On Jan. 19, the German government passed a law that officiated the use of cannabis as medicine. The bill had previously been approved by the Cabinet of Parliamentarians in May 2016 and was unanimously passed as a bill last month.
Due to the controversy surrounding the legalization of medical marijuana, the benefits of marijuana in the medical field are often ignored. These benefits include relief from chronic pain, muscle spasms, nausea, as well as help relieving symptoms of mental health disorders including anxiety and schizophrenia. Unfortunately, it is difficult for doctors and scientists in the United States to experiment with medical marijuana due to it being illegal under the federal law.
Since medical marijuana is now legal under German law, citizens who are in need of treatment will not have to move to other countries in Europe so that they have easier access to their medicine. For a majority of citizens in the U.S. who could benefit from medical marijuana, moving to a state where medical marijuana is legal seems to be their only choice.
Currently, twenty-eight states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico allow medical marijuana to be prescribed. Although it is more than half of the country, it is still very difficult for patients not living in those states to receive the treatment that they need. This video filmed by Time Magazine gives an inside look into the life of a family who has to illegally cross state borders to obtain the medical marijuana needed to alleviate their child’s seizures.
“We don’t want to break the law. We don’t want to do this, we have to do this. I never stop thinking about the legal issues as I cross into every state. That’s breaking a lot of federal laws.”
For families similar to theirs, who need this medicine for their children to survive, they’re in constant risk of being arrested, while also in a constant state of worry concerning the health of their own child. If the U.S. were to make medical marijuana legal in every state, families and those suffering from diseases that benefit from medical marijuana would not have to endure the stress of breaking the law.
Aside from Germany, countries such as Ireland, Australia and Jamaica have legalized medical marijuana and Canada plans to have medical marijuana use approved by the end of the year.
For now, the ball is in America’s court to decide whether having medical marijuana legalized throughout the country is a decision they want to make.
