“A smoker would theoretically have to consume nearly fifteen hundred pounds of marijuana within about fifteen minutes to induce a lethal response... in strict medical terms, marijuana is far safer than many of the foods we commonly consume. For example, eating ten raw potatoes can result in a toxic response. By comparison, it is physically impossible to eat enough marijuana to induce death.” - DEA Administrative Law, Judge Francis L. Young.
The National Center for Health statistics reported that drugs caused 37, 485 deaths in 2009; followed closely by alcohol related deaths totaling 23, 199. When research was done to identify the drugs and alcohol used in these fatal events, Cannabis (Marijuana) caused zero deaths. So why is a drug that is grown so naturally and causes zero deaths at the center of so much controversy? Marijuana has been used for medical purposes and is a popular subject in the economic and political debate arenas. “Cannabis sativa is an annual plant that grows wild in warm and tropical climates throughout the world and is cultivated commercially. The leaves and buds of the plant have been used in herbal remedies for centuries. Scientists have identified 66 biologically active components, called cannabinoids, in marijuana. The most potent of these is thought to be the chemical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, although other active substances are being studied. The medical use of marijuana is limited because different strains of the plant contain different amounts of various compounds, which makes effects hard to predict ("Find support & treatment ," 12).” Medical researchers have isolated substances from the plant (cannabinoids) that can be used in precise doses alone and in combinations with other medicines to achieve more predictable effects. Certain cannabinoid drugs have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to