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  1. Should medical marijuana be legal? Why or why not? If yes, which jurisdiction(s) should legalize marijuana (federal, state, local)?
  2. Should medical marijuana state laws indicate which medical conditions marijuana is an appropriate medication for? Or should marijuana be regulated by the FDA like other drugs? Explain your answer(s).
  3. Should recreational marijuana be decriminalized while scientists study the marijuana as a medicine? Explain your answer(s).

Take Action

  1. Analyze the information on medical marijuana at the Marijuana Policy Project.
  2. Explore the medical marijuana explainer from WebMD.
  3. Consider the National Institutes of Health’s fact sheet “Marijuana as Medicine” 
  4. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? If so, how? List two to three ways. If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the “other side of the issue” now helps you better argue your position.
  5. Push for the position and policies you support by writing U.S. senators and representatives.

Sources

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  4. Colleen Fisher Tully, “Did Women Use Cannabis as Medicine in Ancient Egypt?,” leafly.com, Aug. 3, 2020
  5. New York Review, “Pot and the Myth of Shen Nung: Erich Goode, reply by Jerome Groopman,” nybooks.com, Mar. 20, 2014
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  13. David McDonald, ”The Racist Roots of Marijuana Prohibition,” fee.org, Apr. 11, 2017
  14. S.P.H. Alexander, K. Mackie, and R.A. Ross, “Editorial,” British Journal of Pharmacology, June 2010
  15. David Moye, “Lawmaker Says Black People Can’t Handle Marijuana Because of ’Genetics,’” huffingtonpost.co.uk, Sep. 1, 2018
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  41. Claire McCarthy, “Legalizing Marijuana Not Good for Kids: AAP Policy Explained,” healthychildren.org, Mar. 23, 2022
  42. Kevin Osterhoudt, “Edible Marijuana Dangers: How Parents Can Prevent THC Poisoning,” healthychildren.org, May 16, 2022
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