Name: Arien Kaye B.

Vallar Subject: Media and Information Literacy

Grade and Section: 12 Pythagoras Teacher: Lester R. Ladera, MIT

Medical Marijuana: Smoking weed, a Right or Wrong Deed?

Medical marijuana, why it should be legalized? Marijuana also known as cannabis is a
plant that is widely known as an illegal kind of drug. Tracing back the history of this plant, many
researchers and historians found that, marijuana was being cultured by the ancient people not to
get high, but to use it as an herbal medicine. There are also a lot of studies that are being
conducted to know more about its medicinal benefits. The legalization of marijuana can offer
many benefits especially in the field of medicine and increasing the number of jobs for the
society.
First, there are already a lot of things about the medicinal benefits of marijuana that are
being discovered. Marijuana’s are being used as a treatment to various kinds of ailments and
diseases just like epilepsy. There was this case that received public attention in the year 2013 in
CNN documentary called Weed. In Colorado, there is a little girl named Charlotte who has a rare
case of epilepsy called Dravet Syndrome. At the young age of five, she is suffering seizures
every week. Desperate times calls for desperate measures, the parents of Charlotte heard about
treating Dravet syndrome using cannabidiol or CBD; a chemical in marijuana that is being used
to cure many ailments and diseases. The doctors gave Charlotte an oil extracted from cannabis
with higher content of CBD, her seizures stopped almost completely.
Second, marijuana is also being used as a treatment for depression. Depression is a
mental illness that makes a person feel sad or empty, to the point that it seems death is their only
choice to stop their suffering. According to the American Psychiatric Association around 15
adults (6.7%) in any given year and one in six people experiences depression at some point in
their life. There is a 2016 study that said that their results from their research showed that CBD
or cannabidiol exerts fast and effective anti-depressant like effects, regardless about the research
there are patients that claimed that marijuana alleviated their depression
Third, the legalization of marijuana can also help the economy of the country by
increasing the number of jobs available and can increase the tax revenue. How can the
legalization of marijuana increase the number of jobs? The first step to keep the weed coming
around, is to produce it. Nurseries and dispensaries are going to be built and people, especially
farmers will start planting those mighty plants that will bring them money. A study on Nevada
says that the legalization of marijuana in the state can support more than 41,000 jobs and will
generate a $1.7 billion for income. An ICF study states that at least 81,000 jobs in California may
it be direct or indirect are going to be added as a result of legalized marijuana sales. The higher
the income of a company, the higher the tax it pays, in the year 2015 Colorado, a state that is a
part of western and southwestern United States, was able to collect more than $135 million
because of the taxes and fees from the medical and recreational marijuana.
But all of these wonderful benefits that a marijuana can do to people are all being
hindered because of its serious involvement in almost all the crimes. 3 guys were caught selling
marijuana and other illegal drugs. 48-year-old woman, caught killed on a cctv footage, suspect
was diagnosed baked because of marijuana. The things I just said were just made up but who
knows? Maybe this was showed in the television and it just happened that you were not able to
watch it.
Another thing, it is quite difficult to have a nursery of marijuana in our country. This
plant likes to be in a cool place where the temperature is not too hot nor too cold for its liking.
Our country is a tropical one and only few places have the temperature that is suited for the
plant, and there is a danger that people might break in to the nursery and steal those plants and
use them for their own benefit or, the caretaker would be the one who would use it and also be a
supplier for other people making their whole a drug den.
Marijuana is such a wonderful plant. Even though it has a lot of negative things, but
imagine when this plant is being legalized all throughout our country and everyone was educated
about the proper use of it. A lot of people with sickness that only a marijuana could cure, would
be cured and possibly, discover a lot of other sicknesses that this awesome plant could cure.
Imagine a 3rd world country, booming into success because of this plant. This plant could be the
answer to poverty. Teach and educate the less fortunate people and explain everything they
should know about before giving them the permission to propagate the plant. Imagine a country
where there is a low unemployment rate, sounds cool right? Our country could be also one of the
suppliers all over the world. Countries who had already legalized marijuana could order and
purchase from us. The illegal drug could be the answer to the whole country’s problems. The not
so good kind of drug can have the goodness that the whole world is missing out because almost
everyone is blinded of the thought that marijuana is a drug that could only bring harm to the user.
To wrap all the things up, next time when you hear the word ‘marijuana’, do not think
about the illegal drug that is being used by people who got nothing to do with their life but to
inhale all the smoke from the grass that they lit and think that the people who use it are probably
a part of a mafia group and they got it from an illegal transaction in the black market, just makes
it little to no sense at all. The cannabis plant can offer a lot of things that can benefit everyone,
people just need to know the when to use it and when to stop. Just like what Oscar Wilde said,
“Everything in moderation, including moderation”.