Medical Marijuana: All Smoke and Mirrors?

Medical Weed: All Smoke and Mirrors?

If you’re looking for a more natural and holistic approach to your health and wellness, you may find that medical marijuana is a foot in the right direction. However, opponents will fight the benefits of medical marijuana usage and believe that it could lead to more dangerous drug activity and vehicle accidents. The following ideas are strong arguments that will back both sides of the drug debate.

Medical Purpose

As of June 2014, 23 states in the U.S. will have legalized weed for medical purposes. Another three have legislation pending in regards to its legalities. Medically speaking, marijuana has been shown to alleviate many debilitating symptoms and side effects in many illnesses. For instance, if you are one of the many people who are fighting cancer and receiving chemotherapy treatment, you’ll relish the natural benefits that only medical marijuana can bring. While there are drugs on the market today that can help alleviate nausea, pain and vomiting, marijuana can safely relieve symptoms without serious side effects.

Appetite Stimulant

For patients with HIV/AIDS, cancers and other types of illnesses, medications and treatment plans can often be an appetite suppressant, especially if you’re going through chemotherapy or taking strong medications to combat your disease. However, it’s important that you get the required nutrition to fight your ailments. Medical weed can help individuals who experience a loss of appetite by stimulating the need for foods. Eating well will help strengthen your immune system and keep your nutritional levels at their maximum.

Pain and Disease

Individuals who were diagnosed with lupus, multiple sclerosis or other forms of paralysis may experience pain and spasticity. Fortunately, marijuana can lessen a person’s discomfort and reduce convulsive muscles that spasm out of control. Studies also find that medical marijuana can help patients who are stricken with glaucoma.

Mental and Cognitive Reflexes

While there are quite a few arguments showing the positive impact medical marijuana can make on a person, you’ll find just as many arguments against it. If you smoke marijuana on a frequent basis for medical purposes, you may find your short-term memory and cognitive reflexes seriously affected.

Opponents of medical marijuana also argue that it is too dangerous to use, lacks FDA approval, and that various legal drugs make marijuana use unnecessary. Many argue that it is addictive, leads to harder drug use, and injures the lungs, immune system, and brain. It has also been called a front for drug legalization and recreational use.

Impaired Driving

Medical marijuana is still a drug and could impair one’s reflexes on the road. This could include preventing a person’s ability to stop the car quickly or witness pedestrians crossing busy intersections. It can also hinder ones time frame needed when making quick decisions when it comes to turning, changing lanes and going at a safe and legal speed limit. This can increase the number of car accidents and personal injury cases dramatically.

Accidents in the work place are also greater due to the effects of medical marijuana. The lack of productivity, lowered attention to detail and employee timeliness can all be due to the effects of the use of medical marijuana. It can also be quite costly for employees to fight if terminated.

Detection Devices

Alcohol related detection devices such as Breathalyzers and physical tests could easily identify those who have been imbibing. However, marijuana and other drug testing methods are a lot trickier to ascertain. They are currently being developed and are still at the testing stage of the game.

There are a significant number of people who are in dire need of medical marijuana, and the benefits can help them handle their illness and getting along in their everyday life. Unfortunately, there’s also a small percentage who don’t seem to mind taking advantage of the system and slip through the cracks just to obtain that legal high, giving fuel to the fires of the opponents of medical cannabis.

Freelance writer Nadine Swayne delivers this article to help shed light on the pros and cons of medical marijuana. Understanding both sides of the argument can spark up an ever-growing knowledge of cannabis and how it will affect our daily lives.