The New York Times Op-ed Friday May 23, 2014

Should marijuana be reclassified to a schedule II substance ?

By: Elizabeth Gaspar

any people have heard of

stories of people using

marijuana as
a medication like, Charlotte Figi
from Colorado, who had severe
seizures because of epilepsy. Or
Rick Simpson from Canada
with skin cancer. All these
stories are first hand proof that
marijuana should be reclassified
as a schedule 2 substance.
A schedule I substance is a drug who is not acceptable for any medical use and is of high
potential for abuse, where marijuana is classified. A schedule II substance is a substance or
chemical of high potential for abuse but still not as much potential as a schedule I substance, and
it can cause severe psychological or physical dependence. Medical marijuana is referred to some
parts of the herb that is used as a medicine or herbal therapy, most common part used is
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Medical marijuana is only available in only 20 states of the United
States, California being one of them but only 2 of those 20 states legalized marijuana.
Cannabinoid is a diverse chemical compound that acts on cannabinoid receptors on cells that
release neurotransmitter in the brain. The most common of cannabinoids are the THC and the
cannabidiol. The way THC is used is that it is the part of marijuana that causes the psychoactive
effects, such as appetite, pain reliever and the reduction of vomit response. THC is mostly used
on cancer patients in chemotherapy, and on people with anorexia and/or other eating disorders.
Cannabidiol is gives the neuroprotective effects, it suppresses the appetite and does not give you
the high that THC does, many of the patients use this as their alternative medicine instead of
THC. Cannabidiol is given to people who have arthritis, and other autoimmune diseases. A study
done by Marc Feldman from the Imperial college of London tested the cannabidiol on mice who
had a similar version of arthritis and found that it reduced the inflammation by 50%, of course
using the right dosage.
Based on the studies and learning the right of using marijuana, help make the movement of

The New York Times Op-ed Friday May 23, 2014

reclassifying marijuana to a schedule II substance and changing the lives of many.