ENGL 102
Professor Truell
Classical Argument Essay
Due: March 5, 2021
Imagine you are terminally ill and no form of treatment you have received thus far has
helped you. One day, you do research and find out there is a medicine that can treat your disease
or other illnesses and quite possibly save your life, only to discover that this medicine is illegal to
use in many places. This issue is a reality for many people, and the medicine they urgently need
is marijuana. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD) in marijuana are the main
components that help with certain ailments such as managing pain and nausea. According to
Karmen Hanson and Alise Garcia from the Nation Conference of State Legislatures, a total of 36
states, including the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin
Islands have legalized marijuana for medical usage (Garcia and Hanson). Medical marijuana can
be legal on the state level, but the federal government does not see the benefits. There are many
benefits of using marijuana for medical purposes including treating pain and other health issues,
its effectiveness compared to the drug Marinol and the benefits of using it on children with
illnesses that cause seizures. Even though there some benefits related to medical marijuana, there
are still some concerns.
One of the benefits of using medical marijuana is that it helps with chronic pain including
neuropathic pain and other health issues. Marijuana is safer than some other medications
prescribed to treat the same symptoms. For example, it may be used instead of opioids for pain
management, which is a highly addictive drug and not recommended for long-term use.
According to Greggory T. Carter, MD, MS, (Carter) marijuana has no known lethal dose,
minimal drug interactions, and is easily taken by oral ingestion, vaporization, or topical
, Trinity Chisholm Chisholm 2
ENGL 102
Professor Truell
Classical Argument Essay
Due: March 5, 2021
absorption. does any form of ingestion help more than the other it would depend on the strain
and how it's being ingested... Other uses for medical marijuana include depression, migraines,
sleep disorders, and anxiety.
Another benefit of medical marijuana is its effectiveness compared to the drug Marinol.
Marinol is a drug used to treat or prevent nausea and vomiting caused by cancer medications
when other medications do not work. According to Mitch Earleywine, Ph.D. (Earleywine),
opponents of medical marijuana often point to Marinol, a synthetic version of one of marijuana's
active ingredients that is available in pill form. The use of only one active ingredient makes
Marinol less effective than medical marijuana. Many ailments respond better to a combination of
marijuana's active ingredients rather than just one. Also, because Marinol is only available in pill
form, it is difficult for people with nausea and vomiting to swallow. Finally, like any medication
that's swallowed, Marinol takes a long time to digest. Since marijuana vapors can be inhaled,
they would work and take effect much faster.
One of the major benefits of medical marijuana is that it can be used with children who
have been diagnosed with epilepsy and other seizure-related illnesses. Research on medical
marijuana and epilepsy/seizures started in the mid-1970s. In 2013, Catherine Jacobson, M.D. and
Brenda E. Porter of the Department of Neurology at Stanford University conducted a study on
the use of cannabidiol-enriched marijuana, or as it is commonly referred to as CBD oil in
children with treatment-resistant epilepsy (The Apothecarium Epilepsy and medical marijuana).