Should medical marijuana be legalized? The controversy surrounding marijuana use leaves many people unsure. But is this stigma justified? After researching the issue and considering the pros and cons of legalizing medical marijuana, I tend to believe that the bad reputation it has gained is unnecessary and that the pros far outweigh the cons. Therefore, it should be legalized and treated as an acceptable form of treatment for those to whom it could be useful. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original EssayMedical marijuana can be defined as the use of cannabis to treat a condition or symptoms of an illness. Due to the use of marijuana as a recreational drug, some parts of society have begun to view it as inherently harmful, but there is reason to believe that not only is it not harmful, but it can even be beneficial. Marijuana has been used medicinally for thousands of years. In fact, the earliest known record of the use of cannabis for its medicinal benefits dates back to 2727 BC, when the Chinese emperor Shen Nung noted that the use of marijuana to treat illnesses had become very popular in the Chinese company. Obviously, cannabis use is not new and has been used for many generations. Those who oppose the legalization of medical marijuana might argue that medical marijuana can serve as a gateway to harder drug use or that medical marijuana users can become addicted. As Citizens Against Legalizing Marijuana states on its website, “Marijuana is a dangerous, psychoactive, and addictive drug that impacts the brain.” In response to this, I would like to point out that it has been proven that while marijuana addiction is possible, it is rare. Studies have shown that only nine percent of adults who use marijuana will develop an addiction. Considering all the known benefits of medical marijuana, I believe the help it can provide to people suffering from illnesses goes beyond the slight risk of addiction. It's also worth noting that while some sources may say otherwise, marijuana is often just a gateway drug because it requires you to obtain it from an illegal source, which often leads to also being around hard and addictive drugs. If this drug were made legal and available in a safe environment, it would no longer require association with those who use harder drugs, resulting in the user not being exposed to it in the first place and not would not move on to other substances. Clearly, these two arguments against medical marijuana do not stand up to scrutiny. To support my opinion that medical marijuana should be legalized, I would like to point out that numerous peer-reviewed studies have proven that medical marijuana is an effective treatment for health conditions. These conditions include multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, Huntington's disease, etc. In addition to treating physical illnesses, it has also been shown to help treat mental disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and Tourette syndrome. Lester Grinspoon, professor of psychiatry at Harvard University, says: “Contrary to what we have all been led to believe, marijuana is not a very harmful drug….