Imagine your most loved one lying on a hospital bed in a terrible condition, intensely suffering and in extreme pain. Your loved one needs medicine and the one that can help the most is not available to you. Physicians and patients are both claiming that marijuana is much more effective and less harmful than other prescription drugs like Oxycontin, Vicodin, Hydrocodone and others. When controlled properly, marijuana can do more good than harm. Marijuana should be used for strictly medical purposes.

Earlier this year, the house said no to the Virginia Medical Marijuana Bill, the negative side winning 123-120. HB 1445 was passed a few months before then, which, in short, states that the possession of marijuana is punishable by arrest, but not a conviction, if the drug is prescribed for intractable epilepsy. Due to the small percentage of the individuals in need of the drug that are accounted for by the law, Virginia is not considered a Medical marijuana state unlike DC and 23 states.

Marijuana, when consumed or smoked, releases Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other cannabinoids that latch onto cell receptors in the brain. CB1 receptors control movement, memory, and vomiting, causing drug users to experience short-term memory loss and slight learning disabilities, along with the lack of coordination and balance. Because of CB1, marijuana can also be used to treat pain, nausea and loss of appetite. The other receptor, CB2, seems to have no prominently harmful effects unless you count “the munchies”. CB2 receptors are responsible, though, for the anti-inflammatory result of consuming marijuana, something that can greatly aid in neuroinflammatory conditions, or inflammation of the brain.

Inhaling the smoke alone will cause the heart to beat at 20 to 50 beats per minute over the usual rate, sometimes even doubling. The blood vessels in the eyes expand, but the inhalation will cause the bronchial tubes to be enlarged and relax, all after only a few minutes. When the drug is smoked, the chemicals reach peak levels and take hold within minutes, the effects remaining for an hour and a half. Smoking the drug unloads multiple times more THC into the blood as opposed to eating or drinking the substance. When consumed, the plant may mix with food and, therefore, the consequences will last for up to four hours, but less THC reaches the brain.

Ingested or smoked, THC is the most prominent reason for the popularity of marijuana recreationally. THC creates a euphoric feeling, a “high”, because it acts in the reward system of the brain. The brain cells are stimulated by tetrahydrocannabinol and free the chemical dopamine, a compound which aids in managing movement and emotion. Colors and sounds seem more intense, time slows down, a dry mouth and a cold feeling is experienced and, once again, an intense hunger or thirst occurs. Once the euphoria passes, the marijuana user may feel depressed or tired. THC left in the blood has a half-life of nineteen hours because it is fat-soluble, and metabolites that form in the liver have a half-life of fifty hours.

Learning this information, I feel even more strongly that recreational use of marijuana should be illegal. Being prescribed the drug for medical purposes regulates the intake, but the recreational use will give individuals more access to the drug and, therefore they can temporarily overdose, called a “green out”, or hurt someone else while they’re under the influence. Users experiencing a green out will face temporary paranoia and anxiety, hallucinations, pupil dilation, shortness of breath, nausea, almost uncontrollable shaking and cold feelings. The recreational use of marijuana has no reasoning, unlike the medical use which has a legitimate purpose. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, it is estimated that only 9% of users become addicted. If the amount is controlled for medical purposes, it is justifiable.

Overall, marijuana slows the growth of cancerous tumors, relieves muscle spasms and tremors, reduces the frequency of seizures, increases and restores metabolism, elevates moods and expands the mind, suppresses nausea and reduces the interlobular pressure of the eye. Specifically, marijuana has been known to relieve symptoms of AIDS, Glaucoma, Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Epilepsy, Chronic pain, Anxiety, Depression and Obsession.

According to physicians, the body produces chemicals similar to marijuana itself, marijuana just improves them. Patients say it helps them more than anything else, so why do we not give it to them? Why deny them the help they need in their suffering?