descantforhope:

Hey, it’s the pacific northwest. 
I know legal smokers and illegal tokers. I have friends with bong collections and watched a roommate waste away from cancer while taking her marinol pills. I knew a guy in high school who was arrested for transporting 42 lbs of weed in his car. I know a couple people who are planning on starting their own grow operation after they retire. I feel like I know a pretty good spectrum of the people who care about this issue.

My thoughts on medical marijuana in more than the 140 characters that ermedicine’s question allows:

• smoking anythingis bad for you. Lungs don’t like having anything beyond clean air in them. The discoloration and fibrosis caused by simply living in a city is awful, and deliberating putting smoke (of any kind) into lungs is far more harmful. However, it’s not hard to put the cannabinoids into a tincture, elixir, or vaporizer. (or brownies, which have their own health considerations- calories!)
• Many people are too lazy to make the tincture, elixir, or vaporizer mix.
• It grows on the side of the road. It’s actually a weed here.
• Legalizing marijuana would allow pharmacies to harvest a weed and turn it into profitable medication. Legalization would also allow for tighter control on substances like pesticides, and would allow for a more regulated dosing.
• Taxing the stuff could fund public schools, since the lumber money is running out due to all sorts of habitat preservation throughout the northwest.
• There are instances in which marijuana is medically useful. Anecdotally, I’ve seen plenty of people benefiting from use of the herb.  
• Medical literature is just bursting at the seems with studies showing positive uses.
• Like all medicine, it should be used appropriately to the condition being treated.
• It’s not supposed to be a lifelong medication and should be used with the intent of eventually being able to stop usage in most cases.

disclaimer: I do not use marijuana. I am not giving any medical advice, nor do I have a license to do so. Please consult your physician when making decisions regarding your health. Illegal use is still illegal, and breaking the law carries its own consequences.