It is a known fact that the number of cancer and AIDS patients are growing rapidly as time goes on. As more and more people succumb to disease, the demand for new medication rises. Increasingly, people are flocking to a new form of alternative medication, which, although it has been around for several years, is fairly new to the medical scene.

Support for medicinal marijuana is growing rapidly, as more and more people claim that it helps ease the sufferings brought on by their various diseases. Already, 14 states have passed measures that allow possession of small amounts of the drug for medical purposes. President Obama has also promised not to prosecute medicinal marijuana users and suppliers as long as they conform to state guidelines. According to recent polls, about 44 percent of Americans support medicinal marijuana, and, if support continues to grow at the rate it has now, it is expected that nearly all of America will be in favor for medicinal marijuana in as little as four years.

Those in favor of the drug for medical purposes do so with some limitations. In order for it to be widely accepted, many believe that the usage and supply needs to be closely observed.

“I would be in favor of it [medicinal marijuana] with very strict guidelines and regulations, state by state,” CHS History teacher Kurtis Werner said. “Obviously you would give the states the right, to have the power in the say. Or, you could have a strong federal mandate that comes down and says, ‘This is going to be right or this is going to be wrong.’”

Others believe that the current form of medicinal marijuana is too unsafe. Those individuals would prefer that a more controlled form of the drug be developed before being widely available.

“I would prefer the development of safer medications or at the very least a delivery system for cannabis that does not require the inhalation of the more than 400 harmful chemicals that are contained in marijuana,” CHS SRO John Zlatic said.

Still others believe that marijuana has no place in a doctor’s office, asserting that there are other drugs that work just as well, without the harmful side effects.

“Marijuana is not a medicine,” according to “Marijuana–Extra Facts” a brochure from National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. “There are other non-mood altering drugs that are more effective on illnesses that have significantly less health risks than marijuana.”

Among other concerns is the issue that the decriminalization of marijuana for medical purposes could encourage marijuana use in general. When coupled with current statistics, the effect can be unsettling.

“…probably 99.9% of persons caught in possession of marijuana who claim it is for medicinal purposes, don’t have a prescription from a doctor or hospital,” the NCADA pamphlet said.

Law enforcement officials are uneasy about the change, as it could encourage drug use and could blur the lines between what is and what isn’t acceptable when it comes to marijuana.

“A broader concern amongst law enforcement is that legalizing medicinal marijuana will provide a broader support for the legalization of marijuana drug use,” Zlatic said. “Some individuals will see this new policy as legitimacy for marijuana use.”

In addition, there is also the possibility of users falling into more drugs from the marijuana, resulting in more harm than good.

“Marijuana is a gate-way drug for some users. I have personally witnessed numerous occasions where lives and families are destroyed because of heroin and cocaine,” Zlatic said. “Opening the door on marijuana places more people at risk of entering into a life of dependency that is extremely difficult to extricate themselves from.”

However, despite the objections, support continues to grow, state by state, for medicinal marijuana usage. Many believe that a law similar to those passed already could be in Missouri’s future, but after more developments.

“In the Midwest, being a more conservative heartland, what you’re going to have is essentially people pushing for a different type of medical marijuana, maybe more like a pill or a vapor,” Werner said. “It’s because of the smoke. The smoke is always going to be an issue with some people.”

Others think that Missouri will act more in correlation with what other states are doing. If laws are passed in other states, Missouri could quickly become another state to support medicinal marijuana.

“Missouri is typically a conservative state with regard to issues like this – abortion, gay-marriage,” Zlatic said. “I imagine that they will take a wait-and-see approach with this issue and closely monitor Colorado, California, and the Northeast.”
Lastly, many people are concerned that legalizing medicinal marijuana will initiate a fundamental change in American society. With Obama’s admittance to using marijuana, the third straight president to do so, many are concerned that the drug use will be viewed nonchalantly. Medicinal marijuana usage would have to be strictly separated from regular marijuana if a rise in usage is to be avoided.
“I would hope that society would view this as two separate and unrelated issues, however, I believe that there will be some groups who will view any legalization of medicinal marijuana as a significant step towards the legalization of all marijuana,” Zlatic said. “Public education about the harmful effects of marijuana would have to counteract any notions that using marijuana is acceptable.”