Medical marijuana has been around for many years and the doctors still are using harmful pills. My grandmother had to take some of those pills and she almost died a year ago because of it. It could have been prevented if medical marijuana was used instead. Put yourself in that situation. Would you want your family member to be at risk of something fatal when there is a less harmful solution that could be used? This is just one reason why medical marijuana should be legalized. 

There are so many benefits from medical marijuana. One example comes from an article from the Gazette. It states, “41-year-old Pueblo in 2004 pancreatic surgery gone bad resident was taking 14 prescription drugs to combat the lingering symptoms of an ordeal that put her in the hospital for three months. She managed to survive septic shock and the removal of part of her intestines, but the pain, nausea and harsh side effects from the medications were too debilitating for her to live with a capital” (Cotter). This was caused by pills. Medical Marijuana doesn’t have that kind of affect.

Another thing that marijuana has helped with is the overdose death rate. Dayton Daily News states that, “Veteran's Administration found that overdose deaths linked to prescription painkillers fell dramatically in states where marijuana was available as an alternative. In states with medical marijuana laws, like the one recently signed into law in Ohio, the average opioid overdose death rate fell by 25 percent from 1999 and 2010” (Tucker). These pain killers have taken a lot of lives for a long time and with medical marijuana as an alternative, the death rate for overdosage has decreased drastically.

Even though there are several pros as to why medical marijuana should be used instead of pills, there are still some cons to it. People suffering from PTSD can potentially have a negative effect to using medical marijuana. Gayle Perez says, "For those who started using marijuana while in PTSD treatment, they had the highest level of violence and PTSD symptoms, even after treatment” (Perez 2015). However, only about 5 percent of the population is suffering from PTSD and if they use marijuana after their treatment is done, it won’t result in the negative effects some experience.

There is so many things medical marijuana can do and can help. Just think many people have died from overdose of pills. With medical marijuana, that overdose will be lowered exponentially. For these reasons and more, medical marijuana should be legalized.

Work cited
Cotter, Barbara. "Little scientific research on medical marijuana's benefits." Gazette, The (Colorado Springs, CO) 26 June 2011: Newspaper Source. Web. 28 Sept. 2016.

Should Marijuana Be Legalized As A Medicine? Yes, It's A Beneficial Drug." World & I 9.6 (1994): 92. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 28 Sept. 2016.
 
Tucker, Randy. "Medical marijuana cuts down overdose deaths in other states." Dayton Daily News (OH) 28 July 2016: Consumer Health Complete. Web. 30 Sept. 2016.