Stance on Medical Marijuana Program

Stance on Medical Marijuana Program Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Course Professor Date Stance on Medical Marijuana Program For the past few years, there has been high debate concerning medical marijuana in the U.S., with various states allowing the use of whole plant Cannabis sativa or its derivatives for medical purposes. Even though the U.S. federal law forbids the use of marijuana, various states, including New Jersey, allow the medical use of this plant to treat nausea, pain, and other symptoms. Individuals and different institutions have shared different perspectives concerning the medical use of marijuana, with reports from The Washington Post revealing that most seniors are embracing cannabis, especially for relief from insomnia and aches that come with age. However, others, such as a report from The Wall Street Journal, suggest that it is causing severe and life-threatening diseases around the country. This essay critically examines the benefits and challenges of medical marijuana, advocating for the maintenance and expansion of the program to help patients across the country. Benefits of the Medical Marijuana Program During our discussion in class and the exploration of different articles, several benefits were identified related to medical marijuana programs. For instance, reports on animals and significant information collected on epidemiological investigations suggest that marijuana can be useful in the treatment of chronic pain or illnesses with symptoms caused by inflammation (Wenk, 2018). Even though there is no reliable proof that marijuana can cure any disease, as explored by Gary Wenk (2018), marijuana can reduce the severity of symptoms caused by various illnesses, such as traumatic brain injury, inflammatory bowel disease, fibromyalgia, spinal cord injury, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, among others. Evidence, as described by Wenk (2018), shows that stimulating the brain's endogenous marijuana receptors protects the brain by decreasing brain inflammation and restoring neurogenesis. Therefore, such findings suggest that marijuana can benefit individuals' brains rather than harm them in the future. Statistics from a federal survey provided by Nirappil's (2024) article suggest that a growing population of older people is embracing cannabis, stating that cannabis relieves them from aches and insomnia caused by age. About 8% of them, 65 years and above, report previous use of marijuana with an increasing rate for the coming years (Nirrapil, 2014). Moreover, apart from older adults, reports also show that CBD can help reduce seizure disorder in children. Such reports were supported by the FDA, which approved CBD for use in children with particular seizure disorders. Today, 30 states in the U.S., including the District of Columbia, have ensured that medical marijuana is accessible to their citizens (Wenk, 2018). Therefore, such examination of the benefits that medical marijuana provides to patients highlights the significance of integrating its access to individuals throughout th...