Marijuana is said to be less toxic than a multitude of other drugs used as therapy. Many patients who are fatally ill benefit more from smoking marijuana compared to taking other drugs, and studies show that its toxicity level is lower too. With this said, it would be important for the law to give patients the option to smoke marijuana for its medical purposes. Along with the effective results and low toxicity levels, marijuana is also much cheaper than many other currently used pharmaceutical drugs. In an article published in the Boston Global, Lester Grinspoon, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School had written, "Doctors and nurses have seen that for many patients, cannabis is more useful, less toxic, and less expensive than the conventional medicines prescribed" Several elements are involved when dealing with the cost of a prescription drug. The main issue that determines the amount prescribed, along with the daily dosage needed, is what the patient's disease is. The editor of Medical Marijuanapro/con has claimed that the average cost Marinol, which treats nausea and vomiting caused by cancer medicines, as well as used to increase the appetite of one with AIDS, is $678.75 per month, while the average cost of medical marijuana is only $330.94 per month. Both medicines do the same thing, however Marinol is about twice the price of medical marijuana. Many people would say that the cost of marijuana does not matter and is not an effective issue in the debate over legalizing marijuana for medical reasons. The price difference, however, could mean whether or not one suffering from a fatal illness can afford to relieve their pain. .
We tend to rely heavily on any painkiller prescription that we are prescribed to. It is an issues that affects many of us today. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 10,000 men and 6,600 women had died in 2010 because they had overdosed on painkillers.