Resolved: Medical Marijuana should be legal

I am going to continue my last arguments. And I thank my opponentRebuttles Ever since the mid 70s, medical scientists have been well aware of the beneficial effects of cannabinoid compounds over cancerous cells. Thanks to modern science, over a dozen studies conducted during recent years have been able to partially reveal just how it works. Yet cannabis is still not endorsed by pharmaceutical companies as a cancer cure, and since it is not promoted through mainstream channels, very few people are aware of its benefits. Consequently, it is not sought after as an alternative to disfiguring chemotherapy and other harmful drugs.Laboratory tests conducted in 2008 by a team of scientists formed as a joint research effort between Spain, France and Italy, and published in The Journal Of Clinical Investigation, showed that the active ingredient in marijuana, known as tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, can function as a cure for brain cancer by inducing human glioma cell death through stimulation of autophagy.The study concluded that via the same biochemical process THC could terminate multiple types of cancers, affecting various cells in the body. Other studies have shown that cannabinoids may work by various mechanisms, including inhibiting cell growth, inducing cell death, and inhibiting tumor metastasis.What is amazing is that while cannabinoids effectively target and kill cancerous cells, they do not affect healthy, normal cells and may actually protect them against cellular death. Moreover, cannabinoids are also researched for their pain-modulation and anti-inflammatory abilities as they bind to special receptors in the brain, much like opioid derivatives that are commonly prescribed today.Further evidence to support the effects of cannabis extract on malignant cells comes from the real life experience of individuals who have successfully overcome cancer by using cannabis oil. Examples include a patient, who managed to completely cure his skin cancer by simply applying cannabis oil onto the affected areas of the skin, as well as another, who recovered from a severe head injury with the aid of hemp oil.One of the cannabinoids that has displayed amazing medical properties is cannabidiol, or CBD - a non-psychoactive compound that is regarded by some as the medical discovery of the 21st century, and with good reason. Research indicates that CBD can relieve convulsions, reduce inflammation, lower anxiety and suppress nausea, while also inhibiting cancer development. In addition, CBD has exhibited neuroprotective properties, relieving symptoms of dystonia and proving just as effective as regular antipsychotics in the treatment of schizophrenia.What stands out is that from the vast amount of research and data available, as well as the personal experiences of cancer survivors, is that no chemotherapy currently being used medically can match the non-toxic anti-carcinogenic and anti-tumorigenic effects of these natural plant compounds.http://safeaccess.ca...http://www.jci.org...http://dotsub.com...http://en.wikipedia.org...1.Health BenefitsEven Queen Victoria used marijuana extracts to relieve menstrual cramps.Mental ImbalancesADHD, PTSD, OCD, ODD, IED, CD, Bi-polar disorder, all in one 7-year-old boy. This is tough, since we're pretty sure one of those things listed is a nuclear device. Surprisingly, the child was not named Damien. According to the boy's mother (http://medicalcbd.wordpress.com...) his life was pretty much entirely therapy, medication, and institutionalization. There's a Charlie Sheen joke in here, for sure, but we're not going to make it. We're talking about sick kids here, focus:How Medical Marijuana Helped: After trying many medications, the boy's mother finally got him a prescription for medical marijuana. After eating part of a muffin, he stopped being a complete trainwreck of a human being. According to mom, that day "was the first day of Jeff's life, literally!" Ignoring the fact that her misuse of "literally" implies she gave birth to a seven-year-old, this anecdote illustrates a miraculous turnaround for the boy. He is now 8, and apparently living the life of a normal, if maladjusted boy.ADD and ADHDA well documented USC study (http://pr.cannazine.co.uk...) done about a year ago showed that marijuana is not only a perfect alternative for Ritalin but treats the disorder without any of the negative side effects of the pharmaceutical.2. ScienceA controlled substanceThe medical establishment continues to reinvent their justification for the demonization of marijuana as more and more of the claims made against cannabis are disproven. The justification currently holding the most ground is that cannabis is a plant, and cannot be carefully regulated because of the great chemical variability that is found between individual plants.Of course, medications have to be carefully monitored when the substance being used is also a poison at a slightly higher dose, as the overwhelming majority of pharmaceuticals are. And while one could understand the desire to maintain the strict regulation standards, the fact is that attempts to fix the purity problem have severely reduced its medical potency, and process has no real benefit. Control doesn't make the substance any safer because it isn't dangerous in the first place. Its toxicity is comparable to water. Yes, an individual could make themselves feel very unwell if they surpass their stomach's physical limits with any substance.A medicine to save us from medicinesIndividuals who have successfully used cannabis as a part of cancer therapy agree that there needs to be more research and more discussion about the actual science behind the plant's chemistry - not just anecdotal evidence from individual users. Unfortunately, most of the investigation of the medical applications for cannabis are being done illegally and in secret. The controversy, even according to the researchers themselves, is the main barrier to conducting scientific studies of the plant's properties. As a substance classified as a Schedule I drug, even research on cannabis is an illegal activity. Many sick individuals simply cannot wait for governments to get over their hang-ups, nor can the expectation that they should be justified. Currently, patients are required to exhaust the potential of other anti-nausea medications, many of which are less safe, in order to be prescribed medical marijuana.Inaugural beginnings of real scienceThe government has licensed a few manufacturers to produce THC acid extracts from the cannabis plant, as well to artificially synthesize the chemical. The problem is that the tentative separation has only resulted in a THC that has a profoundly diminished efficacy, and leaves behind the other 88 healing cannabinoids.In a medical context, cannabis is almost exclusively used as a treatment for the symptoms of chemotherapy - the polite name for radiation sickness. It must be remembered that THC is rarely used to treat cancer itself, and that patients are not really tapping into its healing properties. The overwhelming majority of patients are using the plant's psychoactive properties to mediate the deleterious effects of radiation. The direct effect of THC on ailments themselves is a largely unexplored field. As research moves forward, the artificially manufactured cannabinoids will inevitably increase in quality, eliminating the purity problems, and paving the way for the kind of precise control that will make regulators comfortable distributing the product.http://watch.montanapbs.org...http://www.drcnet.org...http://www.nap.edu...Ran out of Characters because of my RebuttelTHANKS FOR THE DEBATE!!