Recently, there have been many arguments both for and against medical marijuana legalization. This paper will explore rational for the legalization of medical marijuana, looking at both advantages and disadvantages of legalization. It was 1972 when the US Congress put marijuana in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, because they considered it to have “no accepted medical use”(Procon.org). Schedule I controlled substances are classified as such because of three reasons: i) There is a very high potential for abuse, ii) there is no accepted medical treatment use in the USA, and iii) There is a lack of accepted safety for the drug/controlled substance under medical supervision (articles.mercola.com). In the past 42 years, 23 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for medical use. Marijuana has, in fact, been found effective for the treatment of anorexia, nausea, muscle spasms, pain relief, and many other conditions/symptoms. This brings in to question the current classification of marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance. The safety concern is also negated as physicians do, in fact, prescribe …show more content…
In addition, marijuana grown under state regulation can have its potency standardized and verified. There are many health benefits of marijuana, including treating glaucoma, combatting depression, anxiety, and ADHD, and slowing the spread of cancer cells (cmcr.ucsd.edu). Another major effect to be noted is appetite suppression. As the population of the USA is getting heavier, and increasing numbers of people are becoming diabetic, this is a hugely significant option to curb the obesity epidemic. Marijuana can stop HIV from spreading through the body, and it slows the advancement of Alzheimer’s