A Perspective On Poverty: Why Medical Marijuana is an Issue of Class
Medical marijuana is a great solution for poor people with chronic illnesses! That is what I first thought when I began researching medical marijuana. But the more I talked to people who use medical marijuana and heard about their struggles purchasing their medicine and their concerns over the quality of some of their sources, the more I realized that medical marijuana’s relationship to poverty is not as cut and dry as I thought. The greater need for medical marijuana among poor people is complicated by questions of access, legality, insurance, and employment. Just like any medicine, the use of marijuana in our current medical system is often flawed. Below are just some of the ways that poverty interacts with medical marijuana to create a difficult system for vulnerable Americans to navigate.
Poor People Are Disproportionately Afflicted With Mental and Physical Ailments
Poor people are more likely to suffer from both mental and physical ailments than their affluent counterparts for several reasons. A lack of access to healthy food, medical care, and other resources along with higher levels of stress and more frequent exposure to toxins all contribute to higher rates of both chronic and acute illness in poor people.
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Additionally, marijuana is a promising treatment for diabetes, obesity, and asthma. It has can also be used to treat chronic nausea and pain that are associated with several poverty-related conditions such as HIV/AIDS and arthritis. While many of these poverty-related diseases can be treated or controlled with currently legal medications, marijuana often offers the best results and the cheapest solution. But there are several other factors that complicate the everyday use of medical marijuana for people in