"A 'slippery slope' argument hovers over California's Proposition 215, which would allow sick people to use and grow small amounts of marijuana. The idea is to make the drug available to those in great pain. But the wording of the proposition gives the game away: Growing and using marijuana would be approved for a list of ailments, including chronic pain, arthritis, migraine and 'any other illness for which marijuana provides relief'" (Leo 23).
Leo further argues that, in our day and age, many things are considered to be ailments and medical conditions: "Hypersensitivity to tobacco smoke is a "handicap" under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, infertility has qualified as a disability, and multiple chemical sensitivity, about which everything is known except whether it really exists, is sometimes recognized as a disability by the Social Security Administration. As one doctor said about MCS cases: "Too many people are walking around thinking they have a medical problem when they just have life'" (23). With this he presents us with the notion that all ailments, real or ridiculous, will provide an individual with the power to grow and use marijuana. Menopause and other simple conditions are seen as ailments and as such would open the door for many to grow and use marijuana. .
In an enlightening article, which appeared in Chemist & Druggist, and which presents us with the opposite view, one author illustrates how, in Europe, the same struggle is going on: "Lord McCluskey, a senior Scottish judge, has called for a royal commission to look into the legalization of cannabis and the sentencing of drug offenders. He argued that police time should be freed to concentrate on bringing to justice hard drug dealers and users," which is a serious argument for legalization in this country (Anonymous More calls for legalized cannabis 5).
The author continued, providing valid information, which illustrated that many are arguing for legalization for recreational use as well.