...Summary Florida Supreme Court has put medical marijuana on the November general election ballot. If the proposed constitutional amendment passes by at least 60 percent of the vote, state health officials will have to sort out many details before patients can legally obtain pot. Some specifics, however, are outlined in the proposed amendment. The main concern is the fact of how this amendment approval is going to work in Florida, especially when 23 (including Washington D.C) of the 50 states already had legalized the marihuana. There are some people that supports this amendment with the idea of bring a new alternative or alternative medicine to patients with diseases such as Cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, ALS, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and Crohn's disease (those are all specified within the amendment). However, there are some others that believe that this amendment is going to work as a vehicle to use marihuana in an unsafe and unregulated way, therefore it is important to consider other facts like the experience in other states that has legalized the pot. California, as an example, have already long time with the approval, and is just as easy to see the results, that only one search on YouTube for “how to get credentials for medicinal marijuana” is needed and the videos are going to provide the answers. The facts that this is very useful for some people, and the fact that this might be a way for others to get legal the “recreational use” of pot are...
Words: 679 - Pages: 3
...I was happy that we’re able to read about a relevant topic. I personally don’t know much about the medical marijuana history/debate in Michigan so I found this assignment to be very informative and useful. I’m glad this assignment gave me the opportunity to read the most current information on the laws concerning medical marijuana. I have never personally smoked marijuana, so I have a hard time understanding why some people push so hard to have it legalized. This being said, I do believe that the case presented against McQueen and Taylor is valid. Given what I read in the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act (MMMA), it would appear to me that CA, the defendant’s co-owned marijuana dispensary, was operating illegally. The MMMA states that there is to be no “patient-to-patient” sales (MICHIGAN MEDICAL MARIHUANA ACT (EXCERPT), 2008). Even though CA rented out lockers to registered qualifying patients to store and sell their excess marijuana, CA claims that they did not violate any of the rules outlined in the MMMA because they believed they did not own the rights to the stored marijuana. CA attests that the rights and ownership of the stored pot were still that of the patients whom rented the lockers, not CA. The State of Michigan challenged that notion by defining possession as dominion and control of the drug. The State of Michigan’s position is that CA had control over the access and sale of the drug there by placing possession of the drug with CA, not the patients. This is a violation...
Words: 935 - Pages: 4
...Week 9 Research Paper COM/156 August 11, 2013 Week 9 Research Paper “Marijuana is the finest anti-nausea medication known to science, and our leaders have lied about this consistently. [Arresting people for] medical marijuana is the most hideous example of government interference in the private lives of individuals. It’s an outrage within an outrage within an outrage”. Peter McWilliams Author and Advocate for Medical Marijuana Medical Marijuana has found its place once again as the medical plant that is recognized for its healing potential and properties. How the Government has suppressed its positive potential and healing powers for over 25 years. With the help from many patients, loved ones, research departments and advocate groups to get the Government’s attention to see and understand that the terminally ill and the sick should not be treated as common criminals. They are only trying to find some peace and serenity in their last days. The struggle and fight that has been going on for the last 25 years against the Government. The people were finally heard, with the legalization of Medical Marijuana. The Government wants to regulate everything for their own best interest, the positive effect of decriminalizing marijuana for the terminally ill and the positive economic benefits for our community. Cannabis Sativa, Marijuana, Weed, Herb, Mary Jane these are just a few names that this little 5 leaf...
Words: 3304 - Pages: 14
...Week 9 Research Paper Medical Marijuana COM/156 August 11, 2013 Medical Marijuana ~“Marijuana is the finest anti-nausea medication known to science, and our leaders have lied about this consistently. [Arresting people for] medical marijuana is the most hideous example of government interference in the private lives of individuals. It’s an outrage within an outrage within an outrage”~ ~Peter McWilliams~ Author and Advocate for Medical Marijuana Medical Marijuana has found its place once again as the medical plant that is recognized for its healing potential and properties. How the Government has suppressed its positive potential and healing powers for over 25 years. With the help frommany patients, loved ones, research departments and advocate groups, to get the Government’s attention to see and understand that the terminally ill, and the sick should not be treated as common criminals. They are only trying to find some peace and serenity, in their last days. The struggle and fight that has been going on for the last 25 years against the Government. The people were finally heard, with the legalization of Medical Marijuana. The Government wants to regulate everything for their best interest, the positive effect of decriminalizing marijuana for the terminally ill, and the positive economic benefits for our community. Cannabis Sativa, Marijuana, Weed, Herb, Mary Jane these are just a few names that this little 5 leaf plant goes by. How could this...
Words: 3054 - Pages: 13
...Why Marijuana Illegal Ever since the beginning of time there always has been something that has created a large amount of controversy; an issue that leaves households and countries divided. Should marijuana be legalized so it can be used for medicinal purposes? Marijuana has been used by people of royalty, "Emperor Shen-Nung in China prescribes cannabis for beri-beri, constipation, 'female weakness,' gout, malaria, rheumatism and absentmindedness” (Abel, 1982) and politicians, “I smoked but did not inhale.”- Bill Clinton. In fact marijuana has been around for as long as the earth been able to produce plants. Medical Marijuana has been in the middle of world debates since it was discovered. Marijuana was once an important plant and now marijuana is considered to be one of the worst drug or plant to mankind. People have formed a negative perspective about this naturally grown plant, which is often referred as a harmful gateway drug. Although marijuana is a drug now, one-day history will repeat itself and, there will be a time in which society will take a step back and look at what this plant has to offer. Marijuana has many respectable uses. In order for an accurate opinion to be forms, this will present to you the history of marijuana, why marijuana was deemed unsafe or illegal and the medicinal purposes cannabis has to offer. After reading they will be more informed about marijuana, he or she will be able to form a moral decision based on facts and history. When they are...
Words: 1227 - Pages: 5
...medicinal purposes like relieving sinus congestion or acting as pain killers. It wasn’t until science began to delve deeper into the makings of each substance that the government started to restrict their sale and use in 1909. One such substance, Marijuana, which for ages has been used for medicinal purposes, found its way into the government’s cross hairs. “Marijuana refers to the dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa. The plant contains the mind-altering chemical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other related compounds. (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2016)” In the early 1900’s even, marijuana was seen as being virtually harmless. People could grow and sell the substance without worry until Marihuana Tax Act went into effect in 1937. This allowed the government the right to control the sale and use of the substance by taxing the grower, distributer, seller, and buyer. In 1970, the government took it a step further and decided to criminalize...
Words: 1144 - Pages: 5
...Medical Marijuana Medical Marijuana Marijuana in today’s society is known as a recreational drug. However, Cannabis has been used in different ways by the Chinese dated back as early as 2737 B.C. The most interesting story is the one about emperor Liu Chi-nu. His story explains the connection between cannabis, snakes and illness. According to the article Marijuana- the First Twelve Thousand Years, “One day Liu was out in the fields cutting down some hemp, when he saw a snake. Taking no chances that it might bite him, he shot the serpent with an arrow. The next day he returned to the place and heard the sound of a mortar and pestle. Tracking down the noise, he found two boys grinding marijuana leaves. When he asked them what they were doing, the boys told him they were preparing a medicine to give to their master who had been wounded by an arrow shot by Liu Chi-nu. Liu Chi-nu then asked what the boys would do to Liu Chi-nu if they ever found him. Surprisingly, the boys answered that they could not take revenge on him because Liu Chi-nu was destined to become emperor of China. Liu berated the boys for their foolishness and they ran away, leaving behind the medicine. Sometime later Liu himself was injured and he applied the crushed marijuana leaves to his wound. The medicine healed him and Liu subsequently announced his discovery to the people of China and they began using it for their injuries” (Abel, 1980). Another emperor Shen-Neng of China discovered the...
Words: 1474 - Pages: 6
...Medical Marijuana in California The marijuana pant is one of the oldest plants known to mankind. It has become one of the most widely used plants. The plant has many uses other than medicinal use. It was used to make cloth and paper for centuries and was the most important source of rope until the development of synthetic fibers (Grinspoon and Bakalar). There are two different species of cannabis called sativa and indica. The feeling of each has a slight difference. Sativa has a more relaxing effect on the body than indica, but both are equally useful in medicating ill people. Marijuana is easily defined: it is one of the most benign substances know to humans (Rosenthal and Kubby). California is one of the first states in America fighting for the use of medical marijuana. In recent years, the medical use had grown vastly in the state of California. Medical marijuana is used for various reasons. Many people in California are beginning to buy or receive medical marijuana prescriptions to avoid serious consequences. “In 1996, California voters passed position 215, the Compassionate Use Act, legalizing marijuana for medical use. Proposition 215 permits ill Californians to use marijuana, provided they first obtain a doctor’s recommendation. Proposition 215 also give doctors legal defense against professional or legal sanctions for recommending use of marijuana” (Berkeley.edu 1). There is so much conflict between proposition 215 and the federal law. The federal...
Words: 1615 - Pages: 7
...medicine is not abuse as many people will try to take advantage of the situation. Racism played a key role in the illegalization of marijuana in the early 1900’s. Harry Anslinger, Commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, said, “Marijuana is the most violence causing drug in the history of mankind. Most marijuana smokers are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their satanic music, jazz and swing, result from marijuana usage. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes.” (4) He used this sort of propaganda to get a racist America behind his push for the criminalization of marijuana in the mid-twentieth century. Anslinger submitted the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 to Congress, which made marijuana illegal on a federal level for purposes of medical and industrial only. This act was found to be unconstitutional in 1969, since it violated the Fifth Amendment, because people seeking the tax stamp would have to incriminate themselves....
Words: 1409 - Pages: 6
...Abstract Employment At-Will and Medical Marijuana use are two issues merging together in today’s society as state laws are becoming more reciprocal to medical marijuana users. Research has found that many users find marijuana to be a great therapeutic alternative when traditional therapeutic drugs start to become ineffective. The issue of employers having the legal right to fire employees who are registered medical marijuana users when testing positive during drug test makes employees feel helpless. This paper explores the legal, ethical, and social responsibilities that companies have in today’s society in regard to the use of medical marijuana. At Will Employment and Medical Marijuana: Analyses based on Legal, Ethical and Social Responsibility There is controversy over the rising issue of employment at-will and medical marijuana off company property. There are 22 states that allow the use of medical marijuana, but these states’ medical marijuana laws do not explicitly provide protection status to patients. Should this be legal and is it worth it for the organization to continue this practice? This paper will discuss the issue of “zero-tolerance” drug policies in organizations located in states that allow the legal use of medical marijuana, and the issues that arise will be analyzed and broken down into the “3 value” analysis of the law, ethics, and social responsibility. According to a report done by CNN there is a case concerning a Michigan man named Joseph Casias...
Words: 5389 - Pages: 22
...addiction, gangs, law violations, hallucinations, disorientation, and criminal activity. However marijuana has been used and shown to have positive effects in multiple medical conditions. Marijuana has been found to relieve symptoms of diseases of serious magnitude such as asthma, glaucoma, and muscle spasms are just a few. Marijuana has also been found to relieve a loss of appetite and nausea due to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) wasting syndrome and chemotherapy treatment (AIDS 1). Marijuana has become a major source of relief for many terminally ill patients, as well as people with mental disorders such as depression, and bipolar disorder. Why then if marijuana has multiple positive effects and uses is it illegal? One common answer is that it is a mind altering drug and can be a life treating and can affect health in long term use. This is a weak answer because while marijuana is illegal other substances such as alcohol which is well known to be a mind altering substance and tobacco which is a substance proven to cause health issues including death, are both very legal. Legalizing marijuana and decriminalizing marijuana could have multiple positive outcomes. Legalizing marijuana for medical use would not only give ill patients different treatment options for their illnesses, but the handling and issuing of medical marijuana would generate jobs opportunities for many people. Decriminalizing marijuana for personal use would lower overcrowded jails and save court systems time...
Words: 2243 - Pages: 9
...*The Evolution of Cannabis:* a Recreational drug transition*ing to a medical remedy approved by* Americans. Cannabis has been a recreational drug and medical remedy since the herb was known to exist but, today cannabis has been researched, approved by legislators to be used only for applications. People have opposed the consumption of marijuana for medical and recreational use. The herd known as cannabis indigo is the # l drug and the hottest issue coming to the surface of social issue for Americans. History of the Problem (Include, perhaps, past attempts at solutions. Work in sources. The plant marijuana has been known since 6000 B.C. and in 1840 in America medical preparation cannabis was legal and available to Americans. The United State government and the department of food and Drug Administration ordered in 1906 to label products that contained cannabis. The Harrison Act in 1914 listed Cannabis, to be approved but the law did not pass legislation. The pharmaceutical industry's was opposition the approval due to lack of beneficial properties. In 1915-1924 cannabis was prohibited for non medical use in the United States. Dr. Hamilton Wright, a State Department official whom from 1908 to 1914 coordinated the domestic and international aspects of the federal antinarcotics campaign, wanted cannabis to be included in drug abuse legislation because of his belief in a hydraulic model of drug appetites. He reasoned, along with numerous other experts, that if one dangerous drug...
Words: 2554 - Pages: 11
...How effective is the use of medical marijuana? Can the treatments benefits outweigh the risks? In recent years the debate over the use of medical marihuana increased rapidly. Whereas a patient suffering from chronic pain in California can easily get a doctor’s prescription for medical cannabis, the German patient suffering from the very same symptoms would not be allowed to treat his ache with marijuana, which is the most common name for the hemp plant, or Cannabis sativa. Cannabis can be classified as one of the oldest drugs known to humanity. Its history dates back until the Neolithic times in China about 6,000 years ago. From there, the plant spread to India and the Middle East where it widely served as an analgesic, anticonvulsant, antispasmodic, antiemetic and hypnotic (Hall &Degenhardt, 2003). Moreover the hemp was reported to be a successful appetite stimulant as well as effective in treating a number of disorders, including tetanus, neuralgia, asthma and migraine as well as in alcohol and opium addiction and in the treatment of mental illnesses (McKim& Hancock, 2013). Not recognized at first as a substance producing intoxicating effects, marijuana’s use spread soon all over Europe and the U.S. in the 19th century, where it was used for medical purposes. The plants medical benefits were substituted in the early 20th century by pharmaceutical opiates, acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) and sedatives like chloral hydrates and the barbiturates, which could be given...
Words: 2631 - Pages: 11
...Legalizing Marijuana Legalizing Marijuana If Green is Life Why isn't it Legal? Humanity throughout history has fought against diseases using drugs, with good results. Several medicinal drugs have been discovered since remote times, and have saved many lives or helped complement human nutrition. Not all drugs are medicinal, some are used however for recreational purposes. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (House of Representatives Conference Report, 1998) consider these kinds of drugs as Schedule I drugs (high potential for abuse, unsafe and with no medicinal properties). Heroin, cocaine, amphetamines and many other drugs appear in this classification. There are some kinds of drugs that are considered dangerous and have a high potential for being abused of, but have medicinal properties: marijuana is one of them. Lila Gutterman states that cannabis was used in ancient Greece and China 5000 years ago to soothe pain, and still today may be used illegally by 50,000 Americans suffering from multiple sclerosis in order to alleviate their symptoms (2000). There has been enough research done by experts on marijuana's practical application as a medicine. Marijuana has several medicinal properties that can help treat many diseases and helps soothe a big number of symptoms, so it should not remain as a totally illegal drug. A focus has to be given to it so to make possible for ill patients to acquire it without legal restraints. Marijuana has been known for centuries...
Words: 3096 - Pages: 13
...standard in place that must be followed. These are nonnegotiable, ethical standards, obligations and duties that every individual swears to when entering the nursing profession. These standards are all found within the American Nurses Association’s code of Nursing Ethics and Conduct. Whether dealing with patients and families during end of life decision making or dealing with nursing negligence within the court of law, the first provision in the code of ethics is the most imperative to remember. Nurses are always obligated to their patient’s best interest, therefore making them an unrelenting patient advocate. Many provisions are pointed out within the Nursing Code of Ethics. In the situation of dealing with Marianne’s family and medical treatments, there are many important things to consider. “The nurse respects the worth, dignity, and rights of all human beings irrespective of the nature of the health problem. The worth of the person is not affected by disease, disability, functional status, or proximity to death. This...
Words: 1233 - Pages: 5
