When most individuals think of marijuana, they think of a dirty street drug that was popular in the sixties. Medicinal marijuana, however, is a very different case and should be treated as such. Since ancient times, people around the world have used marijuana, or cannabis, to alleviate pain and nausea symptoms in sick patients. Currently, medicinal marijuana is legal in 12 states, but not legal anywhere according to federal law. Marijuana for medicinal purposes should be legalized, because it is a legitimate, all-natural prescription for chronically-ill patients.

Some doctors fear that with medical marijuana becoming more popular as a treatment, patients will sell the herb to people who do not need it. However, most people who have the right to receive the prescription are chronically ill or suffering greatly. The chance that making money as drug dealers is the primary interest in these people’s lives is slim. It is almost insulting to imply that a terminally ill cancer patient will start pushing her own modest supply of marijuana on the streets to turn a tiny, yet difficult profit, while risking incarceration.

The truth of the matter is that marijuana distributed pharmaceutically consists of nothing more than a natural herb. There is evidence that marijuana is psychologically addictive which is why people who are against this drug argue that the habit is addicting, but what habit isn’t? The idea behind medicinal marijuana isn’t to make a habit of it. The idea is to use it against the pain or nausea associated with chronic illness.

Almost every other drug used to heal pain is physically addictive. Vicodin and even Advil are much more addictive and have many more chemicals in them.

When patients who suffer from cancer and are treated by the intense radiation of chemotherapy, complaining that marijuana is chemically tainted is moot. The marijuana used would not be picked off the street so it would certainly be free of dangerous impurities. On the other hand, when compared to the damage more intensive medicine like morphine can cause, marijuana is a mild, soothing balm. In fact, marijuana is less toxic than cigarettes, which are legal for anyone over 18.

However, in the 1970s, many federal propaganda efforts to discourage marijuana use lead people to believe otherwise. During this time, the government conducted biased studies that “proved” marijuana smoking to be more harmful than tobacco smoking. For example, studies at the University of California, Berkeley showed that marijuana has one-and-a-half times more carcinogenic tar than tobacco. Thoughtlessly, the study was investigating cannabis leaves compared to tobacco leaves. The group failed to acknowledge the fact that people who use marijuana smoke the bud, not the leaves, and the bud only has 33 percent as much tar as tobacco. Also, not one case of lung cancer has ever been successfully linked to marijuana use, despite efforts. Furthermore, cannabis does not narrow air passageways in lungs like tobacco does. This is why many individuals with asthma turn to medical marijuana for relief.

There are many more medical uses for cannabis. Besides providing pain relief for the chronically ill, it also treats nausea and sleeplessness. Studies with patients who didn’t respond well to standard medications showed that 78 percent of individuals reported an improvement in their nausea and vomiting symptoms after the use of marijuana.

Cannabis also acts as a treatment for epilepsy, glaucoma and arthritis. There is even evidence to suggest that marijuana can stop the growth of certain cancers, such as breast cancer. With more and more developments coming from this ancient remedy, researchers may actually be able to prevent some cancers from growing by stopping their growth naturally.

Not only does marijuana work, patients prefer it to other treatments. Doctor of preventative medicine Ronit Katz explained that it helps with pain and many patients prefer the treatment to others. If chronically ill or diseased people would choose marijuana over other medications and it works, why not offer it?

Due to its wide range of healing abilities for very sick patients, medical marijuana should stay legal in California and become legal nationally. Patients who disagree with its use as a drug can simply abstain from taking it. Other individuals who criticize its use are fortunately far from those positions that deal with major health issues and should not have the right to object to treatments that do not and will not ever concern them. If medical marijuana were legalized nationally, hospitals would still have other medications available. Doctors would not suddenly pressure their patients to choose it. It should simply be an option.