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Christina Markl
Dr. Haas
Writing 39C
February 14th, 2003
Medicinal Marijuana
In the eight years that Mark Tucchi has had multiple sclerosis, he has ingested countless
drugs and endured debilitating therapies including willingly being stung by bees in an attempt to
slow the onset of the disease. But now the 45-year-old Manchester man is nearing the end. His
words trail off as he tries to catch his breath, the result of lesions on his lungs. He has difficulty
walking, but with the aid of a cane he is mobile. “I forget to breathe, I forget to see ... the list goes
on and on,” he said. In the advanced stages of MS, Tucchi still takes the drugs his doctors
prescribe to allow him to capitalize on the amount of time he has left with his two sons. One of the
drugs that eases the symptoms of his disease and blunts the side effects of the myriad medications
is marijuana. He has been smoking pot for 3 ½ years, since his disease progressed and the
symptoms worsened. The drug is one of many in his medicine cabinet; he uses it to calm the
tremors he experiences, relieve his pain and eliminate the nausea. “I’m not going to get better
unless Jesus comes down. ... It’s that simple. ... I don’t have a lot of options,” Tucchi told the
House Judiciary Committee Friday afternoon. “I can’t live without it . ... My quality time is coming
to an end” (Schmaler 1).
“Marijuana is a mixture of leaves, stems, and flowering tops of the Cannabis plant, that
can be smoked or eaten for its hallucinogenic and pleasure-giving effects” (Joel 56). An
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ingredient of marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is concentrated in the flowering tops
of female plants, is what effects humans. Marijuana grows all over the world, throughout
temperate regions, with the more potent varieties produced in dry, hot, upland climates.
Marijuana is a very controversial issue in today’s society. Many people feel that it should become
legal for medicinal purposes, though some disagree, saying that there has not been enough
research made and that we already have multiple problems from the use of alcohol and tobacco
such as driving accidents, domestic violence, health risks, and crippling addiction, so why do we
want to multiply that by adding marijuana to the list?
Should marijuana become legal at the federal level in order for it to be used for medicinal
purposes? According to a poll taken by Times/CNN, 80% of Americans think that adults should
legally be able to use marijuana for medicinal purposes. Despite these views, the Federal
government stands by its Marijuana Tax Act, established in 1937, which established the
prohibition of marijuana in America. “Then in 1970, the Controlled Substance Act established
marijuana as a Schedule I drug, defining it as having a high potential for abuse, no currently
accepted medicinal use in treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use
under medical supervision” (“Medical Marijuana” 2). Currently, marijuana is illegal nationally,
but in Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, Colorado, Maine, Hawaii, and Alaska, voters
have passed propositions which make the medicinal use of marijuana legal. States are not
required to have laws that are identical to federal law, neither are they required to enforce federal
laws, but the conflict of laws has caused a number of problems.
Marijuana should be legalized for medicinal purposes because it has been proven to help
in some patients; other drugs or substances that are legal for prescription or recreation are more
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harmful than marijuana; and marijuana is not as harmful or addicting as defined by the
government. Patients suffering from AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, and multiple sclerosis have found
many comforts from marijuana that they have not found from any other prescribed drug.
According to patients with AIDS and cancer, “marijuana can reduce the nausea, vomiting, and
loss of appetite caused by the ailment itself and by various AIDS medications or chemotherapy
treatments” (“Medical Marijuana" 1). Marijuana has also helped many patients suffering from
glaucoma by “reducing intra ocular pressure, thereby alleviating the pain and slowing – and
sometimes stopping – the progress of the condition” (“Medical Marijuana" 1). As described in
the story earlier, marijuana has also helped patients with multiple sclerosis by “limiting muscle
pain and spasticity caused by the disease as well as relieving tremor and unsteadiness and gait”
(“Medical Marijuana" 1). In addiction to major sicknesses, “many patients also report that
marijuana is useful in treating arthritis, migraine, menstrual cramps, alcohol and opiate addiction
and depression and other debilitating mood disorders” (“Medical Marijuana” 2).
[Put in medications given to cancer, aids, ms patients] In addition to it helping patients,
other drugs or substances that are legal for prescription or recreation are more harmful than
marijuana itself. Prescripted medications such as opiates and anti-depressants, not to mention
legal substances used recreationally such as tobacco and alcohol, can be as dangerous and
addicting, if not more, than marijuana. Derived from opium, drugs such as opiate, codeine,
morphine, and laudanum are prescribed to relieve pain and induce sleep. Opiates first produce a
feeling of pleasure and euphoria, but with their continued use the body demands larger amounts
to reach the same sense of well-being. Withdrawal is extremely uncomfortable, and addicts
typically continue taking the drug to avoid pain rather than to attain the initial state of euphoria.
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Malnutrition, respiratory complications, and low blood pressure are some of the illnesses
associated with addiction. Complete recovery from opiate addiction requires years of social and
psychological rehabilitation. Antidepressants have also been used in the treatment of individuals
suffering from major depression or the depressing phase of bipolar disorder with almost the same
kinds of dangers behind them. These prescribed drugs, in addition to having many harmful side
effects, can also be very addicting and dangerous drugs. Currently, tobacco and alcohol are legal
and can be used, but both are very strong substances that can be dangerous if taken in excess.
Despite what many people think, marijuana is not as addictive. According to the
November 2002 issue of Times at least three recent studies have demonstrated that heavy pot
smokers who quit can experience such withdrawal symptoms as anxiety, difficulty sleeping and
stomach pain. On the other hand, the risk of becoming dependent on marijuana is comparatively
low. Just 9% of those who have used the drug develop dependence. By comparison, 15% of
drinkers become dependent on alcohol, 23% of heroin users get hooked, and a third of tobacco
smokers become slaves to cigarettes. Compared to prescription addiction of in 1999, an
estimated 4 million people, about 2 percent of the population age 12 and older, were currently
(use in past month) using prescription drugs non-medically. Of these, 2.6 million misused pain
relievers, 1.3 million misused sedatives and tranquilizers, and 0.9 million misused stimulants
(“Prescription Drugs” 1).
“Patients currently suffering from any the conditions mentioned above, for whom the
legal medical options have proven unsafe or ineffective, have two options: continue to suffer
from the ailment itself; or illegally obtain marijuana–and sick suffering consequences such as an
insufficient supply due to the prohibition-inflated price or scarcity, impure, contaminated, or
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chemically adulterated marijuana, arrests, fines, court costs, property forfeiture, incarceration,
probation, and criminal records (“Medical Marijuana” 2).”
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Works Cited
Schmaler, Tracy. “Committee takes testimony on medicinal marijuana bill.” Legislative Report
25 February 2002. The Times Argus Online 12 February 2003
<http://timesargus.nybor.com>
Tracy Schmaler describes some personal stories of patients experiences with serious illnesses and
how marijuana has helped them. She uses specific stories of patients to reach out to her reader
and get their attention. The author wrote this article because she wanted people to understand that
marijuana should become legal for the many patients that needing it. The author seems to be
writing to anyone that would like to hear some personal stories.
“The Need to Change State and Federal Law.” Medical Marijuana Briefing Paper 11 February
2003 <http://www.mpp.org>
This article is about different aspects of making marijuana legal as to the medical value,
background, legal issues, and laws. The article talks about each issue clearly with lists and
descriptions of many different issues. This article was written to educate people on the issue as to
help them make a decision on their standing. The article was written for anyone who was
interested in the medicinal marijuana issue and wanted to know some information about it.
“Prescription Drugs and Pain Medications.” National Institute on Drug Abuse 13 February 2003
<http://www.nida.nih.gov>
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This article was written to describe some prescription drugs that are as addicting and dangerous
as marijuana. The article shows some statistics, research and personal stories of people that has
overused and are addicted to prescription drugs. This article was written to show that marijuana
is not the only drug that is dangerous, that there are legal, prescription drugs that are as dangerous
as marijuana. The article was written to anyone that wanted to know some information on the
subject, student, teacher, professors, or anyone.