Marijuana: Persuasive Essay Essay, Research Paper

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.