The Federal government has been struggling to deal with a rash of state-level marijuana legalization and decriminalization efforts. The legal system in the United States has always been complex, with state and Federal laws often coming into conflict. Marijuana, however, has been an especially thorny issue as pot is a schedule 1 drug, according to the Feds, and is in the same category as heroin and other hard drugs.
Newly proposed bill to legalize some strains of marijuana usage
A newly proposed bill, however, might actually legalize some strains of marijuana for certain uses. The newly proposed bill would decriminalize certain strains of marijuana with a low THC level, potentially allowing the drug to then be used for medicinal purposes. The THC level would be too low to get people high, but could still be used in medical applications.
The currently proposed bill would not legalize smoking marijuana, but would legalize other forms of consumption. Cannabis oils, for example, are very popular for medical use. While such oils won’t necessarily get patients high, they can be used to treat serious conditions, such as seizures.
The bill is being sponsored by Rep. Scott Perry, a Republican from Pennsylvania.
Marijuana becoming a popular medicine
Marijuana can now be legally used for medicinal purposes in 23 states, plus the District of Columbia. Cannabis has been found to contain numerous useful medical properties, though questions remain as to whether the drug also causes harm.
Some of marijuana’s medical properties come from CDB, or cannabidiol, which does not contain THC, the chemical that gets people stoned. With the nation wide prohibition against marijuana, gaining access to CDB, even though it doesn’t get people high, can be difficult and potentially even illegal.
Marijuana can be used for pain relief, and compared to morphine and other powerful pain killers, it can actually be less addictive and harmful. Cannabis is also popular among patients who have to suffer through severe nausea, which can occur during complicated procedures, such as chemotherapy.
Marijuana has been found to be especially useful in treating seizures, which have long confounded modern medicine. When it comes to the brain and nervous system, modern medicine lacks the expertise found in other areas, such as the cardiac system. Simply put, the brain is an immensely complex organ and scientists are just beginning to figure out how it works.
Treating severe seizures often requires high doses of very powerful drugs, and often a mix of said drugs. These drugs, in turn, can be unpredictable, in-effective, and potentially even dangerous as they can have adverse effects on one’s body. In at least some cases, cannabis has been found to be a good, and comparatively safe alternative for treating seizures.
