Essay --

The movement toward legalization of marijuana for medical purposes is based in part on the belief that the substance has beneficial medicinal effects. But there is a lot of debate on this subject. The debate over legalizing medical marijuana centers squarely on the definition of a Schedule I drug and whether cannabis should still be considered as such. The federal prohibition of marijuana was enacted when the Congress passed the Controlled Substances Act in 1970. Marijuana was included in the â€Å"Hallucinogenic Substances† category as a Schedule I substance, so the sale, purchase, or consumption of marijuana became illegal. Thus the legal status of medical marijuana is determined by whether or not it has an â€Å"accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.† (U.S Food and Drug Administration, 2009) Public opinion trends greater towards acceptance for the use of marijuana, while most politicians, including the president continue to oppose the legalization of medical marijuana. While the White House and most politicians continue to oppose the use of marijuana, the vast majority of Americans (77%) believe that doctors should be allowed to prescribe marijuana for serious illnesses. However, full legalization of marijuana enjoys less public support, with a slight majority of Americans (52%) supporting it. Public support for marijuana legalization has grown in recent years, as â€Å"most Americans no longer see marijuana as a ‘gateway’ to more dangerous drugs and most no longer see its use as immoral.† Moreover, most Americans believe that the federal government’s enforcement of its marijuana policies â€Å"cost more than they are worth.† (Thompson, 2013) Of the 50 states, nearly half of them have already established laws regarding medical ma... ... to six marijuana plants for him. My patient, who had quit using addictive substances after a near-death experience, is back to smoking marijuana daily, along with his caregiver.† (Thompson, 2013) Critics of medical cannabis cite its high potential for abuse and the many studies showing its harmful effects on the brain; they also object to the practice of smoking in general as carcinogenic. One response to this criticism has been to develop other methods of administering the drug. The most widespread of these is as inhaling it through a vaporizer, which extracts and heats the active constituents in marijuana without reaching the temperature at which they ignite so that no toxic compounds or irritants are generated. An adequate amount of THC is still delivered into the bloodstream by the vaporization method. (Debate.org, 2013) Being as it is a state-run policy now,