Push to Legalize Marijuana Grows

By JOSHUA D. MITTWOL

MAHWAH – Cannabis, better known as marijuana, is one of the most well-known substances in the world, and is believed to take over the medicine cabinet within the next few years.

Thousands of people are joining the fight to legalize marijuana because they believe that it can help cope or even cure numerous of diseases and disorders – as well as not having any side effects.

However, pharmaceutical companies and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are doing whatever it takes to prevent the legalization of marijuana, where capitalism might play a role. Cannabis, which costs no money to grow, is a pretty strong competitor for more established drugs that cost people tons of money annually and fights original symptoms.

For example, the World Anti-Doping Agency just changed the rules for Olympic athletes. They have granted the athletes the ability to use Natural or synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and THC-like cannabinoids or cannabimimetics while training, as long as it is not during the Games.

Although as stated on the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s website, “While the use of medical marijuana may be decriminalized in some states, it is still illegal under federal law. Currently, USADA will only consider TUE applications for legal, FDA-approved uses of THC, with prescription products.”

But studies for athletes show that marijuana can help with endurance, the breaking down of lactic acid and inflammation in the body, and even increasing airflow to the lungs. Athletes like Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt are avid users of the substance, and they are known to be two of the greatest Olympians who have ever lived, according to published reports.

Organizations such as the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) and NORML are fighting to legalize marijuana. They feel that marijuana should be removed from the entire criminal justice system and regulated like alcohol. According to NORML, over 20 million arrests have been made in the U.S. since 1965. According to NORML’s website,  The FBI’s Uniform Crime report states that police have made 643,122 arrests relating to marijuana in 2015.Only a few states have legalized recreational marijuana for adults including Colorado, Washington D.C., Oregon, and Washington State. States across the country are already reducing the penalties for possession of the substance.Medical marijuana is now available for prescribed patients who use it for medical purposes in more than half the United States, including New Jersey. But how much longer is the fight for the legalization of marijuana going to take?

Dan Marino, 27, is an avid user of marijuana and an Afghanistan & Iraqi war veteran who served back in 2007 to 2011. Marino suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and uses marijuana to help cope with his anxiety and stress.

” I feel like when you do smoke it helps you disassociate from one’s experience because they’re having a more pleasurable time; you’re smoking, you’re having a good time, you’re happier, and instead, now you’re going through that memory with that point of view and in that perspective so it’s not as tragic to you or not as intense,” said Marino.

“The criminalization of marijuana use disproportionately harms young people and people of color, sponsors massive levels of violence and corruption, and fails to curb youth access,” says the Drug Policy Alliance, according to their website.

“Scarce law enforcement resources will be better used to ensure public safety while reducing corrections and court costs. State and local governments would acquire significant new sources of tax revenue from regulating marijuana sales.”

The DEA refuses to loosen restriction on marijuana usage. Although decriminalized, they are still stating that marijuana is a Schedule 1 substance, along with heroin, LSD, and ecstasy. This declares that marijuana has “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse,” said the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Critics of the DEA have pointed out that marijuana researchers are caught in a Catch-22 situation, where either way, researchers are not going to get the answer they want. To have more research, scientists have to do more studies. But in order to do that, their studies must be approved by federal agencies, including the DEA, the FDA and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The FDA recently made it legal for doctors to prescribe OxyContin for 11-year-olds. OxyContin is an opioid, which kills 25,000 people annually. Activists and supporters are trying to stop the prescription of opioids to prevent users leading on to using heroin and other opioids, harmful to the body.

Several painkiller manufacturers oppose the liberalization of marijuana, however, and are demanding strict rules for private consumption. Millions of dollars have been invested in the study of cannabinoid, therapeutic cannabinoid, and cannabidiol research.

 An estimated 27 states have yet to legalize marijuana, but allowing 11-year-olds to be prescribed to opioids is apparently no big deal. Several painkiller manufacturers oppose the liberalization of marijuana, however, and are demanding strict rules for private consumption.

According to an ATTN: video, The makers of the drug Fentanyl, an opioid painkiller, spent $500,000 to fight marijuana legalization in Arizona. The drug was linked to Prince’s death.

Millions of dollars have been invested in the study of cannabinoid, therapeutic cannabinoid, and cannabidiol research, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Studies have shown that the substance controls no other than one’s appetite, pain, and memory. There are no side effects whatsoever from the drug and is known to be highly beneficial to one’s productivity.

The fight for marijuana is still going on and many are still hoping that marijuana will eventually be legal.