Legalized Marijuana
by Marijuana has been legalized in thirteen states with a medical prescription from a doctor. Marijuana has been shown to be effective in the treatment of chronic pain and as a preventive for nausea in chemotherpy treatment, although the same active ingredient can be obtained from other medication.The odd fact is that the patients have gotten younger and most of the "patients" are now college students.
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Marijuana has been legalized as a medication in 13 states and other states are considering it. While marijuana has proved helpful for cancer patients to control nausea while taking chemotherapy, and those with chronic pain, the same active ingredient is available in other medications. The strange thing is, the age of those seeking treatment has steadily fallen since the medical decision was made. Where it was previously prescribed mostly for older people, the new customers are college students. And it seems “customers” are what they are rather than patients. They arrive at dispensaries on skate boards, roller skates, and bicycles.
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They come to the doctors office with complaints of insomnia, anxiety, headaches, premenstrual cramps, chronic pain and anything else they can think of. Patients pay a nominal fee for prescriptions but it’s still a very lucrative business for a few minutes of the doctors time. Some say patients just want to smoke pot and this dilemma has become commonplace. The big problem is no serious rules were developed to regulate who could buy or grow marijuana, in what quantities, or for what medical uses.
Some communities can use zoning to restrict dispensaries or ban them because even if federal policy regarding medical marijuana is passive, selling marijuana remains against federal law. A Los Angeles councilman estimates there are about 600 dispensaries in that city and the bummer is that privacy factors shield doctors from investigations.
Colorado’s medical marijuana dispensaries have hired lobbyists to seek taxation and regulation for the same reason Nevada’s brothel industry wants to be taxed and regulated. They regard taxation as insurance against prohibition. Health workers say legalization lowers the price of marijuana and will increase the public health cost, including mental and respiratory problems, plus vehicle accidents.
State’s using taxes to keep marijuana prices high would leave the market wide open for cheaper illegal, untaxed, marijuana. Colorado already ranks sixth in identity theft which is caused by the states $1.4 billion annual methamphetamine addiction, and the marijuana they are growing now has the active ingredient THC seven to eight times as concentrated as it used to be. It looks like medically prescribed marijuana is leading the states into more trouble than they foresaw, or planned for.
http://healthmad.com/consumer-information/pharmacy-errors/
http://healthmad.com/conditions-and-diseases/chrons-and-ulcerative-colitis/
http://healthmad.com/medicine/are-you-being-prescribed-the-wrong-medication/
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Post CommentDarla Cooke
On December 6, 2009 at 10:59 am
Interesting article.
Pinaki Ghosh
On December 6, 2009 at 11:05 am
I loved reading this article.
johnnydod
On December 6, 2009 at 11:16 am
a very interesting read
lillyrose
On December 6, 2009 at 11:20 am
Controversial. I have MS and pain killers just don’t touch the pain I get because the nerves just don’t play the game1 I would consider use pot if things got to the stage where I couldn’t lead a normalish life!
Starpisces
On December 6, 2009 at 11:43 am
excellent piece again Ruby
deep blue
On December 6, 2009 at 11:59 am
Nice topic, Ruby. Anyway I have planted a few during my high school days and if I should be asked about going natural, I wouldn’t mind about using it if it wasn’t illegal.
Snooky
On December 6, 2009 at 12:30 pm
As soon as the government comes up with a set of all inclusive regulations on import and export and a viable method of taxation, Pot will be legalized. Black market sellers are making beaucoup bucks tax free, somehow someway that fact alone will make pot leagal someday.
CRYSTAL EVANS
On December 6, 2009 at 1:17 pm
I HOPE SO SNOOK. MARIJUANA IS BEING TRADED IN JAMAICA IN EXCHANGE FOR GUNS N MILLIONS OF DOLLars i being made from it on the black market for real…it is griwn widely here but it is illegal. hundre acres og ganja feels r destroyed yearly due to illegal prouction of the weed. a lot of jamaicans would be glad to read this article
martinpm
On December 6, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Making bad choices today, will create skeletons in your closet tomorrow. Good write
Guy Hogan
On December 6, 2009 at 1:20 pm
I suppose it will all come out in the wash. I’ve read many reports about what alcohol does to our society and alcohol is legal.
Moses Ingram
On December 6, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Marijuana is also legalized here when prescribed by a doctor for severe pain but controls are tight and I haven’t heard of any problems since it came into effect about three or four years ago. A good article that shows what can happen.
Shirley Shuler
On December 6, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Excellent article, Ruby and very informative, thanks for the share.
8Shei8
On December 6, 2009 at 4:46 pm
There are always people looking for a way to abuse this medication. Great article Ruby!
CA Johnson
On December 6, 2009 at 7:20 pm
This is a great article. I heard that a lot of people would rather use marijuana because it works better than regular medicine.
Authoress Terry E. Lyle
On December 6, 2009 at 8:59 pm
Excellant article.
ken bultman
On December 7, 2009 at 5:35 am
Pandora’s box. Legalize pot and you’ll get an influx of diagnoses requiring Mary Jane as treatment. Some doctors are pill pushers. It will be just like the over diagnosing of bi-polar disorder to excuse bad behavior in adults and ADD to excuse bad behavior in children.
Rinkal Desai
On December 7, 2009 at 2:36 pm
i like it…!!!
Netty net
On December 8, 2009 at 12:32 am
Will I don’t have opinion on this subject. I like how help people who need it, but I would not want some high getting behind the wheel of a car,
SharifaMcFarlane
On December 8, 2009 at 2:36 am
People will always have differing opinions on this topic. I`m glad that the people who really need it can get it without hassle.
Jules
On December 11, 2009 at 12:51 pm
i would dearly love to visit America but currently take sativex (which contains cannabis) to control the symptoms of MS. The US Authorities will not let me import a small amount of this medication for a holiday. I am deeply disappointed, as there is currently no other medication which can help as much as Sativex.
PR Mace
On December 14, 2009 at 5:47 am
I think it should be legalized as there are sometimes it is needed.
Melinda J
On September 27, 2010 at 9:45 am
Thanks for sharing.