Legalizaton Of Marajuana Research Paper

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorCollege, Undergraduate October 2001

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Legalization of Marijuana Marijuana has been proven to provide pain relief to victims of serious illnesses. Some people believe that marijuana should be legal so that hospitals would be able to distribute it to patients in need. In 1996, California residents were given the opportunity to vote on whether or not hospitals should be able to provide pain relief to their patients in the form of marijuana. This was called Proposition 215.

Proposition 215 states that Californians should have the right to obtain and use marijuana for medicinal purposes where that medical use is deemed appropriate and has been recommended by a doctor who concluded that the use of marijuana would benefit the person's health in the treatment of cancer, anorexia, AIDS, chronic pain, glaucoma, or any other illness that marijuana brings relief to (http://www. Rxmarihana.com). That means that if a doctor believes that marijuana is appropriate for a person to use, then it should be ok for them to use it.

Proposition 215 also states that patients under approved marijuana treatment and their primary caregivers should be able to safely and affordably obtain, maintain possession, and cultivate marijuana without being subject to criminal prosecution or sanction. The Proposition goes on to say that nothing written in it is meant to encourage people to condone the diversion of marijuana for non-medical purposes.

Proposition 215 was brought to the California state legislature. James P. Fox (President of California District Attorneys Association), Michael J. Meyers M.D (Director of Drug and Alcohol Treatment Program) and Sharon Rose (Red Ribbon Coordinator) voiced their reason for not approving the Proposition. They claim it to be poorly written out, without restricting marijuana use to serious illnesses such as AIDS, cancer, or glaucoma. It was also pointed out that no written prescription or medical examination would...