Should Marijuana Be Legalized As A Medication?

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Should Marijuana Be Legalized as a Medication?

Drs. Lester Grinspoon and Eric Voth present arguments for and against the legalization of marijuana in the paper dated June 1994, “Issue 8 Should Marijuana Be Legalized as a Medication?” A web search reveals that Grinspoon is an emeritus professor of psychiatry at Harvard with a long history of pro-drug publications. A search on Voth reveals that he has had a number of positions with anti-drug organizations and causes, as well as a similarly long history of anti-drug publications. An interesting side note is that it appears that St. Francis Hospital in Topeka, Kansas (Voth’s employer at the time this paper was published) no longer has a drug dependency unit.
Grinspoon presents a number of arguments for the legalization of marijuana. His primary argument is medical, he asserts that marijuana is extremely useful in treating a variety of conditions including: nausea due to chemotherapy, elevated eye pressure due to glaucoma, and loss of appetite and nausea in AIDS patients. Grinspoon makes the point that treatment with marijuana is very beneficial, but because it is illegal, patients must either go without treatment or commit a crime to obtain their medication. The clear implication is that no just society would allow this to happen; therefore marijuana must be legalized to create a just American society.
Another argument that Grinspoon makes is that marijuana is psychologically beneficial. He cites research that claims there are receptors in the brain for THC, “the psychoactive chemical in marijuana.” Grinspoon asserts that many people have found that marijuana allows them to be more creative, see different perspectives, enjoy life more, enhance the appreciation of food, music, sexual activity, and in general put life in its proper perspective. While the existence of THC receptors may be well documented, the claims for the psychological benefits are extremely diff...