Medicinal marijuana can assist those suffering from chronic and debilitating illnesses.

This is why voters should approve Proposal 1 on the Nov. 4 ballot – despite the risk that the law may proliferate illicit marijuana use.

The proposal would legalize prescribed marijuana usage for patients with glaucoma, cancer, HIV and multiple sclerosis, among other conditions approved by the Department of Community Health.

Marijuana will not cure their diseases, but it can alleviate their often-crippling symptoms.

According to a WebMD article, patients worldwide have used the drug to cope with pain, stiffness, nausea and vomiting. Of course, this alone cannot indicate the drug’s efficacy; neither can anecdotal evidence from individuals who have used marijuana.

For some doctors within the article, the drug contains too many unknown variables – marijuana smoke contains roughly 2,000 chemicals, the intricacies of which remain inadequately researched.

Admittedly, marijuana could benefit from more clinical studies. But the drug is in no way wildly dangerous, and studies have shown it can benefit patients.

A 2007 article in The Journal of Neurology by Donald I. Abrams found that medicinal marijuana worked for patients with HIV and peripheral neuropathy, or painful, damaged nerves, according to the WebMD article. Abrams also published a 2003 article indicating that medicinal marijuana did not harm AIDS patients’ immune systems.

These studies indicate that, although the effectiveness of medicinal marijuana is not a closed question, the drug can assist patients. Marinol, a synthesized form of THC, an active chemical in marijuana, does not quite do the job: Isolated THC loses the benefits of marijuana’s other ingredients, Abrams said in the WebMD article.

The drug is now in a phase that warrants individual doctor discretion. And that’s what Proposal 1 would provide: the ability for doctors to prescribe marijuana in cases where they feel it may help the patient. This does not mean medicinal marijuana is always the best choice; it simply means doctors, rather than politicians, should make the call.

Moreover, there is not compelling evidence that legalizing medicinal marijuana paves the way for rampant illicit use of the drug. Twelve other states have approved similar laws.

This is a question of law enforcement, and it is not inconceivable that, if marijuana is carefully prescribed, police agencies could keep illicit usage under control. Medicinal marijuana use does not pose a threat unique from other painkillers.

Proposal 1 would not provide the path to societal decay – it would provide only another tool for doctors to serve their patients.

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