In 1999, The Institute of Medicine conducted a study on how dependent people became after using different drugs. The study found that "32 percent of tobacco users become dependent, as do 23 percent of heroin users, 17 percent of cocaine users, and 15 percent of alcohol drinkers. But only 9 percent of marijuana users develop a dependence"(Boffey). This illustrates how marijuana users would be able to correctly utilize the drug with little risk of becoming addicted. Marijuana holds an exponential amount of medicinal purposes. In states that have legalized "Medical marijuana", the drug is being prescribed for glaucoma, Crohn's disease, seizure disorders, nausea from chemotherapy, and cancer patients (Feature). It has been found that marijuana works significantly better than opioids among patients dealing with chronic pain. Opioids come with a large set of side effects that bring just as many problems for the user as they solve, while marijuana has relatively few and minor ones. Some of marijuana's side effects actually benefit the user. For example, marijuana helps nausea and gives the user an increased appetite, which would be useful for extremely ill patients and those undergoing chemotherapy (Nampiaparampil). Marijuana would also provide help to those coping with emotional pain rather than physical. It has been found that the cannabinoid system is directly related to memory extinction and the removal of stimuli from the brain. This would be helpful to those with post traumatic stress disorder in that "marijuana could help patients reduce their association between stimuli (perhaps loud noises or stress) and the traumatic situations in their past"(Mechoulam). If marijuana was legalized, its bountiful medicinal properties would become available to every citizen enduring pain in the United States. No longer would sufferers have to jump through hoops with our current healthcare system, instead they would be able to self-medicate as they choose with an effective and universally acclaimed medicine.