1

Anthony Pike
Assignment 2: Infographic

Author's notes:
My question is should marijuana be legalized in all 50 states for health and mental issues. This
issue has always interest me. There is so much debate on whether marijuana helps people in pain
or if it does more damage than good. Personally from my experience is marijuana helps with
pain and calms emotions. Hopefully by gathering information from different resources I will
have more information to present why I think marijuana should be legalized or more accepted as
an option in medical treatment in the United States.
Public view has shown that most people associate marijuana with negative choices and
lifestyles. A majority of people associate it with drug abuse, violence, and illegal activity. Like
all drugs there are pros and cons involved with the use of marijuana. Research has shown that
studies testing and experimenting with the use of marijuana has shown it to have positive effects
on the treatment of a variety of medical conditions for many people with health and mental
issues. Many cancer patients have specifically seeked out to use marijuana for severe pain and
pain associated with cancer treatment such a radiation therapy. Many people also suffer from
chronic pain. My stepfather suffers from chronic back pain from injuries in suffered in the
military. Because marijuana is not an approved drug by the federal government he can't use
marijuana for treatment of his pain or he could possibly lose medical treatment and pain
medication. He has stated that he would be opened to trying marijuana for pain because his pain
is sometimes unbearable even with the pain medications he is prescribed by his doctor.
About 350,000 people alone in the United States have multiple sclerosis. There have been

many multiple sclerosis patients that have testified that marijuana has had a intense effect on
helping them with problems such as eyesight, speech, balance, tremors, spasms, and bladder
control. Also multiple sclerosis patients wheelchair bounded noted they can walk unaided when
they have smoked marijuana.
Though research is still limited on the benefits of marijuana to alleviate seizures in
epilepsy treatment it is slowly gaining supporters as using it to treat epileptic seizures. There are
many personal stories that attribute smoking marijuana with helping control their seizures. What
has been tried and shown success is when marijuana is combined with more traditional
medications, many patients have stated that they are able to wean themselves off the
conventional medication and don't have seizures as long as they have a steady supply of
marijuana.
The use of marijuana to treat ADHD and ADD is very controversial. Young adults and
adults have found success in using marijuana for their treatment. It is believed that marijuana has
a calming effect on the ADD/ADHD brain much like it does on epilepsy.
Currently, 18 states allow the medicinal use of marijuana, but it remains controversial
among physicians. This Clinical Decisions presents both sides of the heated debate (Bosthrick &
Reisfield). In this article the question focused on is whether marijuana should be a treating option
for the patient presented in this article. "Marilyn a 68-year-old woman with breast cancer
metastatic to the lungs and the thoracic and lumbar spine. She reports having very low energy,
minimal appetite, and substantial pain in her thoracic and lumbar spine"( Bosthrick & Reisfield).
After I read this article I thought Marilyn had legitimate questions on seeking other treatment
options including using marijuana to help with pain and nausea. I feel doctors and patients need
to listen to each other and come to the best solution for that patient. If marijuana could help the
patient live a more pain free life than I think the doctor should be open to the possibility of using

marijuana in treatment. "In conclusion majority of the doctors agreed to only do so when
conservative options have failed for fully informed patients treated in ongoing therapeutic
relationships"(Bosthrick & Reisfield). Marilyn and patients like her deserve the potential relief
that medicinal marijuana could bring them.
In the article Medical Marijuana and the Mind the topic of the use of marijuana longterm is discussed on will it produce continual cognitive problems. This a concern for physicians
because they don't want to put their patients at risk at developing thinking and memory problems
with continual use. Many people who already take marijuana for medical purposes also state they
find relief with anxiety and mood disorder. "Additional research, focused on the benefits and
consequences of medical marijuana use for specific disorders, may help clarify some issues."
(Medical Marijuana and the Mind).
The next article I read Medical Marijuana was so interesting because it provided
information I wasn't aware of. The majority of patients in California that used marijuana were
patients with AIDS. Most of these patients used it for muscle loss, weight loss, and neuropathic
pain. Also they reported they used it to stimulate their appetite but I guess that would be another
interesting topic. "Many patients in California are self-medicating with marijuana and physicians
need data to assess the risks and benefits. The only reasonable solutions to this problem is to
encourage research on the medical effects of marijuana "(Marmor, Jane B).
Again my purpose was to seek out if marijuana helps people with health and mental
issues. Reflecting on this process I feel my research has shown me that I do think that the use of
marijuana for treating health and mental issues needs to be studied more but I do believe it has
helped many people with issues such as pain, nausea, anxiety, and depression. This was a very
interesting topic and hope my information will make people think about marijuana more openly.

Works Cited:
Marmor, Jane B. "Medical Marijuana." Western Journal of Medicine 168.6 (1998): 540-3.
ProQuest. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
"Medical Marijuana and the Mind." Harvard Health Publications.The Harvard Mental Health
Letter 04 2010ProQuest. Web. 27 Apr. 2015 .
Bosthrick, J. Michael & Reisfield, Gary M."Medicinal use of Marijuana." The New England
journal of medicine 368.9 (2013): 866-8. ProQuest. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.