Marijuana Should Be Legal For Medicinal Purposes

I will begin my refutation by responding to the arguments of Marijuana compared to Alcohol and tobacco, and henceforth move on to refute the more pertinent medical argument. Alcohol and Tobacco- Quite simply put, the resolution deals with medical marijuana - not recreational. My opponent's argument concerning marijuana's relative safety compared to alcohol and tobacco is really irrelevant; that's like making the claim that doctors should utilize heroin as a cough suppressant, much like what was done prior to 1910[14] because heroin is safer than eating glass sharps. Glass shards aren't medicine, and neither are alcohol and tobacco. [14] . http://www.businessinsider.com...- Concerning the medical arguments, Pro also uses only three different sources for his medically related arguments; HowStuffWorks, Business Insider and Opposing views -- one of which is a blog. Accordingly when debating empirics, con has the preponderance of evidence working in his favor for his more varied sources and for citing articles more directly from the source. Medical Benefits- Cancer- The article my opponent cites for marijuana preventing the spread of cancer is actually taking the original study out of context. The cited business insider article references an article from the Huffington post which references the original study, stating[15] ". .. cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabinoid with a low-toxicity profile, could down-regulate Id-1 expression in aggressive human breast cancer cells. The CBD concentrations effective at inhibiting Id-1 expression correlated with those used to inhibit the proliferative and invasive phenotype of breast cancer cells. " The evidence was neither conclusive, not did it cure cancer; it only slowed down breast cancer cells in isolation. Furthermore, cannabidiol isn't in marijuana, it's a compound which is created using cannabis; the chemicals can be isolated and made in the absence of marijuana. Meanwhile, as I show in my constructive, marijuana is not a long-term solution. It doesn't cure anything, it acts as an anesthetic while impairing mental function[9][10][11] and reducing the body's ability to fight off infections by killing T-Cells (white blood cells)[8]. [15] . http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov... Alzheimers- Again, following the article provided by my opponent will lead you to an article hosted by the Huffington Post[16] which details that marijuana serves as an anesthetic - not as a treatment for the disease. So then putting aside the fact that there are plenty of other anesthetics a person could use, we see that the article details an extensive list of side effects from marijuana usage. "Smoking marijuana can increase a person's heart rate for up to three hours, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Marijuana also contains carcinogens (possibly 50 percent to 70 percent more than cigarettes), making smoking potentially harmful to RA patients, who may already suffer from lung problems. [16]" "Hazards of these products can include things like bacteria and mold, which would be illegal to sell in regulated food items. Some products may also be prepared in kitchens that aren't licensed, may not adhere to refrigeration schedules, or may be made with allergens like peanuts, but not labeled as such. [16]" "Dr. Mbakwe is uncomfortable with the lack of control and regulation of medicinal marijuana. She says other medications, like methotrexate, treat the autoimmune disease at the root of the problem, and in turn can control pain and inflammation in combination with pain medications like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs . .. On the other hand, while marijuana may help with pain symptoms, it does nothing for the disease progression or organ damage, Dr. Mbakwe says. [16]" [16] . http://www.huffingtonpost.com... Multiple Sclerosis (MS)- The Business Insider Article again links to another news media site (this time Reuters[17]) for it's content. The Reuters article stated that marijuana treats the topical symptom, such as spastic movement of those suffering from Multiple Sclerosis. Not the disease itself. In fact Dr. LaRocca, VP of research and policy at the national MS society had this to say ""But smoking marijuana does not appear to be a long-term solution, because of the cognitive effects," he told Reuters Health. People with MS are already at some risk of "cognitive changes," LaRocca pointed out, so the potential for lasting effects from long-term marijuana smoking is a concern. " [17] . http://www.reuters.com... Arthritis- Business Insider links to the Huffington Post again and as with all the other arguments my opponent, the Huffington post[18] details how marijuana is used as an anesthetic; not as a treatment of the disease proper. Dr. Mbakwe was quoted again, so extend the negative impacts I talked about when refuting my opponent's Alzheimers argument. also; " Dr. Mbakwe says. 'If we mask these [symptoms] by giving them marijuana and giving them euphoria, the disease progression will keep getting worse and things like organ damage and severe problems will still occur,' she notes. [18]" "Another problem that Dr. Mbakwe encounters is that, even though she doesn"t recommend marijuana to her RA patients, she has many who use it for pain, and she says these patients often have a tendency to abuse narcotics. 'Most patients looking for this have other chronic pain issues and are likely on other controlled substances," Dr. Mbakwe says. "It can be difficult to see who has a tendency toward abuse potential. '[18]" [18] . http://www.huffingtonpost.com... At this point, I would like to remind the voters that I used my opponent's own sources to point out these negative impacts; this evidence was readily available to my opponent and he chose not to cite it in his constructive. All of my opponent's cited evidence points to my prior stated argument that marijuana provides no benefit to a patient except an anesthetic one. Meanwhile the negative include: carcinogens, weakened immune system, impaired cognitive functions and unsafe production to name a few. not of the alternatives that I've mentioned have these negative implications. In conclusion, using such a dangerous substance solely as an anesthetic when other more viable alternatives[9][10][11] exist is irresponsible and should not be allowed to happen.