The Issue Over Medical Marijuana - 1378 Words

Over the past decade, the debate over medical marijuana has heated up fiercely. What was once a fringe-issue has cemented itself in the foreground of American politics. As the laws currently stand, the plant is still considered illegal on the federal level. The Drug Enforcement Agency, or DEA, classifies marijuana in the same group harmful drugs like heroin and ecstasy by labeling it as a Schedule I substance. According to the DEA, Schedule 1 substances are â€Å"drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Schedule I drugs are the most dangerous drugs of all the drug schedules with potentially severe psychological or physical dependence.† (DEA). While the current federal laws oppose medical marijuana, it is†¦show more content†¦As mentioned earlier, the DEA considers marijuana to have no value as a medicine. The truth is, however, that marijuana does have significant medical value. Value that we have only begun to scratch the surface of because of the restrictions the government has in place. In an interview on NPR radio, Dr. David Casarett goes as far as saying â€Å"There s no question that the war on drugs has set back medical marijuana research and cannabinoid research in general by probably decades. Marijuana in the United States is classified as a Schedule 1 substance, which is reserved for those substances like heroin that have significant risks, including the risk of addiction, but, in theory, [have] no medical benefits. And that categorization really has slowed down the process of research. It s been hard to get medical marijuana; it s been hard to do clinical trials; it has left a lot of patients essen tially to their own devices.† (NPR). Despite the hurdles the federal government has long surrounded the study of marijuana with, discoveries have been made, and relief has been granted to countless individuals. Relief to people like chemotherapy and HIV patients that have lost their appetite, who upon beginning their treatment with marijuana, were finding themselves able to eat again. In fact, beyond assisting with appetite issues in cancer patients, early studies show the active ingredient in marijuana, THC, causes death in cancer causing cells