| Description |
Cannabis sativa, more commonly known as marijuana, has been used for centuries. It is the most commonly used drug throughout the world (Martinasek, McGrogan, Maysonet, 2016). In the 1800s and early 1900s in the United States, cannabis was regularly used medicinally. The first large scale prohibition law in the United States was in 1937 with the Marijuana tax act (Routh, 2017). Marijuana later got its schedule I status in 1970 identifying it as a substance with "no currently accepted medical use in the United States, a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision, and a high potential for abuse". This schedule I status puts marijuana in the same category as heroin, mescaline, peyote, LSD, and ecstasy ("Controlled Substance Schedules", n.d.). This has barred not only medicinal use of marijuana, but also limited potential scientific research related to its use, resulting in a largely unknown use potential. There is a growing movement in the United States to either replace traditional therapies or to add marijuana as an adjunct therapy. This paper seeks to explore the potential risks and benefits of medical marijuana usage with respect to public health and safety as well as its therapeutic efficacy for a variety of conditions. |
