Amendment 2 or the right to medical marijuana will make the use of medical marijuana legal under certain health conditions. Patients or caretakers who are licensed as a physician will also be allowed to participate in registered marijuana treatment centers (Ballotpedia 2014). However, not only anyone can get a license for medical marijuana. People should be diagnosed with debilitating medical status, such as cancer, HIV or glaucoma. The Florida Department of Health will be responsible for regulating medical marijuana, as well as issuing identity documents and developing procedures for treatment centers. In the following passages, I will talk about the pros and cons of marijuana, how poor people can get it if they can't afford it, and how I personally feel about amendment 2 and legalizing marijuana.
Medical marijuana has many health benefits, such as alleviating chronic pain due to illness or relieving stress after a long or stressful day. Evidence confirms studies that cannabis can relieve certain types of pain, nausea, vomiting, and other debilitating symptoms caused by diseases such as cancer and AIDS in patients around the world (ProCon 2014). Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, noted that marijuana does not have a high potential for abuse, and there are very legitimate claims. Also, “Sometimes marijuana is the only thing that works,” said Gupta. Arthritis has been proven to be another common disease, usually in the elderly, in which no current treatment and marijuana help alleviate the symptoms of this disease. In 2006, rheumatology reported that “compared to placebo, CBM [cannabis-based medicine] produced statistically significant improvements in pain during movement, pain at rest, and sleep quality (ProCon 2014). Although there are several legitimate benefits of medical marijuana, there are still those who disagree and argue that legalizing medical marijuana will be detrimental to society.
Those who oppose Amendment 2 and the legal use of marijuana, argue that this could be detrimental to society, causing an increase in crime. Bishop Ron Allen argued that marijuana would increase crime and poverty at Berkeley, and he explains: “Research tells us that marijuana has the same effect on the central pleasure system in the brain as it does on heroin and cocaine. (OpposingViews 2014) Marijuana supporters, such as Mason Twerth, from the marijuana policy project disagree with Allen, saying that Allen did not know what he was talking about and marijuana turned out to be less toxic and less addictive than other drugs. “The fact is that medical associations throughout the country and more than 80% of Americans believe that marijuana can help seriously ill people (opposing ideas) to state Tvert.” A study by the University of Texas in Dallas found that legalized marijuana could reduce crimes such as robbery and murder (Ferner 2014).
Another fall in marijuana is that it is considered a gateway or step to other harmful drugs, such as cocaine or heroine. The Eagle Forum mentions in a statement that “Since the TGCs are constantly in the body, the“ high ”from the bank gradually decreases, so smokers usually take other drugs to get hit (ProCon 2014)”. Sue Roche, founder and president of national families in action, says: “This issue received intense press coverage, and teens from California received a message, their use of marijuana increased by almost a third this year from 6.5% to 9 this month. 2% according to the National Household Drug Abuse Survey. It continues to grow: 1997-6.8%, 1998-7.4 and 1999-8.4%. Even if marijuana use continues to grow and is legalized, how will poor households get it if they cannot afford it?
Recently, a new law was announced in Berkeley, California, that would require marijuana dispensaries to donate 2% of their cannabis to low-income people starting next August (OpposingViews). This may be a good law that other states, such as Florida, can use to regulate the use of marijuana if they decide to make it legal. Under the donation law, poor people can get access to the marijuana they consume, which is known to sell at least $ 400 per ounce in California. This price represents only the street value of the plant form (that you smoke) of medical marijuana, so other forms, such as liquid or prey, may cost more. The most important part of government regulation is that poor families with “debilitating medical conditions” will be able to get the medical marijuana they need to alleviate their symptoms.
With all the actual evidence pointing to the amazing benefits of medical marijuana, I agree and vote “yes” to amendment 2, which legalizes medical marijuana. I have a grandmother who has epileptic seizures, and if the dose of prescribed marijuana helps alleviate the symptoms of her or any other patient, why not give her a dose of pills for her or other patients? The Epilepsy Foundation published a statement earlier this year that supported the rights of patients and families living with convulsions and epilepsy to access medical care, including marijuana (OpposingViews). There is no actual evidence that someone is dying from marijuana, and my research has concluded mostly positive results. Weighing the benefits of medical marijuana and the fact that poor households can have a way to get it, gives the State of Florida all the reasons and factual evidence needed to legalize marijuana.
Sources:
1. Ballotpedia Florida Initiative for Medical Marijuana, Amendment 2 (2014)
2. Procon.org October 2014
3. Opposing Views “Bishop Ron Allen claims medical marijuana will increase crime rates” on September 4, 2014
4. Ferner, M. “Legalizing medical marijuana can actually reduce crime, the study says,” Huffington Post March 27, 2014
