Blog #5

            I am choosing to write about, argue for rather, the legalization of medicinal marijuana versus the seemingly ever dream-crushing Drug Enforcement Administration and how I think that the DEA should stay out of state affairs. There are several resounding facts that the world of science and medicine is making leaps and bounds in the discovery of several medical benefits in the field, no pun intended, of marijuana. Lets talk about the some of the more recent astounding discoveries that marijuana has provided us with.

            In August of this year, an article came out about a 5-year old little girl named Charlotte who had suffered from about 300 grand mal seizures a week since she was 1-year old. Her parents had tried every drug and diet that the doctors had recommended to stop the seizures, to no avail. They got in touch with a marijuana dispensary in Denver that grew a strand of marijuana that was low in THC, the derivative that produces psychoactive effects, and high in CBD, which produces medical benefits without psychoactive effects. Charlotte now receives cannabis oil in her food twice a day and her seizures occur only two to three times a month.

            CNN’s chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who in 2009 wrote an article titled “Why I Would Vote No On Pot,” has now come forward with a completely changed attitude towards the legalization/medical uses of marijuana. This is a HUGE deal because he is a trusted public figure who has the ability to reach millions. As he continues his research into the benefits of marijuana he also recognizes that it has its downfalls. An example being the risk of hindering the growth of the adolescent brain, which could cause a permanent decrease in IQ.

            Lets look at how the DEA views marijuana and all things marijuana related. The DEA classifies drugs, substances, and certain chemicals into 5 classes. Schedule 1 drugs are considered the “most dangerous drugs of all the drug schedules with potentially severe psychological or physical dependence.” Such gems are heroin, LSD, ecstasy, peyote, and, yep you guessed it, marijuana. Marijuana has not been shown to lead any “significant addiction in the medical sense of the word.” 

          I am fully aware of, and support, the DEA’s mission to protect us from drug dealers, drug cartels, and whoever else might seek to harm us via illegal, harmful substances. The major point of contention is when a state, such as Washington, sets it laws allowing citizens to grow and sell marijuana and then the DEA swoops in and shuts legit businesses down. Sometimes the DEA sends a simple cease-and-desist letter, other times it is more violent and completely unnecessary. There are several documented cases of DEA agents busting doors down of dispensaries, destroying plants, merchandise, and spirits of people who are literally following their state laws. It needs to stop. A set of guidelines for the DEA to follow must be enacted in order for the madness to stop.