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Abstract Throughout history, marijuana has played an important role in various cultures by being used to treat ailments and diseases of many different types. Civilizations such as the Chinese used marijuana as a regular treatment, even the Americans used marijuana in the 1840’s to treat chronic illnesses. Today, marijuana is used fro a recreational drug. Marijuana users seek after the euphoric feeling that the marijuana provides. The other main use is to alleviate symptoms cause by some of the leading diseases that plague our society. A few of these diseases include AIDS cancer, multiple sclerosis, and glaucoma. In AIDS and cancer, the use of marijuana has been proven to alleviate nausea and increase appetite. In multiple sclerosis, marijuana has been shown to reduce tremors, whereas in glaucoma is has been shown to reduce the intraocular pressure of the eye. There are both advantages and disadvantages to legalizing marijuana. Advantages to legalization are that the medicinal users would be able to have their symptoms alleviated with the help of marijuana without the fear of legal ramifications. Legalization would also allot for further research to be completed in studying marijuana and the effects of it. Just as there are advantages to legalizing marijuana, there are also disadvantages. A few of the disadvantages of legalizing marijuana include abuse, health problems, and hazard to others. Throughout all of the debate surrounding this issue, one thing remains, while people are sitting around debating whether ill people should use marijuana to help them feel better, there are sick people sitting around making themselves feel better illegally through the use of marijuana. Legalizing Marijuana Marijuana, pot, bud, weed, or cannabis Sativa, no matter how it is referred to it is still illegal to have, use, or prescribe in the United States. Although it is not legal, marijuana is a hallucinogenic and intoxicating plant that is used for many purposes. This is a source of great debate in the American society today. When looking back through history, it is seen that marijuana has been used by many different cultures for many different purposes. For instance, marijuana is known to have been used by the Chinese as early as 2737 B. C. Despite this knowledge that this drug is illegal, researchers have continued finding new ways for marijuana to assist in alleviating the symptoms in many patients. Research has found that AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, and multiple sclerosis patients all have the ability to benefit from the drug. Despite the legal ramifications, there are still people with these diseases that are willing to take the chance of being arrested, just to feel better. There are many advantages to legalizing marijuana; such as the aid it would provide the patients that do not respond well to other drugs. Legalization would also allow these patients to benefit without the fear of imprisonment, and it would allow further research to be conducted on the full benefits of this drug’s use. There are also many disadvantages to the legalization of marijuana. With the legalization of marijuana comes the increased risk of people abusing the drug. There are also health risks involved with the use of marijuana. When taking into consideration the fact that marijuana is a mind-altering drug, the risk also arises that the person using this drug may be a hazard to others. This is the basis for the wide spread debate over this issue. There are two sides to every issue, and this issue is no exception.
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