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Should Marijuana Be A Medical Option?

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The debate regarding marijuana for medical usage has become more evident in recent years. There has been a controversy in both the public and healthcare arena. The debate on legalization of marijuana has some advocators emphasizing the benefits of using medical marijuana such as relieving chronic pain, nausea and vomiting while the opponents are emphasizing the ability to become addicted to of this drug and the lack of research done to know the side effects (Porche, 2013). Overall the real question is should marijuana be a medical option? The earliest use of medical marijuana came from ancient China. In 2737 BC, the Chinese emperor, Shennog, wrote a book that included cannabis (marijuana) as a treatment for many conditions. He thought cannabis was helpful for constipation, gout and rheumatism. In the same way, researchers found a second century ancient Egyptian text called the Fayyum Medical Papyrus that is believed to contain the earliest record of using cannabis as a treatment for tumors. Lastly, the ancient Greeks used cannabis to dress wounds and sores on their horses after battle. They also gave it to humans for ear pain and inflammation. The use of cannabis as medicine dispersed throughout Asia, the eastern coast of Africa, Middle east and finally to America. In the late 1800’s, an Irish doctor by the name of William Brooke O’Shaughnessy introduced cannabis to England and America. He first observed the use of medical marijuana during a trip to India. After studying

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