Marijuana and Medical Use

Although drug use has been part of American life since the 19th century, it did not come into great prominence until the 1960s. At that time, the use of LSD, marijuana, and a variety of hard drugs became associated with the young and the disaffected. Throughout the 1970s, the use of illicit drugs continued to increase; among young people it became a form of protest and defiance. By the 1980s, drug use was part of the mainstream of American life. As drugs gained more widespread acceptance, so too spread the damage wrought by their effects. The costsboth in terms human suffering and economic lossare incalculable. Still, however, there are some who call for the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes. Anecdotal evidence seems to suggest that the drug may be useful for treating patients with certain medical disorders. Unfortunately, there are very few wellcontrolled studies that document either marijuana smoking's risks or benefits. Said Steve Karch, M.D., editor of the Forensic Drug Abuse Advisor, "The really striking thing about marijuana research is its poor quality." Regardless though, for terminally ill patients, the alleviation of suffering should a main priority. For such patients, marijuana might be made available.

The disruption of American life due to trafficking in illegal drugs has been enormous; it has affected small towns as well as large metropolitan areas. Milli

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fe, drug use is a common one. To legalize drugs would only increase levels of drug dependence. The result would be devastating. In 1986 in New York City alone, the widespread use of crack cocaine led to a 225% increase in child neglect and abuse cases involving drugs, as well as a dramatic rise in the number of infants born addicted. Furthermore, there was also a surge in the incidence of children beaten or killed by drugaddicted parents. Thus, within the context of the urban ghetto, the legalization of drugs could almost be seen as a racist policy aimed at underclass population control. Obviously, drug use is not a victimless phenomenon. Not only do the chemically dependent suffer from their addictions, but the people around them suffer also. This is best illustrated by the pregnant drug abuser. During the 1980s, the increase in cocaine use among expectant mothers paralleled the dramatic rise in use among the general populace. In 1988, approximately 11 percent of all newborns were exposed to illegal drugs in utero. Cocaine was involved in 75 percent of these cases. Furthermore, many of these pregnant cocaine users were women from the middle and upper class. The consequences of this drug abuse
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Approximate Word count = 3079
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page)

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