a sweeping bipartisan bill introduced in
2015
could soon legalize medical marijuana in
all American states welcome to
watchmojo.com down 10 crucial facts you
should know about the medical marijuana
industry number 10 what is medical
marijuana the term medical marijuana
refers to the treatment of medical
issues through the use of marijuana
marijuana is derived from the cannabis
plant which produces
tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol the
main chemicals with psychoactive
properties dating back 10,000 years
the cannabis plant was originally used
in Taiwan for its fiber this naturally
led to the discovery of its medicinal
purposes and it was soon used in
traditional Chinese medicine to treat
various ailments introduced as a therapy
to Western society by Irish physician
William Brooke O’Shaughnessy the use of
medical marijuana has since become a hot
topic issue and by early 2015 it was
only legal in a few American states
number 9 could it help treat patients
there has been a limited amount of
research in relation to the effects of
marijuana and its varied use in treating
patients suffering from cancer HIV
dementia diabetes epilepsy and more this
is in large part due to the Schedule one
classification of cannabis in the United
States meaning it’s not currently
accepted for medical use in the country
as a controlled substance it shares its
classification with drugs like heroin
LSD MDMA ecstasy and so forth for the
most part both patient trials and long
term research into the topic have been
limited as the American government
refuses to reclassify marijuana that
being said a study released in 2014
found that in states where medical
marijuana is legal there was a 25%
decrease in deaths related to
prescription pain medication potential
medical benefits of consuming marijuana
include a reduction of nausea
and vomiting in those going through
chemotherapy and those with
complications related to AIDS as the
United States begins to loosen the
collar on research permissions however
more long-term studies and conclusive
evidence should accumulate number eight
what happens to your body when you use
it the two main chemicals in cannabis
along with almost 500 compounds found in
the plant work in tandem to release
tetrahydrocannabinol THC and cannabidiol
or CBD these chemicals interact with the
brain cells called cannabinoid receptors
releasing dopamine into the body
dopamine functions as a neurotransmitter
and is a part of the brain’s reward
system essentially leading to a
feel-good sensation once this process is
complete a person will typically feel
giddy sleepy and or relaxed have an
increased appetite and feel light-headed
however research has suggested that
these positive benefits of marijuana
consumption are offset by more negative
effects such as a decrease in balance a
blockage in memory formation and an
addiction to the substance number 7 in
what forms can you consume marijuana
there are several methods by which one
can consume marijuana in the United
States as of 2013 the most common form
was through smoke inhalation cannabis
vaporizers have since gained popularity
as an alternative to smoke inhalation
because many believe that fewer harmful
toxins are inhaled via vaporizers
marijuana can also be consumed in other
forms though such as hash oil baked
goods lotions sprays tea chocolate bars
and even in pill form at number 6 what
is the medical community’s opinion in
April 2015 CNN’s chief medical
correspondent dr. Sanjay Gupta called
for a medical marijuana revolution a
year before that Health website WebMD
surveyed over 1500 American doctors
about medical marijuana the results
stated that 67% of respondents claimed
it should be a medical option for
patients and 56 supported making it
legal nationwide in
where medical marijuana is currently
available such as Canada doctors are
calling for the launch of clinical
trials which would study the
ever-growing base of marijuana users and
the risks and benefits of consumption
dr. mark where the executive director of
the Canadian Consortium for the
investigation of cannabinoids believes
that the world would benefit from such
quote real-world evidence number five
where is it legal in the United States
according to a 2015 Pew Research Center
poll 53% of Americans polled were in
favor of legalizing marijuana this is in
sharp contrast to almost 50 years ago
when less than 15% of the population was
in favor as of early April 2015 over 30
states plus the District of Columbia
have either tried to decriminalize the
possession of marijuana or legalized
some medical use of marijuana for
example through the use of dispensaries
which are offices that distribute
medication and this despite the fact
that possession of marijuana remains a
felony furthermore the tally of states
supporting decriminalization and or
legalization may soon grow as there are
seven states pending legislation
including Florida Texas and Missouri the
2015 appropriations bill passed in
December 2014
saw Congress ban the American Justice
Department from interfering with each
state’s activities regarding their own
marijuana laws number four have other
countries legalized or decriminalized
marijuana medical marijuana has only
been widely decriminalized in a small
number of countries including over 20
states of the US Canada Belgium
Australia the Netherlands and Spain have
varying laws concerning the distribution
and regulation of the drug for example
in Canada marijuana is illegal though it
has been available since 2001 for
medical purposes through what is called
the marijuana medical access regulations
now marijuana for medical purposes
regulations by contrast the personal use
of marijuana is decriminalized only in
certain states of Australia that being
said many countries around the world
including Argentina
via Costa Rica Jamaica Mexico Portugal
and more have decriminalized small
amounts of marijuana for personal use or
simply do not prosecute on a law
enforcement level number three how does
legalization affect the economy
depending on the state in which you live
there are high taxes on the marijuana
for sale at the dispensaries and stores
in the United States in Colorado the
state has accrued nearly sixty million
dollars in taxes from the sale of
marijuana from 2014 to 2015 and it will
most likely issue a one-time refund to
the taxpayers the revenue acquired in
taxes combined with the funding that was
previously accorded to law enforcement
in fighting the use possession and sale
of marijuana has left the state with a
large cash windfall the drug policy
Alliance an organization promoting drug
policies also points to declining levels
of crime and traffic fatalities in
Denver since the first retail marijuana
stores opened in early 2014 furthermore
a portion of these taxes can be
distributed to fund various state
budgets such as the school boards and
youth drug prevention programs number
two who is against legalizing marijuana
many who oppose the decriminalization of
marijuana including the governor of New
Jersey chris Christie believe that it is
a gateway drug leading to an increased
vulnerability to the abuse of other
drugs and addiction in young marijuana
users the main argument cites research
which shows that lab rats introduced to
THC
one of the main chemicals in marijuana
show a stronger sensitivity to harder
drugs when exposed to them later in life
law enforcement opponents believe there
is a lack of proper regulation of the
drug in regards to underage use and
health code violations like homegrown
plants furthermore certain medical
officials such as dr. Eric both chairman
of the Institute on global drug policy
believes that allowing medical marijuana
to bypass the US Food and Drug
Administration sets a terrible medical
precedent
number one will the Senate bill pass in
March 2015
Republican and Democrat senators alike
namely Rand Paul Cory Booker and Kirsten
Gillibrand introduced a sweeping
bipartisan bill to the Senate titled the
compassionate access research expansion
and respect states act under the
proposed bill certain restrictions would
be eased concerning marijuana allowing
greater access to the drug for research
in treating various ailments such as
post-traumatic stress disorder
Alzheimer’s cancer epilepsy and multiple
sclerosis countless bills have been
introduced in the past with minimal
effect yet it seems that the majority of
the American public and political
opinions are shifting in favor of
legalizing medical marijuana for the
first time in history did these facts
surprise you to vote for which new story
is covered next
head over to watchmojo.com slash suggest
and be sure to hit that subscribe button
for more newsworthy top 10s published
every week
2015
could soon legalize medical marijuana in
all American states welcome to
watchmojo.com down 10 crucial facts you
should know about the medical marijuana
industry number 10 what is medical
marijuana the term medical marijuana
refers to the treatment of medical
issues through the use of marijuana
marijuana is derived from the cannabis
plant which produces
tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol the
main chemicals with psychoactive
properties dating back 10,000 years
the cannabis plant was originally used
in Taiwan for its fiber this naturally
led to the discovery of its medicinal
purposes and it was soon used in
traditional Chinese medicine to treat
various ailments introduced as a therapy
to Western society by Irish physician
William Brooke O’Shaughnessy the use of
medical marijuana has since become a hot
topic issue and by early 2015 it was
only legal in a few American states
number 9 could it help treat patients
there has been a limited amount of
research in relation to the effects of
marijuana and its varied use in treating
patients suffering from cancer HIV
dementia diabetes epilepsy and more this
is in large part due to the Schedule one
classification of cannabis in the United
States meaning it’s not currently
accepted for medical use in the country
as a controlled substance it shares its
classification with drugs like heroin
LSD MDMA ecstasy and so forth for the
most part both patient trials and long
term research into the topic have been
limited as the American government
refuses to reclassify marijuana that
being said a study released in 2014
found that in states where medical
marijuana is legal there was a 25%
decrease in deaths related to
prescription pain medication potential
medical benefits of consuming marijuana
include a reduction of nausea
and vomiting in those going through
chemotherapy and those with
complications related to AIDS as the
United States begins to loosen the
collar on research permissions however
more long-term studies and conclusive
evidence should accumulate number eight
what happens to your body when you use
it the two main chemicals in cannabis
along with almost 500 compounds found in
the plant work in tandem to release
tetrahydrocannabinol THC and cannabidiol
or CBD these chemicals interact with the
brain cells called cannabinoid receptors
releasing dopamine into the body
dopamine functions as a neurotransmitter
and is a part of the brain’s reward
system essentially leading to a
feel-good sensation once this process is
complete a person will typically feel
giddy sleepy and or relaxed have an
increased appetite and feel light-headed
however research has suggested that
these positive benefits of marijuana
consumption are offset by more negative
effects such as a decrease in balance a
blockage in memory formation and an
addiction to the substance number 7 in
what forms can you consume marijuana
there are several methods by which one
can consume marijuana in the United
States as of 2013 the most common form
was through smoke inhalation cannabis
vaporizers have since gained popularity
as an alternative to smoke inhalation
because many believe that fewer harmful
toxins are inhaled via vaporizers
marijuana can also be consumed in other
forms though such as hash oil baked
goods lotions sprays tea chocolate bars
and even in pill form at number 6 what
is the medical community’s opinion in
April 2015 CNN’s chief medical
correspondent dr. Sanjay Gupta called
for a medical marijuana revolution a
year before that Health website WebMD
surveyed over 1500 American doctors
about medical marijuana the results
stated that 67% of respondents claimed
it should be a medical option for
patients and 56 supported making it
legal nationwide in
where medical marijuana is currently
available such as Canada doctors are
calling for the launch of clinical
trials which would study the
ever-growing base of marijuana users and
the risks and benefits of consumption
dr. mark where the executive director of
the Canadian Consortium for the
investigation of cannabinoids believes
that the world would benefit from such
quote real-world evidence number five
where is it legal in the United States
according to a 2015 Pew Research Center
poll 53% of Americans polled were in
favor of legalizing marijuana this is in
sharp contrast to almost 50 years ago
when less than 15% of the population was
in favor as of early April 2015 over 30
states plus the District of Columbia
have either tried to decriminalize the
possession of marijuana or legalized
some medical use of marijuana for
example through the use of dispensaries
which are offices that distribute
medication and this despite the fact
that possession of marijuana remains a
felony furthermore the tally of states
supporting decriminalization and or
legalization may soon grow as there are
seven states pending legislation
including Florida Texas and Missouri the
2015 appropriations bill passed in
December 2014
saw Congress ban the American Justice
Department from interfering with each
state’s activities regarding their own
marijuana laws number four have other
countries legalized or decriminalized
marijuana medical marijuana has only
been widely decriminalized in a small
number of countries including over 20
states of the US Canada Belgium
Australia the Netherlands and Spain have
varying laws concerning the distribution
and regulation of the drug for example
in Canada marijuana is illegal though it
has been available since 2001 for
medical purposes through what is called
the marijuana medical access regulations
now marijuana for medical purposes
regulations by contrast the personal use
of marijuana is decriminalized only in
certain states of Australia that being
said many countries around the world
including Argentina
via Costa Rica Jamaica Mexico Portugal
and more have decriminalized small
amounts of marijuana for personal use or
simply do not prosecute on a law
enforcement level number three how does
legalization affect the economy
depending on the state in which you live
there are high taxes on the marijuana
for sale at the dispensaries and stores
in the United States in Colorado the
state has accrued nearly sixty million
dollars in taxes from the sale of
marijuana from 2014 to 2015 and it will
most likely issue a one-time refund to
the taxpayers the revenue acquired in
taxes combined with the funding that was
previously accorded to law enforcement
in fighting the use possession and sale
of marijuana has left the state with a
large cash windfall the drug policy
Alliance an organization promoting drug
policies also points to declining levels
of crime and traffic fatalities in
Denver since the first retail marijuana
stores opened in early 2014 furthermore
a portion of these taxes can be
distributed to fund various state
budgets such as the school boards and
youth drug prevention programs number
two who is against legalizing marijuana
many who oppose the decriminalization of
marijuana including the governor of New
Jersey chris Christie believe that it is
a gateway drug leading to an increased
vulnerability to the abuse of other
drugs and addiction in young marijuana
users the main argument cites research
which shows that lab rats introduced to
THC
one of the main chemicals in marijuana
show a stronger sensitivity to harder
drugs when exposed to them later in life
law enforcement opponents believe there
is a lack of proper regulation of the
drug in regards to underage use and
health code violations like homegrown
plants furthermore certain medical
officials such as dr. Eric both chairman
of the Institute on global drug policy
believes that allowing medical marijuana
to bypass the US Food and Drug
Administration sets a terrible medical
precedent
number one will the Senate bill pass in
March 2015
Republican and Democrat senators alike
namely Rand Paul Cory Booker and Kirsten
Gillibrand introduced a sweeping
bipartisan bill to the Senate titled the
compassionate access research expansion
and respect states act under the
proposed bill certain restrictions would
be eased concerning marijuana allowing
greater access to the drug for research
in treating various ailments such as
post-traumatic stress disorder
Alzheimer’s cancer epilepsy and multiple
sclerosis countless bills have been
introduced in the past with minimal
effect yet it seems that the majority of
the American public and political
opinions are shifting in favor of
legalizing medical marijuana for the
first time in history did these facts
surprise you to vote for which new story
is covered next
head over to watchmojo.com slash suggest
and be sure to hit that subscribe button
for more newsworthy top 10s published
every week
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