lso evidence that smoked marijuana and/or THC “reduce muscle spasticity form spinal chord injuries and multiple sclerosis, and diminish tremors in multiple sclerosis patients. ” Other therapeutic uses for marijuana have not been widely studied. However, patients and physicians have reported that smoked marijuana have not been widely studied. However patients and physicians have reported that smoked marijuana “provides relief from migraine headaches, depression, seizures, insomnia, convulsion, and chronic pain. ”In the U.S., using marijuana for medical purposes is illegal because federal law includes marijuana in schedule I, a category for drugs deemed unsafe, highly suspect to abuse and possessing no medicinal value. In 1996, voters in California and Arizona went to the polls and in sweeping victories, told Washington that federal drug policies - at least as they applied to sick people – were wrong. Voting on proposition 215, Californian’s “approved the medical use of Marijuana by a 65 to 35 margin. ” In Arizona a solid majority (65%) voted to give the doctors the right to prescribe a range of drugs, including marijuana, heroin, and LSD. However, federal law prevents states from making marijuana supplies legally available. In effect thousands of “Americans use marijuana as a medicine illegally, putting themselves at risk of arrest and prosecution. ” Unfortunately other who might benefit from marijuana are deterred by its illegality. Since 1986, synthetic THC (Marinol) has been available as a Schedule II drug, which allows physicians to prescribe it under highly regulated conditions. “It is only recently in July of 1999 that Marinol was moved from Schedule II to a Schedule III drug. ” The change makes it much easier for doctors to distribute the drug and keeps the DEA from looking over their shoulder each time they write a prescription. Marinol is labeled as offici...
