Medical Marijuana

Medical Marijuana

I. Statement of Issue
There are thousands of sociological issues in the world today, but I have chosen medicinal marijuana because I believe it doesn’t get looked at very seriously. Since 1996, eleven states have legalized medical marijuana use: AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ME, NV, OR, RI, VT and WA.   It can be used to treat many different diseases, such as: multiple sclerosis, spasticity, extrapyramidal movement disorders, glaucoma, and HIV-wasting. Even though it has great intentions most people today do not like the idea because of health risks and the youth. There has been many studies done about the short and long term affects of marijuana, but it is still very controversial in America. Although we do use a synthetic form of marijuana in a prescription drug called dronabinol (Marinol). It is a lot harder for nausea and vomiting patients to keep the pill down, so smoking marijuana is thought to be a better way to treat these patients. Since marijuana is a schedule I drug it can only be distributed legally by the government for research use only, but with all the laws and regulations it makes it almost impossible for someone to research.
Some of the negative effects found from marijuana use include rapid heart beat, loss of coordination, and impaired immediate memory. It is also thought to affects some critical skills such as depth perception and reaction time while driving. Some of the effects on the male reproductive system have reported arc altered testicular function and changes in both the quantity and quality of the sperm produced. While with the effects of marijuana to women’s reproductive system can cause a drop in fertility and fetal growth. Although there are many negative effects to consuming and smoking marijuana, many doctors and scientists believe that positive effects outweigh the negative effects.

II. Theoretical Underpinning
Symbolic interaction starts with symbols that people bring meaning and words to by relating them to their own experiences....