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Pros and Cons by Issue
Issue: Medical Value
| Q: | What are the findings of physician surveys on medical marijuana? |
| Q: | What are physicians' views on medical marijuana? |
| Q: | For which symptoms or conditions might marijuana provide relief? |
| Q: | What is the history of the AMA, and how has it dealt with medical marijuana throughout its history? |
| Q: | What is Marinol? |
| Q: | Is Marinol better medicine than marijuana? |
| Q: | How does the cost of marijuana compare to the cost of Marinol? |
| Q: | How does marijuana compare to Marinol in the treatment of appetite and nausea? |
Issue: Diseases / Conditions
| Q: | Is marijuana bad for the immune system? |
| Q: | Can marijuana help AIDS/HIV patients? |
| Q: | Can marijuana help treat Alzheimer's disease? |
| Q: | Is marijuana an effective treatment for the symptoms of arthritis? |
| Q: | Can marijuana help people with asthma or other breathing disorders? |
| Q: | Is marijuana an effective treatment for Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or other inflammatory bowel diseases? |
| Q: | Is marijuana an effective treatment for epilepsy (seizures)? |
| Q: | Can marijuana be an effective treatment for glaucoma? |
| Q: | Is marijuana an effective treatment for the symptoms of hepatitis C? |
| Q: | Is marijuana an effective treatment for migraines? |
| Q: | Is marijuana an effective treatment for spasticity disorders such as multiple sclerosis? |
| Q: | Is marijuana an effective treatment for reducing nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy? |
| Q: | Is medical marijuana an effective treatment for patients suffering from severe / chronic pain? |
| Q: | Does marijuana use cause lasting schizophrenia, psychosis, or other mental disorders? |
| Q: | Is medical marijuana an effective treatment for depression, bipolar disorders, anxiety, and similar mood disorders? |
| Q: | Does marijuana cause depression or other mood disorders? |
| Q: | What is known about marijuana's potential utility in treating Tourette's syndrome? |
| Q: | Should marijuana be a medical option for patients with a terminal illness and suffering severe pain? |
Issue: Non-Smoked Marijuana
| Q: | What are the non-smoked ways to use marijuana medically? |
| Q: | What are some of the pros and cons between smoked and non-smoked medical marijuana? |
Issue: Public Policy
| Q: | Would allowing the medical use of marijuana send the wrong message to our children and our society? |
| Q: | Should more studies on marijuana be done to determine its medical efficacy? |
| Q: | Is the US Food and Drug Administration [FDA] approval process subverted by passing bills and state initiatives that legalize medical marijuana? |
| Q: | Have medical marijuana laws contributed to greater general marijuana use by adults? |
| Q: | Were the voters who passed state medical marijuana initiatives misled? |
Issue: Risks
| Q: | Is marijuana too dangerous to be used as medicine? |
| Q: | Is medical marijuana more dangerous than legal drugs? |
| Q: | Can marijuana use cause death? |
| Q: | How do marijuana deaths compare to deaths from FDA-approved drugs? |
| Q: | Does marijuana use significantly impair driving ability even when not under the immediate effects of the drug? |
| Q: | Does the regular smoking of marijuana cause lung cancer or in any way permanently injure the lungs? |
| Q: | Does marijuana use permanently damage the human brain? |
| Q: | Is today's marijuana significantly more potent than past marijuana, and if so, does that make it more dangerous to patients? |
| Q: | Should marijuana ever be used to treat children and adolescents? |
| Q: | Has legalizing medical marijuana led to increased drug abuse among children and adolescents? |
| Q: | Is marijuana a "gateway" or "stepping stone" drug? |
| Q: | How addictive is marijuana? |
| Q: | Can marijuana use harm male fertility? |
| Q: | Can marijuana use harm female fertility? |
| Q: | How does parental marijuana use affect pre- and post-natal fetal development? |
| Q: | How might parental marijuana use affect the baby through breastfeeding? |
Issue: US Government and Medical Marijuana
| Q: | What is the 1999 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report? |
| Q: | What did the 1999 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report say Pro or Con medical marijuana? |
| Q: | What is the US government's Compassionate Investigational New Drug (IND) program for medical marijuana? |
| Q: | Who are the patients receiving medical marijuana through the federal government's Compassionate IND program? |
| Q: | What has the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said about Medical Marijuana? |
| Q: | Has the government blocked clinical trials of marijuana? |
| Q: | Is FDA approval required for legal access to specific drugs? |
| Q: | What is federal drug scheduling? |
| Q: | Which drugs are in Schedule I? |
| Q: | Which drugs are in Schedule II? |
| Q: | Which drugs are in Schedule III? |
| Q: | Which drugs are in Schedule IV? |
| Q: | Which drugs are in Schedule V? |
| Q: | Should marijuana be reclassified as a drug generally available by prescription (Schedule II or III)? |
| Q: | What is the history of medical marijuana and the US government? |
| Q: | What is the potency and stability of US government marijuana? |
Issue: Access to Medical Marijuana
| Q: | Why do marijuana dispensaries (aka cannabis clubs or clinics) exist? |
| Q: | Should marijuana dispensaries be regulated by the government? |
| Q: | Are marijuana dispensaries fronts for criminal profiteers? |
| Q: | What actions has the US government taken against medical marijuana dispensaries (1997-2005)? |
| Q: | What is a proper dosage of medical marijuana, and how can patients control their dose? |
| Q: | Can the quality of medical marijuana be controlled so its users receive marijuana of uniform strength and purity? |
| Q: | Is marijuana significantly more potent now than in the past? |
| Q: | Does higher potency make marijuana more dangerous? |
| Q: | How many people in the United States use medical marijuana? |
| Q: | What are the non-smoked ways to use marijuana medically? |
| Q: | What are some of the legal consequences that medical marijuana patients could face? |
Issue: Legal Issues
| Q: | Should the government prohibit physicians from recommending medical marijuana? |
| Q: | What are some of the suggested guidelines for physicians who recommend medical marijuana? |
| Q: | What has federal law enforcement said about medical marijuana? |
| Q: | What actions have the federal government taken against medical marijuana patients and providers? |
| Q: | What have medical marijuana proponents done recently to obtain federal authorization for medical marijuana? |
| Q: | What are some of the reactions and projected impacts of the Gonzalez (Ashcroft) v. Raich Supreme Court decision? |
| Q: | Does a state’s medical marijuana laws put that state in violation of federal drug law? |
Issue: Chemical Composition of Marijuana
| Q: | What is marijuana? |
| Q: | What chemicals are in marijuana and its byproducts? |
| Q: | What is THC (Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol)? |
| Q: | What are the differences between Cannabis indica and Cannabis sativa, and how do they vary in their potential medical utility? |
| Q: | What happens inside the human body when marijuana is consumed? |
| Q: | What are the testing methods to determine marijuana use, and what is the length of time marijuana can be detected by those tests? |
| Q: | What is -- and what causes -- the marijuana "high"? |
| Q: | Can the "high" associated with marijuana provide a benefit to health? |
| Q: | What is cannabidiol (CBD)? |
| Q: | Is cannabidiol (CBD) psychoactive? |
| Q: | Should cannabidiol (CBD) be a medical option? |