I believe that marijuana has significant medical uses that are being withheld by the Government.

Therefore I will argue in favor of the debate proposition: Resolved that: The United States Federal Government should legalize marijuana for medical purposes. To better understand the meaning of the resolution, I will offer the following definitions: 1. The U.S. Government: The Congress of the United States. And Federal agencies such as the FDA and the FBI.

2."Prohibit." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2009. Merriam-Webster Online. 7 October 2009 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Prohibit 1 : to forbid by authority : enjoin 2 a : to prevent from doing something b : preclude
The use of marijuana to alleviate the pain and suffering of patients caused by their illnesses and medical conditions.

. !edical !ari"uana:

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Argument One:

edical

arijuana is a guaranteed right.

!. itchell "ic#erill and "aul $hen% 7ashington +tate ,niversity and 7estern 7ashington ,niversity, &oveme'er ())* Medical Marijuana Policy and the Virtues of Federalism Publius/ Volume 38,
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medical marijuana was a liberty interest under the Due Process Clause. First, the ! e"plained that the power asserted by the #federal$ %overnment would be a serious encroachment on liberty interests safeguarded by the Due Process Clause,& which include the right to ma'e important decisions concerning the course of one(s medical treatment& ) ! et al. *rief, +,.&

+auren Salcedo. 9tleader. 7eb. ,)% !an. ()-(.

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The most common confusion about medical marijuana is whether or not it is legal to buy marijuana from a shop or dispensary. -s the law stands, buying or selling marijuana is illegal. - patient or designated provider is allowed to grow marijuana or participate in a community garden )a +./. addition to the law, by growing marijuana with other patients, according to the egislature. The law states that a community garden is limited to involvement from no more than /. patients, with a limit of 01 plants total in the garden. Dispensaries are illegal under state law. There are currently /2 states in the country )including 3ashington D.C., that have legali4ed medical marijuana, and each has its own statutes that differ from the ne"t.&

Argument T.o Government Agencies undermine medical marijuana research. Renee Twombly. &es'ite (esearch, F&) *ays Marijuana +as ,o -enefit. 5, July 2006.JNCI J Natl Cancer Inst/ Volume 98, Issue 13. Oxford Journals. Web. 30, Dec. 2012.
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> -lthough everyone agrees that more research is needed, some who want to study smo'ed
marijuana charge that new wor' has been hampered by federal agencies, which have increasingly limited the amount of marijuana that can be legally be used in research. -t the same time, the issue of medical marijuana has become a battleground between the federal government, which argues that it has the right to arrest anyone who uses an illegal drug, and several states, which have passed laws permitting the use of medical marijuana.

Affirmative "lan #lan$ %ne: 8ongress will pass a bill allowing the widespread use of medical marijuana. The president will sign the bill into law. #lan$ T&o: 8ongress will develop a program to research and develop safer versions of the marijuana plant. #lan$ Three: 8ongress will increase funding to programs on marijuana research. #lan$ Four: .unding for this plan will be provided through general federal

ta revenues. #lan$ Five: *nforcement: violators to this plan will be subject to civil and/or criminal penalties.

!. itchell "ic#erill and "aul $hen% 7ashington +tate ,niversity and 7estern 7ashington ,niversity, &oveme'er ())* Medical Marijuana Policy and the Virtues of Federalism Publius/ Volume 38,
Issue 1. !ford "ournals. #eb. 3$ "an. %$1%.
http://0publius.o fordjournals.org.opac.library.csupomona.edu/content/!"/#/$$.full% ma toshow&'hits&$(')*+,-T./)01T&'fullte t&medical2marijuana'searchid&#'.I)+TI 34*5&0'resourcetype&678IT?aff@$ 3ithout the federal ban on all marijuana use, it is li'ely
that even more e"perimentation would occur at the state level, which would increase our 'nowledge of the relative benefits and ris's of medical marijuana. The federal ban restricts the mar'et mechanisms that would prompt further research to determine whether marijuana has legitimate medical uses. 5ntil the C!-(s ban on marijuana use is lifted, the incentive for research and development of marijuana for medical purposes will be severely stunted.&

Argument Three +egalizing edical arijuana .ill 'ring safer alternatives to smo#e.

Peter J. Cohen and Peter A. Clark. Medical Marijuana. The Hastings Center Report/ Volume 33. o. !. "e#.Mar.$Apr. !%%3. http677.8www.jstor.org.opac.library.csupomona.edu7stable791+:/0+ Athese scientists beieved that because of the to icity of the smoBe, the true benefits of marijuana would only be realiCed when alternative methods liBe capsules, patches, and bronchial inhalers were developed to deliver more active components, called cannabinoids, without the harmful effects of the smoBe.A

&nter$Agenc' Ad(isor' Regarding Claims That )moked Marijuana &s a Medicine. "e#. 3%* Jan. !%+!. http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.additional@resource.php%resourceI4&000#;=
Furthermore, there is currently sound evidence that smo'ed marijuana is harmful. - past evaluation by several Department of ;ealth and ;uman !ervices );;!, agencies, including the Food and Drug -dministration )FD-,, !ubstance -buse and <ental ;ealth !ervices -dministration )!-<;!-, and =ational >nstitute for Drug -buse )=>D-,, concluded that no sound scientific studies supported medical use of marijuana for treatment in the 5nited !tates, and no animal or human data supported the safety or efficacy of marijuana for general medical use. There are alternative FD-8approved medications in e"istence for treatment of many of the proposed uses of smo'ed marijuana.