Hello this poll is to establish what you all think of Medical Marijuana on a national scale.
I'm for it with strict regulation and taxation of it. It would only be prescribed to the terminally ill; Ie: Cancer,Glucoma, eating disorders etc

Now my reasoning for this is that it is healthier then most pharmicutical drugs as long as you use a vaporizer and dont smoke it, It's easier to dose for your personal desired affect. No I dont promote drug use, I'm a recovering addict so i can tell you that Marijuana is a gateway drug for teenagers what i propose is that we set a age limit ie 21 like the drinking age and the need for a prescription from a licensed doctor and it would also cut down on the black market of drug dealing where marijuana is involved its a 13-20 Billion dollar business in California alone. So please vote and explain your reasoning. We are adults here so no flamming and such

I will always stand against the prohibition of marijuana.

Strict regulation and taxation similar to alcohol and cigarettes, yes. There is no reason not to when alcohol and cigarettes are extremely more physically harmful, addictive and habit forming when compared to marijuana. It makes no sense to have cannabis illegal while those substances are not; Pure hypocrisy. There are so many misconceptions surrounding marijuana, mostly due to people not knowing the real facts, due to government lies and propaganda.

- There is no such thing as a THC overdose or death. It is a scientific fact that it is not toxic to humans.
- The uses of the hemp plant itself, for oils, seeds and fibres are endless. If it became more widely grown as an agricultural crop the benefits would be huge- Including as a bio fuel source.
- Prohibition has failed.
- Arresting and jailing people for marijuana possession is a waste of police time/effort and taxpayer money.
- A regulated market would reduce money going towards criminal gangs and go towards businesses and the economy instead.
- In many cases it is a viable replacement for harmful pharmaceuticals.

Annette : Agreed, Ironically some of the propaganda is what makes us all laugh ie Refer madness, it all started in the sixties. thanks for the votes people hope to get more hits on this thread so i can get for and against arguments.

Want to hear from parents of teenagers also if there is anyone that meets that critera i hope to hear from you on here. Thanks DiabeticZach

My stance is that it helps people, and by legalizing it you can regulate it and tax the sale of it like any other controlled substance. I agree with Annette on all counts... and honestly the reason that pot is illegal now is because hemp threatened the cotton industry back in the day because it was more useful and cheaper to make... so they started a smear campaign (ala the ideas seen in Reefer Madness... which was made in 1936) to convince the government to make it illegal.

Legalize it! It's another way for the government to collect money and finally dispel the stigma associated with marijuana.

i say no becuse when they do get addicted to it they will do anything to get it and i mean anything

Elara : Not only cotton, but also the paper pulp industry that had gone ahead and started growing poplars as a paper crop and investing in large amounts of forested land. They didn't want to see hemp become more agriculturally valuable than what they had invested in.

To anyone who is on the fence...
If you watch this series of videos discussing the legalization of cannabis in the US you can learn the financial angle FOR legalization: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhOFHovg0Og It is quite long but it is extremely interesting and informative.

danielalexander : Cannabis is not a physically addictive or a highly habit-forming substance. It is one of the safest, if not THE safest, drugs to use. The harder or highly addictive drugs you are talking are nothing like cannabis.

Annette : you are correct but i still have to say no it. people (including me) are always making guesses but when the do do it there are many flaws they didn't see and boom!! there's a big problem in there face that they cant fix.

Annette : I had forgotten about the paper pulp part, thank you Annette.

danielalexander : I would remind you this thread is specifically about medical marijuana, which is unobtainable without a doctor's prescription. Also that it has been proven repeatedly that both nicotine and alcohol are far more addicting and harmful, yet they are legal. Just my two cents.

I don't think so. Medical marijunana is a bunch of...you get the idea. I love hearing people say that marijunana isn't addicting, which is true, but it gives AN EMOTIONAL DEPENDANCE, which is basically the same thing.

If it works wonders medically, that would be great! as long as it is used for medicine only...

Having used it personally, heard real stories from real people about the affects its has had on them and our technology advancing so quickly i believe we will find better ways to use it more effectively to cure more than minor aches and pains. When considering the alternative Prescription Drugs, the side effects of Marijuana are negligible!

Should medical Marijuana be legalized through the nation?

IMHO, all drugs should be legalized and they shouldn't fall under any special regulation and/or tax.

When considering something as profound as the legalization of a prohibited substance, one must look at all the of the factors. I do not pretend to be a scientist, though I do read often and scientific research and history are my favorite reading topics. The major factors to consider would be; what caused the prohibition to begin with, economic impact of the war on drugs vs the economic possibilities of medical marijuana, health factors of marijuana vs prescription drugs used for the same relief.

First of all, why was marijuana prohibited to begin with? There have been several anti-marijuana movements in the US. For multiple reason William Randolf Hurst began an anti-marijuana campaign in the late 1890s. Some say hemp was a threat to his forest paper production for his news papers, other say it was because the Mexican army seized land he considered his and it was rumored they and their general were pot smokers(never proven, or even looked into with much enthusiasm). The next period of time was not long after during the alcohol prohibition era when teetotalers linked marijuana with mythical foul behaviors of immigrants and african-americans. The last and final step was in the 1970s when the supreme court found the Marijuana stamp act of the first quarter if the century to be a catch 22 and therefore illegal. Congress then jumped into action qualifying Marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug, automatically prohibiting it without a law or vote of any kind.

Secondly, let's look at the economic impact of the war on drugs. New studies from New York show that the New York Police Dept spent millions on minor possession drug busts. Considering the numbers of men and women in jail for marijuana possession and the number of people of probation for the same, the economic cost for prohibition is ghastly. Then include the money spent by the offender that might have gone into the economy, not into the courts and testing centers(many of which are owned and operated by relatives of the police and judges sending "criminals" to them). Should we be putting honest hardworking citizens in jail for a non-violent crimes when we need productive people to drive an economy forward? Compare that economic cost to the benefits of taxing and selling marijuana in a controlled manner. I won't get into exact figures here, if your interest is peaked you may look up the projected economic benefits, not only from the buds itself, but from byproducts as well. Oil, rope, fabric, possibly bio fuel, the economic possibilities of such a cheap growing plant it incredible.

Last of all, one must look at the side effects and benefits of marijuana vs the prescription drugs currently used for treatment or self medication. Similar to alcohol, but not as severely, MJ effects the motor system. One might also expect to get the munchies when "high". Dry mouth, or cotton mouth, is usual as well. Long term effect can include a low sperm count, though a few new studies have countered that laying the blame on undies instead, noting that the older pot smokers in the study that wore boxers not briefs had larger counts. The final know symptom is short term memory loss, that may be true, not enough studies have been conducted for most non-political doctors to say weather or not it's true. Though by the fact that I am a pot smoker and did this entire post from information off the top of my head points to the fact that long term memory must be fine. Now who hasn't watched a prescription drug commercial where the side effects seamed worse than the problem the pill is supposed to fix. Anti-depressants that make people want to commit suicide, sleeping aids that can cause ulcers or make people sleepwalk. Prescription drugs are dangerous and too easy to get(in the case of non-life saving or medically necessary, I'm talking about comfort and pain relief drugs)

In conclusion, we learned that marijuana was villianized and congress took it into their power to bypass the public vote to prohibit it. Clearly laid out as well was the economic cost of the war on drugs vs the economic gains of marijuana. Add to that the risk and side effects of prescription drugs vs the relatively small side effects of marijuana. Hands down, the pros vs cons have the pros out ahead at an un-catchable pace.

Thanks everyone for all the feedback it was very helpful and informative might write a paper on this for school we will see thanks again Diabeticzach

Among the already known benefits of marijuana are: * It relieves nausea and vomiting which are two of the most recognized side effects that cancer patients have to endure when undergoing chemotherapy. * It is known to stimulate the appetite which is critical to cancer patients who are having chemo as well as for AIDS patients. * It has long been known to be beneficial in the treatment of glaucoma and this is because it lowers intraocular eye pressure. * It is also known to be effective in the treatment of certain gastrointestinal illnesses. That being said, yes I do think medical marijuana should be legalized. It prolongs and saves lives...

I think the most ironic part of this whole debate (for me) goes back to the fact that tobacco and alcohol are both legal and yet can be shown to be much more harmful to the body than marijuana.

I also have an argument for legalizing marijuana in general: Where do most people get marijuana currently? They either grow it themselves or buy it from a dealer. Many dealers sell not only marijuana but other harder drugs as well. They are also far more dangerous than a store clerk or doctor. Legalizing marijuana would put it into a business and make the buying and selling of the drug far safer. It would also make purchasing the drug for anyone under 18 much more difficult (assuming a similar restriction is placed on marijuana that is on tobacco or alcohol).

geeogree : I agree with you 100%. I know and understand it wouldn't take away the black market of drugs completely but it would prove a point and hurt many violent cartels and gangs wallets if Marijuana is no longer part of their income strategy.

Further more so some of you know where I am coming from, I am a recovering addict, that being said yes marijuana is a gateway drug, yes its emotionally addictive but so are many other chemicals. As for the gateway drug thing its a gateway drug for exactly what Geeogree said You either grow it yourself(safer and no gateway type options) 0r you buy from a dealer who is either selling harder drugs or is in a gang or cartel and knows where to get them thus his job is to try and get you to consume the harder drugs cause there street value is more thus more money for them so legalization completely is a good route as for teenagers getting their hands on it, I'll be blunt(no pun intended) if they want it bad enough they will find it, i know from first hand experience that it only takes a little work to get what you want when it comes to drugs and alcohol and acquiring it from adults. So point in case let the debate a keep on rolling Thanks DiabeticZach

Yes because the benefits outweigh the negative affects. People will be as they always have been, find ways to get it, and we pay taxes for those in kept in jail for possession, and cops can worry about other things... With the regulation of it things will be better and then there's the part about taxing it, but hey people will still pay that, that way the city will get money, and hopefully the there will be less budget cuts eventually for schools here in CA.