In today’s society, the use of drugs has become so prevalent that it has become a part of everyday life, regardless of age or gender. All kinds of drugs exist in our world, however, none has been more highly debated and controversial than medical marijuana. With new breakthroughs in research that show how effective using THC and CBD, the main chemical ingredients in marijuana, can be for sick people, denying these patients usage of a healing drug is wrong. While the legalization of the recreational use of marijuana may be far off, legalizing medical marijuana is something that cannot be so easily overlooked.

The benefits of marijuana are something that have been observed since before the drug was approved for medical usage in California back in 1996 (Norml). Many people believe that the intake of marijuana can help with seizures, panic attacks, feelings of nervousness and nausea. But it’s not just everyday illnesses marijuana can help. For instance, recent studies around the world have shown that medical marijuana can slow the growth of HIV cells in your body as well as help slow the progression of Alzheimer’s in adults (PolicyMic). While western states such as California and Colorado have already legalized medical marijuana, other states are slowly catching up. With the recent passing of House Bill 885 in Georgia, a bill that allows residents of Georgia to “gain access to cannabidiol (CBD) oil, a psychoactive derivative of marijuana” (Georgia Health News), more conservative states are taking small steps in legalization. Joyceln Elders, former Surgeon General of the United States, wrote in an article back in 2004 that “The evidence is overwhelming that marijuana can relieve certain types of pain, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms caused by such illnesses as multiple sclerosis, cancer and AIDS — or by the harsh drugs sometimes used to treat them. And it can do so with remarkable safety. Indeed, marijuana is less toxic than many of the drugs that physicians prescribe every day.” With that being said, the harsh reality is that chemotherapy and prescription pain killers are more toxic to your body than the intake of marijuana. And with every day that passes by that one less person is treated, sooner or later, we will see that the medical marijuana can be one of the biggest tools in the future of medicine.

While there are many positives to the implementation of marijuana in medicine, the fact of the matter is that it is still considered a drug, and must be closely monitored when being distributed. There’s a downside to every drug, whether it be your regular Advil or a more potent drug like marijuana. Some side effects of marijuana include a loss of appetite, feelings of drowsiness, memory loss, and disrupted learning abilities (National Institute of Drug Abuse). In talking to a member of the Medical Marijuana club at the University, who wishes to stay anonymous, and coming from someone who as smoked weed since he was only 15 years old, he told me that there are obviously some upsides and downsides. He spoke to me about when he first started smoking a lot; he felt a loss of appetite and feelings of drowsiness the morning after as well as if he wasn’t high. But, he also stated that when feeling headaches and feelings of nausea, he turned to marijuana as a pain reliever. He did tell me something that I found very interesting, however. His reason for smoking is this: “marijuana is a drug with many useful side effects. It can relieve you from your lows, and lift you even higher during your peak. But, when it comes to medicine, marijuana is, in my opinion and years of research, the one of many drugs with extreme potential to help patients in serious need for the drug.” In fact, to back up his talk, he pointed out to me his favorite website in recent marijuana news and updates, along with the pros and cons of the use of medical marijuana. He sent me to Medical Marijuana Inc., a website loaded with information about the positives and negatives of the drug. No one disagrees that smoking any substance is harmful for your body, and every drug has it’s fair share of negative side effects. However, the difference with marijuana is the potential it has to change medicine. With more research and testing backed by either government or privatized funding, marijuana can become the new go-to drug for almost all circumstances.

As diseases become more powerful and difficult to fight, our search for better medicines must expand as well. Regardless of your stance on marijuana, the positive effect it gives the people that need it cannot be ignored. Not only would medical marijuana help more citizens, it will open the door to the endless possibilities the drug can provide. Hopefully one day soon enough, the world will see what kind of powerful effects such an infamous plant holds.