Medical_Marijuana_Will_Be_Beneficial_for_Arizona

Robert D. Trevino COM 422: Advanced Argumentation Medical Marijuana will be beneficial for Arizona The recount votes are finally in, and medical marijuana has been approved, approved Nov. 2, 2010 by 50.13% by Arizona voters. (1) I’m pleased to see this proposal pass, so long as there is strict control of its use and distribution. Now Arizona has become the 15th state to pass a medical marijuana law, “Enabling a “qualifying patient” who is registered with the Arizona Department of Health Services, legally obtain, posses and to use marijuana from a non-profit Medical Marijuana Dispensary. Once people learn about the beneficial uses of medical marijuana, they will be more compassionate to support and understand it as a medicine. Former US General Surgeon Joycelin Elders M.D. states; “The evidence is overwhelming, marijuana can alleviate certain types of pain, Nausea, vomiting, and other symptoms caused by illnesses such as multiple sclerosis, cancer and Aids or by abusive drugs used to treat them. Marijuana is less toxic than many other drugs physicians prescribe today.” (2) Would the crime and violence, within the United States and the U.S. Mexican border be significantly reduced if the buying and selling of marijuana is legalized' I believe the answer is yes they can; and working closely with our neighbors in Mexico is the key. There must be a basis of mutual trust, with goals to develop working relationships and an improvement of intelligence. Hopefully with a drop in drug demand, the revenues from drug sales will dry up and a lower crime level will result. Another benefit of Arizona will be the extension of tax revenue from medical marijuana. It would increase that state's cigarette tax to fund from the current rate of $1.18 per pack, to a new standard of $1.98 per package as well as increases in other tobacco products, generating approximate 150 million dollars of tax revenue per year. (3) Now, like most law abiding Arizonans, I don’t want to see this bill get out of control or abused. So, with that, it’s going to be vital for us to expect strict regulations. Arizona has adopted a regulated process that will include a plan for approving, renewing and revoking the qualifying patient, the caregivers, and the non- profit dispensaries and their agents. The key word here is “qualifying patient,” according to Arizona Department of Health Services (DHS) is a person who has been diagnosed by a physician as having one of the debilitating medical conditions. They must also submit a written Certification issued by a physician that states a physician's professional opinion, that a patient will receive therapeutic benefits from the medical use of marijuana for a debilitating medical condition. According to Arizona’s proposition 203, a registered patient may hold up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana in a 14-day period from a registered medical marijuana dispensary. Should a patient living more than 25 miles from the nearest medical marijuana dispensary, they may grow up to 12 marijuana plants in an enclosed, locked facility. (4) Fourteen other states and Washington DC have enacted laws that authorize medical marijuana. For example, the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program allows for state-regulated, nonprofit medical marijuana dispensaries, and State licensed pot growers to sell their crops to the dispensaries. The revenue generated from the fees and taxes go directly to the state. This is why Arizona would benefit from a medical marijuana program, a program that contributes to the state financially and takes millions of dollars out of crime, while allowing patients to benefit from medical marijuana use. Works Cited 1) Medical Marijuana Dispensaries, Cards, Doctors, Legal Marijuana. Web. 09 Dec. 2010. . 2) "Joycelyn Elders, MD, 15th US Surgeon General - MED - Program in Human Sexuality (PHS), University of Minnesota." Program in Human Sexuality - MED - Program in Human Sexuality (PHS), University of Minnesota. Web. 08 Dec. 2010. . 3) "The Tax Foundation - U.S. Federal Individual Income Tax Rates History, 1913-2010." The Tax Foundation - Educating Taxpayers since 1937. Web. 08 Dec. 2010. . 4) "AZ Department of Health Services: Proposition 203." Arizona Department of Health Services. Web. 08 Dec. 2010. .