Marijuana has been in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act since 1970, when Congress considered it to have “no accepted medical use.” Things have come a long way since then, where medical marijuana is now legal in 33 states.
On one side, you have proponents claiming medical marijuana NJ is a safe and effective treatment for the symptoms of cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, glaucoma, epilepsy, and many other conditions, backed by evidence from peer-reviewed studies, medical organizations, and major government reports. They also cite the fact that marijuana has been used as medicine throughout world history.
Opponents of the issue say it’s too dangerous, lacks FDA-approval, and is unnecessary with the large amount of approved legal drugs as alternatives. They claim marijuana is addictive, is a gateway drug, impairs driving ability, interferes with fertility, and injures the lungs, immune system, and brain. It’s also, they say, a front for drug legalization and recreational use.
No matter what side you’re on, the debate rages on as more and more states considering legalizing medical marijuana NJ.
Here are the facts:
- Marijuana, classified as a Schedule 1 drug, is considered to have a “high potential for abuse,” “no currently accepted medical use,” and “a lack of accepted safety.” The issue now is to reschedule it as a Schedule II or II, which is less restrictive.
- Since 1968, the University of Mississippi has been growing marijuana for U.S. government-approved research. The university can grow up to 6.5 acres, depending on demand.
- In 2010, the first cannabis-based prescription medicine (known as Sativex) was launched in the UK. It’s a mouth spray designed to treat spasticity in patients who have Multiple Sclerosis. Marinol was approved in the United States in 1985, which is a synthetic version of delta-9-THC, a naturally-occurring chemical in the marijuana plant.
- It only takes a few minutes for smoked or inhaled marijuana to reach the brain, giving you that “high” feeling. When you eat it or drink it, it can take up to an hour to kick in.
- When you swallow marijuana (such as in teas or brownies), Delta –9-THC, the main active ingredient, transforms into the more psychoactively powerful Delta-11-THC by the liver.
- The U.S. government launched the Compassionate Investigational New Drug (IND) program in 1978. It closed to new patients in 1991, but still supplies up to 360 marijuana cigarettes each month to the four seriously ill patients that are still in the program.
- Marijuana was not reported as a primary cause of death between 1997 and 2005, according to available FDA data.
- In 2009, the U.S. Department of Justice advised federal prosecutors to refrain from targeting medical marijuana patients who are in compliance with the law in states featuring legalized medical marijuana.
- Marijuana comprises more than 400 different identifiable chemical compounds, including Vitamin A and steroids.
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