One reason I believe cannabis should be legalized for medical use is because it has already been used by Tod Mikuriya, MD, a psychiatrist and addiction medicine specialist, to treat nearly 260 different afflictions from neuropathic pain due to ongoing injuries to major depressive disorders. (ProCon.org, 2008) Cannabis is used to treat depressive disorders because it increases the levels of serotonin in the brain which therefore causes a significant increase in mood. The effects of cannabis use are caused by its similarity to natural chemicals in the brain known as "endo-cannabinoids," which are released when one is stressed or in pain. They interact with the brain through structures called cannabinoid CB1 receptors. As one study led by Dr. Gabriella Gobbi of McGill University says,.
It has been known for many years that depletion of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain leads to depression, so SSRI-class anti-depressants like Prozac and Celexa work by enhancing the available concentration of serotonin in the brain. However, this study offers the first evidence that cannabis can also increase serotonin, at least at lower doses. (ScienceDaily, 2007).
Cannabis can also be used to treat other afflictions that deal with neurotransmitters including neuropathic pain. Cannabis is now being used in line with other forms of therapy and regulation to become a widely used, although controversial, form of medication. In many cases it used as part of a person's daily pain or mood management strategy and cannabis is treating mental and physical pain in 20 states all across the U.S. .
Another reason that I believe that cannabis should be legalized for medical use is because of the dangerous side effects that many prescriptions have. People who use pain killers and antidepressants that work on the same areas of the brain as marijuana often report feeling numb after using them and this effect is eliminated with the use of medical cannabis.
