The use of marijuana for medicinal purposes has long been at the center of much controversy. Some studies have shown that the benefits of using marijuana for medicinal reasons far outweigh the negative health effects that may be associated with its use, and therefore it should be an accepted treatment method for some patients suffering from diseases such as multiple sclerosis, cancer, AIDS and eating disorders (Okie, 2005). However, other studies have shown that there is insufficient scientific evidence on the drug, so it should not be legalized for pharmacological use (Hutchings, 2002). The matter is currently moving forward, albeit not without controversy, but it is unclear when a clear decision will be made. In a recent article by Okie (2005), some doctors prescribe medical marijuana to treat chronic or neuropathic pain. Okie provides information about a patient, Angel McCleary Riach, who is dependent on marijuana because she found it helped her control her pain and increase her appetite. The patient and her doctor Ludico believed that Riach's health would severely deteriorate if she were denied the use of medical marijuana because she would not be able to tolerate the pain. Although doctors in the article prescribe marijuana primarily to control pain, some have found it effective in treating muscle spasms, mood disorders, AIDS, migraines, and to increase appetite in cancer patients (Okie,2005). One doctor said that many of their patients who use the drug marijuana, but buy it illegally, but for patients with a family this is too great a risk. This is an ongoing struggle in their daily lives, and without the legalization of medical marijuana these patients will continue… half of the paper… part one, it is understandable that there may be a lot of hesitation in fully legalizing this drug in the health field. Prosecuting marijuana users, who suffer from a debilitating disease, is punishing them beyond what is necessary. If their life is limited by the pain caused by their particular disease and prohibiting them from using the only thing that can make their daily life less painful seems to be unfair and unethical. Works Cited Hutchings, R. (2002). Because I don't prescribe weed. Medical Post, 38(7); 13Okie, S. (2005). Medical Marijuana and the Supreme Court. The New England Journal of Medicine, 353(7); 648-651Voth, E.A., (2002). Doctors should support the medical use of marijuana The British Medical Journal, 16(2); Wingerchuk, W. (2004). Cannabis for medical use; cultivate science, eradicate fiction. The Lancet, 364(9431); 315-316