Cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson’s Disease, Epilepsy, Multiple Sclerosis, and Crohn’s Disease, among many others, all have one thing in common: They are all diseases that have been proven to react positively to the administration of cannabis sativa, otherwise known as medical marijuana. The quandary of whether or not marijuana should be used for medical purposes has been an ongoing debate in American politics for ages. Since California became the first state to authorize the use of prescription cannabis in 1996, 22 states, as well as the District of Columbia, have joined the club (Medical Marijuana, 2016). However, in many of these states, employers have the authority to fire an employee if they fail a drug test, regardless of if the employee …show more content…
While the American Medical Association, or AMA, has put in place a petition to review marijuana’s status as a Schedule 1 substance and instead categorize it as a Schedule 2 controlled substance, the federal classification and legality of the drug has remained stagnant (Hoffman, Weber, 2010). Because of this, research into the plausible uses of marijuana has been restricted and kept from blossoming into what some would consider the next big thing in medical science. Marijuana has been proven to aid in discomfort from upwards of 100 different conditions, but its use is currently centered around only a few very serious diseases (Doctors, 2013). While it can be argued that the cons of marijuana outweigh the pros, this argument is mundane, as it is attributed to the smoking of dried herb. Nearly all medical states, excluding the select few who have legalized recreational marijuana, solely prescribe and recommend cannabis or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) oil to patients. These forms of the drug can be cooked into food, or vaporized for a more safe way to medicate. By removing the tarnishing title of “illegal” from the substance’s resumé, many pharmaceutical and research companies will be geared toward research into the plant. With tons of new insight and opportunity for advancement, the medical marijuana industry will blossom, no pun