Aubrey Anderson | Contributing Writer

A lot of the population here in the US has an opinion on the legalization of marijuana. Many people seem to be okay with legalizing medical marijuana (also sometimes referred to as cannabis), however there seems to be more hostility toward legalizing marijuana in general. I personally do not support the general legalizing of marijuana. However, I share the opinion that supports legalization of medical marijuana.

Although I am not in need of medical marijuana and therefore have never used it, I have family members who use it and it has had a large impact on their life. My aunt has had many health issues for as long as I can remember. Now that she has started using medical marijuana, her health has improved in a very visible fashion. I visited her recently and she seemed like a new person! She is no longer in pain, and her health doesn’t hold her back from living life.

My grandfather (pictured above) has extreme back pain, and he is old enough that doctors don’t want to operate, so they have been giving him other alternatives such as cortisone shots. However, none of these alternatives have appeared to work. Now my grandpa’s last option appears to be medical marijuana. Until medical marijuana is legalized, my grandpa will have to live with such pain that he has difficultly getting out of bed, or simply moving around the house throughout the day.

When marijuana is used in a controlled amount, to help heal someone, I see absolutely no harm. Some people are also concerned about safety risks such as children having access to cannabis through either getting into their parent’s supply, or overdosing on their own supply. I understand this concern. However, wouldn’t a natural plant be safer for a child rather than other forms of medication? If there is a drug that doesn’t appear to have many side-effects, yet seems to help all who use it, why would you not legalize such an industry?

Legalizing medical marijuana in Iowa has the potential to help millions of people. Not only would it help all the people and patients who need it for medical purposes, it would also help industry. With the demand for cannabis, there comes a need for locations to grow and process the product. Such a system requires workers. There is also a chance for the government to make a profit off the production of medical marijuana. Assuming there would be taxes on cannabis, there would be more money going back to the government which hopefully, would be transferred to something useful like the funding of public schools.

I feel that the need and usefulness of medical marijuana outweighs some controllable risk. Cannabis, with its health benefits, is a great resource to those who need it. Also, with the benefits cannabis provides to those who do not use it, it seems to be a very useful product for everyone.

Photo by Aubrey Anderson