitation on it is interfering with people who want to do studies on it. Also, in efforts to keep marijuana from being researched, it causes more difficulties. The article states, “Attempts to restrict cannabis for medical use have been expensive, ineffective, and usually counterproductive; therefore, proponents for decriminalizing cannabis for medical use argue that fiscal resources would be conserved” (Johannigman). There is more harm being done, according to Johannigman, and allowing it to be legal would make it easier for most.

     Though marijuana being illegal may put limitations on scientists doing more testing on it, legalizing marijuana in all states would raise the statistics of the amount of people who are wrongly using it and may experience cannabis use disorder. For example, it was “reported that public opinion regarding marijuana legalization was influenced by the current debate of how to use it medicinally. States with legalized marijuana use for medical purposes have a significantly higher rate of marijuana use, abuse, and dependence” (Johannigman). The states with it already legal experiences marijuana abuse and harm. Therefore, it is far more risky to legalize it in all states to be able to conduct more experiments, while more people are abusing it. Johannigman go on to say, “the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2011) also cites that long-term marijuana use leads to an addiction that interferes with family, school, work, and recreational activities” (Johannigman). Young people who are more likely to abuse marijuana will be even disrupted if it was made legal. Marijuana has a negative impact on people, and it is not worth it to legalize it everywhere for experiments. This would lead to more disorders and more mental health issues to many.

     There are two different views on whether marijuana is effective to the body and if it should be made legal in all states. From scientific perspectives, there are disagreements as to if it is good for the physical health. Some believe that it brings reliefs for certain pains, while others believe that it has harming side effects. Some articles discussed its impact on mental health, stating the effects marijuana may have on those with mental disorders. With cannabis being illegal, it is difficult for some to conduct proper research on it and what it can potentially do in favor and in harm of people who use it. However, marijuana is known to have negative effects on people and legalizing it all states would only worsen the circumstances.

Romero-Sandoval, E. A., Fincham, J. E., Kolano, A. L., Sharpe, B. N., & Abigail Alvarado-Vázquez, P. (2018). Cannabis for Chronic Pain: Challenges and Considerations. Pharmacotherapy, 38(6), 651–662. https://doi-org.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/10.1002/phar.2115

Johannigman, S., & Eschiti, V. (2013). Medical Use of Marijuana in Palliative Care. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 17(4), 360–362. https://doi-org.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/10.1188/13.CJON.360-362

Weinstein, L. C., & Worster, B. (2019). Medical Cannabis: A guide to the clinical and legal landscapes. Journal of Family Practice, 68(7), 390