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Pro Argument By AJ Gunning

Medical marijuana is a hot button issue in today’s ailing world, when frankly it shouldn’t be. The government has no place restricting its use for medical purposes.

Marijuana is one of the most effective painkillers, and more importantly it’s a natural substance. Moreover it’s far less addictive than many of the legal options currently available.

There’s a stigma surrounding marijuana and its users that is not completely justified, namely that marijuana is a gateway drug with many negative effects that will lead to the use of other drugs and addiction.

However, the current research does not bear this supposed ‘reality’ out. In fact, the real gateway ‘drug’ is social situation. Those in high-stress and low-income situations are more likely to turn to harder drugs, whether or not they’ve smoked weed.

The negative effects of marijuana use also seem to be relatively small, certainly no more harmful than the effect of alcohol on one’s liver. Pot is not a physiologically addictive drug. It’s possible that psychologically addictive personalities could become dependent on it, but those same personalities could become addicted to anything.

Marijuana provides another option for those that are in pain to get help, and further we live in a free country where we like to think that the government allows its citizens to make choices for themselves.

We do not need “Big Brother” telling us what to do and think, or telling us how to live our lives. Marijuana use, like many other things, is a private issue that the government has no right infringing upon.

There are certainly some things that the government can regulate if there is enough of a negative social impact; however, allowing the use of marijuana would have a very small negative social impact, as it is less dangerous than many legal drugs.

I am not advocating that everyone should go out, get a medical license and start smoking weed every day. In the same way that I would not advocate that everyone should be drinking every day or smoking cigarettes every day. But I am saying that marijuana has been badly mislabeled by traditional social perceptions and that allowing it for medical use is overdue.

Con Argument By Dylan Proietti

Colorado is currently one of sixteen states that has legalized marijuana for medical purposes. Unfortunately, I see the medical marijuana system as an already broken and highly abused one.

To be clear, I have no qualms with research that shows marijuana can be used provide relief from a multitude of diseases, including multiple sclerosis, glaucoma and aid cancer patients going through chemotherapy.

The National Institute of Health, however, lists marijuana as the most often abused illegal drug in the United States and also cautions that smoking is not advocated as an effective treatment for any condition. Furthermore, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that smoking marijuana, as opposed to a filtered cigarette, can leave four times as much tar in the lungs of the smoker.

Simply put, smoking a marijuana cigarette should not be considered a viable way to treat these diseases.

For the most part, those who need medical marijuana would benefit from the THC, a chemical known to relieve nausea, vomiting and aid in appetite. If this is what a patient needs, the FDA has already approved a drug called Marinol. Marinol provides patients with synthetic THC, while protecting them from 400 other harmful chemicals that can enter a person’s body by smoking marijuana.

Even worse is the manner in which some marijuana dispensaries are run. This summer, I walked through the streets of Los Angeles (California being another state that has legalized medical marijuana) and saw first-hand the abuse of the system.

I was propositioned by sign-twirling marijuana mascots numerous times to stop by and see “The Kush Doctor” or “Dr. Herb.” It seemed that the only obstacles between me and a prescription for medical marijuana were several steps and a door.

If a person is truly benefiting from THC, I have no problem with them ingesting the chemical. I do not wish to stand between people and any drug that can legitimately help them. Smoking marijuana, however, is not one, especially when alternatives exist such as Marinol. My hope is that this upcoming panel will consider the system currently in place, and consider revising it to make sure it is not abused in the future.