s effective in treating those ailments during this time period. Its defenders point out that the drug was praised by the patients and doctors alike. In 1988, Judge Francis Young, an examiner on administrative issues for the Drug Enforcement Agency, recommended that marijuana be reclassified for medical use, because the "current acceptance" of marijuana is present if a "respectable minority" of doctors support it. ("A Doctor's Report" 1). The same Journal of the American Medical Association article, pointed out that even though the medical history of marijuana is five thousand years old, it has almost all been forgotten. Marijuana has already been legalized for medical use by both California and Arizona. In order to be passed, these laws required a majority vote by the public and by Congress that favored the legalization of marijuana. In 1991, eighty percent of the San Francisco voters approved of legalizing marijuana, and seventy-seven percent of Santa Cruz voters also agreed ("History of Medical Marijuana" 1). Since these laws were passed, there is proof of support for the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes. California and Arizona may be the only states that have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes, but they are not the only states that have considered the legalization of medicinal marijuana. "Massachusetts, had previously passed laws that permitted their citizens to use marijuana for medical purposes under some circumstances" ("Reefer Madness" 2). Many states have passed laws that lessen the prosecution of those doctors who prescribe marijuana ("Federal Foolishness and Marijuana" 2). There have also been many polls showing that the public favors the use of marijuana for medical purposes ("Reefer Madness" 2). With all of this support for legalizing marijuana, it is only a matter of time before the prosecution of doctors for prescribing marijuana and patients for using marijuana as medicine ceases. Another powerful ...
