Medical Marijuana

We agree on all definitions so let's now move onto the case. C1: Medical Marijuana has been medically proven to have numerous benefits. If need be, I could potentially use all my space going on about the medical benefits of marijuana and how marijuana can benefit us however I'll provide three different benefits today. Sub-Point A: Alzheimer's Disease (Thanks Danielle! ) Lisa M. Eubanks, PhD, Staff Scientist at the Scripps Research Institute and the Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology notes, "THC and its analogues may provide an improved therapeutic for Alzheimer's disease [by] simultaneously treating both the symptoms and progression of Alzheimer's disease" [1] Since the characterization of the Cannabis sativa produced cannabinoid, tetrahydrocannabinol in the 1960s, this natural product has been widely explored as an antiemetic, anticonvulsive, anti-inflammatory, and analdebilitating disease are critical as Alzheimer's disease afflicts over 20 million people worldwide, with the number of diagnosed cases continuing to rise at an exponential rate [2]. These studies have demonstrated the ability of cannabinoids to provide neuroprotection against amyloid peptide toxicity. [3] Thus we see that medical marijuana provides plausible assistance with a prevalent disease, Alzheimer's Disease. Sub-Point B- HIV/AIDS Numerous studies have shown that medical marijuana has benefited AIDS. While I urge the readers to do some research on their own, I'll summarize some of the results of experimentation. “The study, conducted at San Francisco General Hospital from 2003 to 2005 and published Monday in the journal Neurology, involved 50 patients suffering from HIV-related foot pain known as peripheral neuropathy. There are no drugs specifically approved to treat that kind of pain. Three times daily for nearly a week, the patients smoked marijuana cigarettes machine-rolled at the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the only legal source for the drug recognized by the federal government. Half the patients received marijuana, while the other 25 received placebo cigarettes that lacked the drug's active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Scientists said the study was the first one published that used a comparison group, which is generally considered the gold standard for scientific research. Thirteen patients who received marijuana told doctors their pain eased by at least a third after smoking pot, while only six of those smoking placebos said likewise. The marijuana smokers reported an average pain reduction of 34 percent, double the drop reported by the placebo smokers as measured with a widely accepted pain scale. ” [4] Investigators at Columbia University published clinical trial data in 2007 showing that HIV/AIDS patients who inhaled cannabis four times daily experienced substantial increases in food intake with little evidence of discomfort and no impairment of cognitive performance. They concluded that smoked marijuana has a clear medical benefit in HIV-positive patients. [5] In another study in 2008, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine found that marijuana significantly reduces HIV-related neuropathic pain when added to a patient's already-prescribed pain management regimen and may be an "effective option for pain relief" in those whose pain is not controlled with current medications. Mood disturbance, physical disability, and quality of life all improved significantly during study treatment. [6]Medical Marijuana also has numerous ways to help treat HIV/AIDS, yet another epidemic in today's society. Sub-Point C: Cancer According to a 2007 study at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, cannabidiol (CBD) may stop breast cancer from spreading throughout the body. [7] A study by Complutense University of Madrid found the chemicals in marijuana promotes the death of brain cancer cells by essentially helping them feed upon themselves in a process called autophagy. The research team discovered that cannabinoids such as THC had anticancer effects in mice with human brain cancer cells and in people with brain tumors. When mice with the human brain cancer cells received the THC, the tumor shrank. Usingelectron microscopes to analyze brain tissue taken both before and after a 26- to 30-day THC treatment regimen, the researchers found that THC eliminated cancer cells while leaving healthy cells intact. [8] Cannabis has been found to help cancer patients with pain and nausea, and recent research indicates it has tumor-reducing and anti-carcinogenic properties properties as well. It has proven highly effective at controlling the nausea associated with chemotherapy, and its appetite-stimulation properties help combat wasting. Cannabis can also help control the pain associated with some cancers, as well as that resulting from radiation and chemotherapy treatment. [9]Finally, we can come to the conclusion that Medical Marijuana can help cure cancer. When we look back, I have provided three benefits for three prevalent diseases: Alzheimer's Disease, HIV/AIDS, as well as cancer. I could go on and on discussing mental disorder benefits as well as Glaucoma, but I don't want to bore the readers and I urge them to do some of their own research. C2: The government should not decide whether medical marijuana should be illegal or not, let the competent doctors decide. This whole issue comes down to simply whether or not medical marijuana should be prescribed by doctors. The federal government should not have its say in determining whether or not the doctors can prescribe the marijuana or not. We should allow the experienced doctors to determine whether or not a patient should receive marijuana, not the federal government. Thus, when we look onto the doctor's opinions we see doctors believe it should be prescribed. According to the Wall Street Journal's Health Blog: The American College of Physicians, 124,000 members strong, has issued a 13-page position paper asking the federal government to drop marijuana from its classification as a substance considered to have no medicinal value and a high chance of abuse . . . "They've said essentially that the federal government has it all wrong," Bruce Mirken, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, [says]. [10] Along with this association, numerous doctors and individuals believe that medical marijuana should be prescribed. At the point at which the competent individuals and the ones who spend their whole entire lives working in the field of medicine believe it should be prescribed, why would the federal government have any say? I can provide more sources and more examples but I think when you look at what I have provided throughout all the sources (most from doctors) you can come to the conclusion that doctors believe it is a necessity and obligatory to legalize medical marijuana. Conclusion: Medical marijuana has been empirically proven to benefit diseases such as cancer and HIV/AIDS. Many doctors want to legalize marijuana and the experienced doctors should decide whether medical marijuana should be legal or not, not a governing body. Let the decision rest upon the individuals who spend their lives working in the field of medicine, not those who do not have enough knowledge on the topic. By letting this occur, we see many doctors are in favor of legalizing medical marijuana and it would have enormous positive impacts on today's society and well-being. For these reasons, I urge a PRO vote. See . http://www.debate.org... sources.