Controversy Persists Concerning the Use of Medicinal

¶ … controversy persists concerning the use of medicinal marijuana for patients with debilitating and/or terminal diseases such as HIV / AIDS, cancer, Crohn's, etc. According to the Associated Press, states such as California, Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington (state) are all in favor of medicinal marijuana, although the federal government retains ultimate power to enforce federal laws concerning marijuana, its growth, and the use thereof.

Many state political authorities argue that the federal government should not have the power to "bust" marijuana users who grow the drug, if the user(s) is/are prescribed the drug by his/her doctor. As only one-fifth of the states of the United States have voiced an opinion on the issue, the states that have, offer many seemingly legitimate reasons why the issue should be left in the hands of each individual state, while the federal government argues that it should maintain control.

Possibly the most controversial topic on the issue is the issue's structure or form; should marijuana be "grown" and smoked by patients or should it be provided by doctors in "pill" form to be ingested by those with debilitating and/or terminal illnesses? States like California say that the growing of "pot" in or around a patient's home, in small to moderate amounts, by the patient prescribed, should be allowed, while the federal government says that in order to control the drug, medicinal marijuana, if legalized, should be "manufactured" by pharmaceutical companies, in pill or capsule form, throughout the United States, and distributed only by drug stores and pharmacies.

The "structure" on how the drug should be made and distributed is most certainly the prime topic at hand concerning the issue of medicinal marijuana for possible relief of symptomatic debilitating and terminal illnesses and diseases.

Another issue of conflict concerning medicinal marijuana is: should each individual state in the United States hold the power to write, regulate, enforce laws, etc., concerning the use of the drug for medicinal purposes, or should the federal government ultimately hold the power to write, regulate, enforce laws, etc., concerning medicinal marijuana, just as it retains the right to penalize those who grow, use, distribute, etc., marijuana illegally? According to the Associated Press, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor says that legal power concerning the use of medicinal marijuana should be left in the hands of individual states.

"The states' core police powers have always included authority to define criminal law and to protect the health, safety, and welfare of their citizens," said O'Connor.

However, according to the Coalition for Medical Marijuana-New Jersey, federal authorities argue that currently, "marijuana has no accepted medical uses in the U.S." At least, that was the response when Attorney General Paula Dow asked federal officials in April 2011, "their plans to punish New Jersey's Medicinal Marijuana Program participants." According to many patients with debilitating, terminal diseases, the use of marijuana aids in pain relief, appetite stimulation, etc., and therefore, should be legalized by the federal government.