Doctors Vs Government The War On free essay sample

Doctors Vs Government: The War On Legalizing Marijuana Essay, Research Paper In recent old ages, debates over whether the authorities should legalise the drug marihuana, and the resulting drug war, have made headlines countrywide. The thought that physicians and research workers have been persisting to turn out is that marihuana has medical utilizations for patients with certain diseases and upsets. But the authorities has their eyes closed to the facts. Doctors and scientists who have studied marihuanas agree that it does hold some medical benefits, and some feel the authorities is so busy contending the # 8220 ; War on Drugs # 8221 ; that it does non see them. Doctors and researchersa and the authorities have conflicting thoughts about marihuana, but there is some understanding on some facets of this # 8220 ; war. # 8221 ; Marijuana is one of the oldest and most researched psychotropic drugs known to humanity. As stated by Lester Grinspoon, M.D. , a medical physician and associate professor of psychopathology at Harvard Medical School, # 8220 ; # 8230 ; [ Marijuana ] was surely cultivated in China by 4000 B. C. and in Turkestan by 3000 B.C. # 8230 ; # 8221 ; ( Grinspoon 3 ) . For 1000s of old ages prior to its prohibition in the 20th century, hemp ( another name for marihuana ) was used as a medical specialty throughout the universe. Until the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 was passed, # 8221 ; # 8230 ; marihuana, being a powerful topical anodyne, musculus relaxant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-spasmodic agent, was found in virtually all # 8221 ; unctions and relaxers ( Goddard 1-2 ) . The United States Pharmacopeia recommended marihuana for over one 100 illnesses including asthma, weariness, tantrums of coughing, megrim concerns, and spasms and depression associated with menses ( Goddard 2 ) . This lasted up until 1942 when it ceased to be listed due to increasing political force per unit area. Not merely does marihuanas hold its medical values, it besides has its industrial utilizations. Some people say marihuanas should be legalized for the sick who can profit from its use ; for the husbandmans who need hard currency ; for the revenue enhancement grosss it could convey in ; and for the environmental and industrial benefits it possesses ( Wickman ) . In the yesteryear, hemp ( another signifier of marihuana, which is legal ) had been used to do ropes, vesture, paper, canvas, and many other stuffs. This would intend many of the frights the universe has today about trees and the environment would be extinguished. Thomas J. Bouril, the writer of an cyberspace site entitled # 8220 ; Marijuana and Hemp: The Untold Story # 8221 ; , believes that, # 8220 ; # 8230 ; it is possible that the existent ground marihuana was banned was to forestall hemp from of all time going a major natural resource, # 8221 ; ( 1 ) . Marijuana has over four 100 chemicals. Many of these chemicals are the same as those in regular coffin nails, but marihuana is more powerful. The chief psychoactive and head changing chemical is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC for short ( For 1 ) . This chemical produces the side effects which include dry oral cavity, rapid bosom round, and a feeling of being # 8216 ; high # 8217 ; . In grownups, physical effects of marihuana usage include feelings of euphory or relaxation ; addition in bosom and pulse rate ; reddening of eyes ; waterlessness in oral cavity and pharynx ; and a mild lessening in organic structure temperature. Occasionally there is an addition in appetite. ( For 2 ) . # 8220 ; Except for the injuries associated with smoke, the inauspicious effects of marihuana usage are within the scope of effects tolerated for other medicines, # 8221 ; ( # 8221 ; Week # 8221 ; 3 ) . Some users claim that it enhances hearing, vision, skin sensitiveness, but no 1 has proven t hese claims yet. Marijuana has besides been shown to impair short-run memory temporarily, alter sense of clip, and cut down the ability to execute undertakings necessitating concentration, fleet reactions and coordination. Using marijuana non merely has physical effects, but besides its mental 1s. Peoples enduring from depression or other emotional perturbations who use marihuanas to handle symptoms frequently cause a deterioration of the job. Many people who use marijuana study it doing break in their lives ( For 2 ) . Marijuana usage has been known to rupture isolated households and friendly relationships. The root of the job is in the chemicals of the marihuana works. These same chemicals are in regular coffin nails, but coffin nails do non do these types of jobs. It would look that this would be an open-and-shut instance, where it is common sense non to let marihuana usage at all. But given the history of marihuana, all the research, facts, and information available right now, this is non the open-and-shut instance it should be. The United States Government has many grounds for non desiring to legalise marihuana. One of the chief issues is that marihuana usage leads to the usage of harder drugs. This is merely one of the many myths of marihuana. However, there is no scientific grounds for the theory that marihuana is a # 8216 ; gateway # 8217 ; drug. The civilizations in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America which use hemp show no leaning for other drugs. The authorities made the # 8216 ; gateway # 8217 ; theory in the 1960ss, when marihuana became the taking new recreational drug. Although there is no grounds that marihuana is a gateway drug, there is grounds that hemp may replace for intoxicant and other # 8216 ; difficult # 8217 ; drugs. The one manner in which marihuana does take to other drugs is through its illegality ; individuals who deal in marihuana are likely to cover in other illicit drugs every bit good ( Gieringer ) . Another issue the authorities debates is that there would be more traffic human deaths. # 8220 ; Detecting the slaughter caused by rummy drivers, oppositions of drug legalisation worry that doing marijuana easier to obtain would multiply the figure of traffic human deaths, # 8221 ; ( Sullum ) . In a survey that examined about two thousand traffic accidents in seven provinces, the decision was that, # 8220 ; There was no indicant that hemp by itself was a cause of fatal clangs, # 8221 ; ( Sullum ) . This survey besides stated, # 8220 ; But given the grounds that people use intoxicant less when they use pot more # 8230 ; marijuana legalisation could besides intend fewer rummy drivers, # 8221 ; ( Sullum ) . The other fright the authorities has is that marihuana additions agressiveness. Marijuana has been shown to detain a individual # 8217 ; s response clip to sights and sounds. For illustration, it would take a driver longer to respond to a unsafe state of affairs. The ability to execute consecutive undertakings can besides be affected. The biggest drive jobs for marihuana users occur when faced with unexpected events. These events can include a auto nearing from a side street or a kid running out between parked autos. The greater the demand of a impulsive state of affairs, the less able the user will be to get by. However, a driver under the influence of marihuana is non likely to lose control of the auto because marihuana does non increase aggressiveness like intoxicant does ( For 4 ) . Scientists and the authorities both have their feelings about the side effects of marihuana, particularly on kids. Scientists believe that a pregnant adult female utilizing marihuana is more likely to fail or hold a still born kid. If the kid is born alive, birth defects frequently occur ( For 5 ) . Marijuana usage besides affects a turning kid. It can interfere with turning up. # 8220 ; As research shows, the effects of marihuana interfere with acquisition by impairing thought, reading comprehension, and verbal and arithmetic accomplishments, # 8221 ; ( For 2 ) . However, if their is any grounds to turn out this, it could non be found. Along with the hazards during gestation, there are some for a turning kid. Some scientists believe the drug may interfere with the development of equal societal accomplishments, and may promote a sort of psychological escape. # 8220 ; Young people need to larn how to do determinations, to manage success, to get by with failure, and to organize their ain beliefs and values. By supplying an flight from # 8216 ; turning strivings # 8217 ; , drugs can forestall immature people from larning to go mature, independent, and responsible, # 8221 ; ( For 2 ) . But, there is small grounds to turn out this. The authorities uses kids as an alibi non to legalise marihuanas ; they may acquire the message that marihuana is safe for anyone to utilize. On the other manus, the authorities # 8217 ; s frights are backed by a national study done in 1977. It was broken down into age groups. One of the age groups was the 12 to seventeen twelvemonth olds. The study showed that 59 per centum of high school seniors had tired marihuanas, and one out of nine was a day-to-day user ; eight per centum of the 12 and 13 twelvemonth olds reported that they had smoked marihuanas at least one time, and half of them were current users ; twenty nine per centum of the 14 and 15 twelvemonth olds had tired it, and 15 per centum were still utilizing it. Although no kids under 12 old ages old were surveyed, many of the 12 to seventeen twelvemonth olds reported that they foremost tried marihuana, and sometimes started smoking it on a regular basis, while they were still in grade school ( For 3 ) . Marijuana is besides shown to detain a individual # 8217 ; s response clip to sights and sounds.For illustration, it would take a driver longer to respond to a unsafe state of affairs. The ability to execute consecutive undertakings can besides be affected. The biggest drive jobs for marihuana users occur when faced with unexpected events. These events can include a auto nearing from a side street or a kid running out between parked autos. The greater the demand of a impulsive state of affairs, the less able the user will be to get by. A driver under the influence of marihuana is non likely to lose control of the auto because marihuana does non increase aggressiveness like intoxicant does ( For 4 ) . In add-on to the frights of kids being affected by marihuana, the authorities feels there are no recognized medical utilizations for it. However, during the 20th century marihuana has been discovered to be an effectual intervention for many other complaints. For illustration, Dr. Van Sim concluded, based on major research, that # 8220 ; marijuana # 8230 ; is likely the most powerful anti-epileptic known to medicate today, # 8221 ; ( Goddard 3 ) . More powerful than standard epileptic drugs, marihuana wholly eliminated epileptic ictuss in kids who were non reacting to therapies utilizing legal drugs ( Goddard 3 ) . Marijuana can besides be used with glaucoma patients. Dr. Robert Hepler of UCLA published a major survey in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1971 demonstrating that marijuana lowers intraocular force per unit areas in the eyes. Glaucoma, a taking cause of sightlessness, is a status in which the force per unit areas build up doing optical harm. Marijuana has been proven to alleviate these force per unit areas far better than any legal drug, leting glaucoma patients to maintain their seeing so long as they use marihuanas on a regular basis ( Goddard 3-4 ) . Even the Drug Enforcement Administration believes marijuana is safe. In 1988, after reexamining all the grounds presented in a case against the authorities # 8217 ; s prohibition of medical marihuana, the Drug Enforcement Administration # 8217 ; s ( DEA ) administrative jurisprudence justice, Francis Young, wrote, The grounds in this record clearly shows that marihuana has been accepted as capable of alleviating the hurt of great Numberss of really sick people, and making so with safety under medical supervising. It would be unreasonable, arbitrary and freakish for the Drug Enforcement Administration to go on to stand between those sick persons and the benefits of this substance in visible radiation of the grounds # 8230 ; Marijuana, in its natural signifier, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known. In rigorous medical footings, marihuana is safer than many nutrients we normally consume ( Bouril 3 ) . However, the DEA rejected this recommendation. It is conclusive that the authorities and physicians and research workers have their differences in sentiment. However, they both have their similarities. While the authorities is excessively busy turning a blind oculus to the facts, the research workers are non listening to the grounds the authorities gives for non legalising marihuana. Once everyone can hold, there will be advancement to do marijuana legal for medical intents. However, this means that the authorities will hold to acknowledge that it was incorrect, and that will non be go oning anytime in the close hereafter. So until so, those people enduring with the unwellnesss discussed which marihuana can handle, they will maintain waiting, trusting to acquire their opportunity to populate a full and healthy life. Bibliography Bouril, Thomas. # 8220 ; Marijuana and Hemp: The Untold Story # 8221 ; . Online. Internet. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. geocities.com/Athens/Rhodes/1043/facts.html. November 29, 1999. For Parents Merely: What You Need to Know About Marijuana. Reprinted in Drugs 3. Article No. 2. Gieringer, Dale Ph.D. # 8220 ; Marijuana Health Mythology # 8221 ; . Online. Internet. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.druglibrary. org/schaffer/hemp/general/gier.htm # myth18. November 29, 1999. Grinspoon, Lester M.D. and James B. Bakalar. Marihuana: The Forbidden Medicine. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993. Sullum, Jacob. # 8220 ; Pot Luck: Marijuana and Driver Fatalities # 8221 ; . Volume 26. Reason. July 1, 1994:16. EBSCO. Online. Internet. October 27, 1999. # 8220 ; Week Online with DRCNet # 8221 ; . Issue # 84. March 26, 1999. Online. Internet. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. drcnet.org. October 24, 1999. Wikman, Eric. # 8220 ; Should Marijuana Be Legal? ( March 1999 ) # 8221 ; . Online. Internet. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. ericwikman.com/marijuana/articles/031999.html. Online. Internet. October 19, 1999. 373