Oral: 'Medicinal marijuana needs to be legalised'

[mangobells]

I'd really appreciate some critical feedback for my speech. It's written the way that I would speak it so it isn't completely formal language. It is a bit long so thank you for taking the time to read!

Introduction:
Imagine that you’re a parent; you have a beautiful, healthy baby girl. Now imagine that she becomes ill and begins having seizures. Seizures that can last 30 minutes, or, sometimes last hours. You watch your child suffer and you watch them hospitalized repeatedly. You listen to the doctors as they say that she’ll grow out of it. That they can’t do anything, that there are no medications that will make this go away. Dravet Syndrome entailed 300 seizures a week and the loss of Charlotte Figi’s ability to talk, walk and eat. Her parents, Matt and Paige Figi could do nothing but stand by and watch their daughter slowly die due to the brain damage caused by the constant seizures. Thankfully, in the US state of Colorado where the Figis live, medical marijuana is legal. Which allows Matt and Paige to give Charlotte a small dose of the drug to stop her seizures. From 300 seizures a week to zero, the life of a young girl was restored. That was the result of medical marijuana.

Marijuana in any form is illegal in Australia. There are no provisions for medicinal reasons, despite the overwhelming evidence that medicinal marijuana can provide incredible comfort and treatment for many diseases. In fact it can prove safer than prescription drugs. For people who suffer from chronic or terminal illness especially, marijuana can provide immense benefits including lessening of symptoms and increasing happiness and comfort levels. Legalisation of medicinal marijuana in Australia would simply enable easy access to a drug has been shown to have immense benefits. Legalisation would take the profits away from the black market and instead allow profits to be redirected to research, as well as increasing the quality and safety of the product.
Ultimately, no one loses if medical marijuana is decriminalized (except the bad guys). But so many people benefit. The patients who suffer from cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma the list goes on. Legalisation means that they wouldn’t have to fear being arrested or fined just for seeking relief from their illnesses simply because some people don’t understand that illegal does not equate to dangerous all the time.


1) Medicinal marijuana is less harmful than many prescription drugs
Marijuana is often seen as a big, bad scary drug because it’s illegal and because people have been brought up to think that being illegal automatically implies danger. The truth is that marijuana can often prove less dangerous and cause less negative side effects than the perfectly legal prescription (and even non-prescription) drugs we all use on a regular basis. Former US Surgeon General, Jocelyn Elders stated that ‘marijuana is less toxic than many of the drugs that physicians prescribe everyday’.

Even over the counter medicine is more dangerous than marijuana. One such medication is one that everyone in this room has taken at one point or another, for a headache or muscle ache. That drug is aspirin.

Here are the facts, I’ll let you decide which one you think is safer.
-   Marijuana has been used for over 5,000 years, and during that time there has never been a documented death caused by overdose. No one has ever overdosed on marijuana.
-   Aspiring has been used for 108 years. Approximately 500 people die every die every year by taking aspirin.

The side effects of Marijuana include:
-   Possible respiratory problems caused by the deposition of burnt plant material on the lungs. This danger however can be completely eliminated with alternate forms of consumption such as eating or vaporizing the medicine.
-   For 2-4 hours, marijuana can cause short-term memory loss, a slight reduction in reaction time and a reduction in cognitive ability. Basically, it makes you stupid for a little while, however these conditions do not persist after the herb wears off.
-   Hunger
-   Paranoia
-   Depression
-   Laughter
-   Introspection (basically reflecting on yourself)
-   Creative impulse
-   Euphoria
-   Tiredness
-   Forgetfulness

The dangers of Aspirin include:
-   Stomach bleeding may occur if aspirin is taken with alcohol
-   Reve Syndrome in children which causes fat to develop around the organs of a child, eventually putting severe pressure on the brain. Death is common within a few days
-   People with hemophilia (a blood clotting disorder) can die
-   Stomach problems include dyspepsia, heartburn, upset stomach, stomach ulcers with gross bleeding, and internal bleeding leading to anemia
-   Dizziness, ringing in the ears, hearing loss, vertigo, vision disturbances, and headaches
-   Heavy sweating
-   Irreversible liver damage
-   Inflammation and gradual destruction of the kidneys
-   Nausea and vomiting
-   Abdominal pain
-   Lethargy
-   Hyperthermia
-   Dyspepsia: a gnawing or burning stomach pain accompanied by bloating, heartburn, nausea, vomiting and burping.
-   Tachypnea: abnormally fast breathing
-   Respiratory Alkalosis: a condition where the amount of carbon dioxide found in the blood drops to a level below normal range brought on by abnormally fast breathing
-   Cerebral Edema: Water accumulates on the brain. Symptoms include headaches, decreased level of consciousness, loss of eyesight, hallucinations, psychotic behaviour, memory loss and coma.
-   Hallucinations, confusion and seizure
-   Prolonged bleeding after operations or post-trauma
-   Aspirin can interact with some other drugs such as diabetes medication as it changes the way the body handles these drugs and can lead to a drug overdose and death.

Which one of these medications sounds like the safer choice to you? Which would you rather take? Because I know that if presented with both of these options for pain relief, I would take the marijuana. A drug so advantageous combined with having such a low level of side effects should not be illegal. People are trusted to take much more dangerous prescription and over the counter medicine everyday, why are we not trusted to be able to take medicinal marijuana too?

2) Medicinal marijuana is used very effectively to treat a range of illnesses and increase happiness in people who suffer from them
There are many illnesses that can be treated and managed very well with medicinal marijuana. They include:
-   Epilepsy, such as Charlotte Figi
-   Multiple sclerosis
-   Glaucoma
-   Arthritis
-   Depression
-   Anxiety
-   Hepatitis C
-   Morning sickness
-   Cancer & Chemotherapy
-   HIV/AIDS
There’s one more condition that I only found through my research for this speech, a condition that I myself have called Macular Degeneration. It is a disease that affects my eyesight and it is one that has no cure. Glasses don’t help, nor does laser surgery. How long it takes to progress varies in each patient, for some it plateaus at a certain point of loss, for some it develops extremely slowly and for others it moves rapidly. For me it is still progressing and it’s likely it will render me legally blind at some point in the future. But what if I could slow it down, or stop it altogether?

Cannabis contains Cannabinoids which have the following effects:
-   Cannabinoids reduce ocular pressure (pressure within the eye)
-   Cannabinoids are anti-inflammatory
-   Cannabinoids protect cells
-   Cannabinoids have anti-aging properties
-   Cannabinoids are neuro-protective
-   Cannabinoids protect retina cells
If I were to take cannabis, at the very least the progression of my macular degeneration could be slowed, even just minutely. At the most? Progression could stop completely. Now I challenge anyone in this room to tell me that I shouldn’t have access to a drug that could potentially stop be from going blind. Because that is what our government is doing, not just to me but also to anyone who suffers a disease that could be treated or managed with medicinal marijuana.
Charlotte Figi is extremely fortunate that medicinal marijuana is legal where she lives, but in Australia we are not so lucky. There are other children with Dravet Syndrome in Australia whose parents risk being charged with criminal activity just for treating their children. The people who grow the marijuana for these treatments risk jail time again and again. The final product is not half as safe as it should be because there is no regulation of the industry, there can’t be whilst it is illegal.


3) Legalisation would allow greater regulation for the production of medicinal marijuana
If legalization were to occur, there would be proper regulations and guidelines put into place for the medical marijuana industry. This would allow for development of modified plants, which would contain different levels of different chemicals depending on what disease is being treated.
But greater regulation is not the only benefit of legalisation. Legalising medical marijuana would stop the need to prosecute those in possession of it. From January 1976 and December 2000, Australian governments spent $13 billion prosecuting drug offences, many of which were marijuana-based. Instead of reducing the drug use, this created a huge black market, one that continues to profit from marijuana being illegal. If it were legalised the black market for marijuana could be eradicated completely, saving the government money not only in prosecutions but earning them money once marijuana suppliers are taxed. In Colorado, where marijuana was just recently legalised for full recreational use, Officials have anticipated sales will generate about $A75.55 million in annual tax windfall. Australia has more than four times the population of Colorado; therefore tax profits would be much, much higher.

Conclusion:
Marijuana is not the horror drug many people make it out to be. When used in the right way it can be extremely beneficial to those with serious illness or disease, even children like Charlotte Figi or teenagers like myself with Macular Degeneration. It has the ability to treat so many illnesses with so few side effects compared to traditional medications, both prescription and over the counter. If it is legalised it has the potential to earn the Australian government over $200 million in taxes per year. If marijuana were legalised strictly for medicinal purposes, it would only be going to those who need it. Those who have severely debilitating or terminal illnesses. No one should have the ability to deny someone of lifesaving medication, yet its happening everyday in Australia. If you were in Charlotte Figi’s parents’ position, would you risk jail to treat your child? That’s a choice that parents and carers are faced with in Australia. And it shouldn’t even be a question."

[literally lauren]

I'd really appreciate some critical feedback for my speech. It's written the way that I would speak it so it isn't completely formal language. It is a bit long so thank you for taking the time to read!

Introduction:
Imagine that you’re a parent; you have a beautiful, healthy baby girl. Now imagine that she becomes ill and begins having seizures. Seizures that can last 30 minutes, or, sometimes last hours. You watch your child suffer and you watch them hospitalized repeatedly. You listen to the doctors as they say that she’ll grow out of it. That they can’t do anything, that there are no medications that will make this go away. Dravet Syndrome entailed 300 seizures a week and the loss of Charlotte Figi’s ability to talk, walk and eat. Her parents, Matt and Paige Figi could do nothing but stand by and watch their daughter slowly die due to the brain damage caused by the constant seizures. Thankfully, in the US state of Colorado where the Figis live, medical marijuana is legal. Which allows Matt and Paige to give Charlotte a small dose of the drug to stop her seizures. From 300 seizures a week to zero, the life of a young girl was restored. That was the result of medical marijuana.
very good intro but linking could be better here. Even a brief phrase like 'In spite of this' or 'And yet' would be enough
Marijuana in any form is illegal in Australia. There are no provisions for medicinal reasons, despite the overwhelming evidence that medicinal marijuana can provide incredible comfort and treatment for many diseases. In fact it can prove is proven to be safer than prescription drugs. For people who suffer from chronic or terminal illness especially, marijuana can provide immense benefits* including lessening of symptoms and increasing happiness and comfort levels. Legalisation of medicinal marijuana in Australia would simply enable easy access to a drug has been shown to have immense benefits.*repetition, find synonyms for this Legalisation would take the profits away from the black market and instead allow profits to be redirected to research, as well as increasing the quality and safety of the product.
Ultimately, no one loses if medical marijuana is decriminalized (except the bad guys). But so many people benefit. The patients who suffer from cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma the list goes on. Legalisation means that they wouldn’t have to fear being arrested or fined just for seeking relief from their illnesses simply because some people don’t understand that illegal does not equate to dangerous all the time.


1) Medicinal marijuana is less harmful than many prescription drugs
Marijuana is often seen as a big, bad scary drug because it’s illegal and because people have been brought up to think that being illegal automatically implies danger. The truth is that marijuana can often prove less dangerous and cause less negative side effects than the perfectly legal prescription (and even non-prescription) drugs we all use on a regular basis. Former US Surgeon General, Jocelyn Elders stated that ‘marijuana is less toxic than many of the drugs that physicians prescribe everyday’.

Even over the counter medicine is more dangerous than marijuana. One such medication is one that everyone in this room has taken at one point or another, for a headache or muscle ache. That drug is aspirin.

Here are the facts, I’ll let you decide which one you think is safer.
-   Marijuana has been used for over 5,000 years, and during that time there has never been a documented death caused by overdose. No one has ever overdosed on marijuana.
-   Aspiring has been used for 108 years. Approximately 500 people die every die every year by taking aspirin.

The side effects of Marijuana include:
-   Possible respiratory problems caused by the deposition of burnt plant material on the lungs. This danger however can be completely eliminated with alternate forms of consumption such as eating or vaporizing the medicine.
-   For 2-4 hours, marijuana can cause short-term memory loss, a slight reduction in reaction time and a reduction in cognitive ability. Basically, it makes you stupid for a little while, however these conditions do not persist after the herb wears off.
-   Hunger
-   Paranoia
-   Depression
-   Laughter
-   Introspection (basically reflecting on yourself)
-   Creative impulse
-   Euphoria
-   Tiredness
-   Forgetfulness

The dangers of Aspirin include:
-   Stomach bleeding may occur if aspirin is taken with alcohol
-   Reve Syndrome in children which causes fat to develop around the organs of a child, eventually putting severe pressure on the brain. Death is common within a few days
-   People with hemophilia (a blood clotting disorder) can die
-   Stomach problems include dyspepsia, heartburn, upset stomach, stomach ulcers with gross bleeding, and internal bleeding leading to anemia
-   Dizziness, ringing in the ears, hearing loss, vertigo, vision disturbances, and headaches
-   Heavy sweating
-   Irreversible liver damage
-   Inflammation and gradual destruction of the kidneys
-   Nausea and vomiting
-   Abdominal pain
-   Lethargy
-   Hyperthermia
-   Dyspepsia: a gnawing or burning stomach pain accompanied by bloating, heartburn, nausea, vomiting and burping.
-   Tachypnea: abnormally fast breathing
-   Respiratory Alkalosis: a condition where the amount of carbon dioxide found in the blood drops to a level below normal range brought on by abnormally fast breathing
-   Cerebral Edema: Water accumulates on the brain. Symptoms include headaches, decreased level of consciousness, loss of eyesight, hallucinations, psychotic behaviour, memory loss and coma.
-   Hallucinations, confusion and seizure
-   Prolonged bleeding after operations or post-trauma
-   Aspirin can interact with some other drugs such as diabetes medication as it changes the way the body handles these drugs and can lead to a drug overdose and death.

Which one of these medications sounds like the safer choice to you? Which would you rather take? Because I know that if presented with both of these options for pain relief, I would take the marijuana. A drug so advantageous combined with having such a low level of side effects should not be illegal. People are trusted to take much more dangerous prescription and over the counter medicine everyday, why are we not trusted to be able to take medicinal marijuana too?
wow this is long, you'd already be over the 5 minute mark with this. I'd condense it down to a few sentences at most, there's no need to go into such detail about the side effects. If you want to keep the segment where you question your audience's prejudices against a less harmful drug, that's fine. But this is a really long-winded way of going about breaking down the preconceptions

2) Medicinal marijuana is used very effectively to treat a range of illnesses and increase happiness another phrase used in intro, try to mix it up in people who suffer from them
There are many illnesses that can be treated and managed very well with medicinal marijuana. They include:
reduce this list down to three or four, I'd go with 'Epilepsy, MS, Arthritis, and Depression just to name a few.'
-   Epilepsy, such as Charlotte Figi
-   Multiple sclerosis
-   Glaucoma
-   Arthritis
-   Depression
-   Anxiety
-   Hepatitis C
-   Morning sickness
-   Cancer & Chemotherapy
-   HIV/AIDS
There’s one more condition that I only found through my research for this speech, a condition that I myself have called Macular Degeneration. It is a disease that affects my eyesight and it is one that has no cure. Glasses don’t help, nor does laser surgery. How long it takes to progress varies in each patient, for some it plateaus at a certain point of loss, for some it develops extremely slowly and for others it moves rapidly. For me it is still progressing and it’s likely it will render me legally blind at some point in the future. But what if I could slow it down, or stop it altogether?
excellent way to personify the issue and you've handle it brilliantly

Cannabis contains Cannabinoids which have the following effects:
-   Cannabinoids reduce ocular pressure (pressure within the eye)
-   Cannabinoids are anti-inflammatory
-   Cannabinoids protect cells
-   Cannabinoids have anti-aging properties
-   Cannabinoids are neuro-protective
-   Cannabinoids protect retina cells
ie. 'Cannabis could dramatically reduce my symptoms and relieve some of the pain.'
If I were to take cannabis, at the very least the progression of my macular degeneration could be slowed, even just minutely. At the most? Progression could stop completely. Now I challenge anyone in this room to tell me that I shouldn't have access to a drug that could potentially stop be from going blind. Because that is what our government is doing, not just to me but also to anyone who suffers a disease that could be treated or managed with medicinal marijuana.
Charlotte Figi is extremely fortunate that medicinal marijuana is legal where she lives, but in Australia we are not so lucky. There are other children with Dravet Syndrome in Australia whose parents risk being charged with criminal activity just for treating their children. The people who grow the marijuana for these treatments risk jail time again and again. The final product is not half as safe as it should be because there is no regulation of the industry, there can’t be whilst it is illegal.


3) Legalisation would allow greater regulation for the production of medicinal marijuana
If legalization were to occur, there would be proper regulations and guidelines put into place for the medical marijuana industry. This would allow for development of modified plants, which would contain different levels of different chemicals depending on what disease is being treated.
But greater regulation is not the only benefit of legalisation. Legalising medical marijuana would stop the need to prosecute those in possession of it. From January 1976 and December 2000, Australian governments spent $13 billion prosecuting drug offences, many of which were marijuana-based. Instead of reducing the drug use, this created a huge black market, one that continues to profit from marijuana being illegal. If it were legalised the black market for marijuana could be eradicated completely, saving the government money not only in prosecutions but earning them money once marijuana suppliers are taxed. In Colorado, where marijuana was just recently legalised for full recreational use, Officials have anticipated sales will generate about $A75.55 million in annual tax windfall. Australia has more than four times the population of Colorado; therefore tax profits would be much, much higher.
nothing wrong with this para. It's well written, but again could be condensed for timing.
Conclusion:
Marijuana is not the horror drug many people make it out to be. When used in the right way it can be extremely beneficial to those with serious illness or disease, even children like Charlotte Figi or teenagers like myself with Macular Degeneration. It has the ability to treat so many illnesses with so few side effects compared to traditional medications, both prescription and over the counter. If it is legalised it has the potential to earn the Australian government over $200 million in taxes per year. If marijuana were legalised strictly for medicinal purposes, it would only be going to those who need it. Those who have severely debilitating or terminal illnesses. No one should have the ability to deny someone of lifesaving medication, yet its happening everyday in Australia. If you were in Charlotte Figi’s parents’ position, would you risk jail to treat your child? That’s a choice that parents and carers are faced with in Australia. And it shouldn’t even be a question."
very good ending

Overall this is a solid piece with a variety of techniques to compliment it. Your language is still formal enough, and you don't slip into colloquialisms for the sake of it; in this case they just make the speech more engaging. It's still definitely too long, but this can be fixed with a quick rewrite of some of the body paras. Time yourself and check how long it takes. Maybe your school has different rules regarding time constraints, but teachers tend to frown upon those who go far over the limits, since it gives you a distinct advantage over your peers.
Just an idea: the anecdote about Charlotte Figi is powerful, but even more sympathy could be evoked if you scraped it and used yourself as an opening example. It wouldn't have to be clear straightaway; begin the same with "Imagine you're a parent..." Then incorporate the hypotheticals  of cannibis on your condition. You could even wait till the 2nd argument before revealing the connection. This isn't compulsary, and I don't know how comfortable you are talking about it, but humanising issues through examples and stories is a very common technique. It works, it'll be less resonant if your teacher/audience has already heard previous speeched begin the same way. Few people can get up and speak from personal experience about their topics, and the latter is far more confronting and impactful for the audience.
Well constructed arguments overall, the ending in particular is a major strength. Now just work on your delivery and you could be looking at some really high marks.
Hope that helps let me know if anything was unclear or if you need some more help
Best of luck
Lauren

[mangobells]

Thank you so much Lauren! I've made a lot of changes in line with what you suggested and cut the length down a little. I still need to check how long it takes me to speak now but it definitely is looking much better. Really appreciate all your help, I'm presenting on Monday so I'll report back with how I go.

[MonsieurHulot]

Just a small note, I suggest that you use the term cannabis instead of marijuana. The former is the scientific name of the plant, and, as you are advocating its use for scientific purposes, would sound better than the colloquial marijuana.

[mangobells]

Just a small note, I suggest that you use the term cannabis instead of marijuana. The former is the scientific name of the plant, and, as you are advocating its use for scientific purposes, would sound better than the colloquial marijuana.

Cheers I should have thought of that. Solved it with a quick ctrl + f and replace. Thankyou!

[mangobells]

I got my mark back today... 18.5/20 otherwise known as an A+ ! Thanks for all your help I really appreciate it and it definitely helped me get the best mark I could.

[literally lauren]

Congratulations!!!  That's a great score, keep it up! 

[Carsten]

Hi All, I just want to ask if anyone ever tried using medical cannabis as an alternative meds? I have read many articles about medical marijuana and how it can help you in terms of chronic pain, bone injuries, eating disorder/anorexia, anxiety disorders and panic attacks, inflammation, even cancer and a lot more. Like this article about a marijuana strain from:Hi All, I just want to ask if anyone ever tried using medical cannabis as an alternative meds? I have read many articles about medical marijuana and how it can help you in terms of chronic pain, bone injuries, eating disorder/anorexia, anxiety disorders and panic attacks, inflammation, even cancer and a lot more. Like this article about a marijuana strain from:http://www.ilovegrowingmarijuana.com/mountain-girl/ . Cbd and thc are also new to me and I don't even smoke. If this is true I cant find any solid conclusive evidence that speaks to its efficacy. Any personal experience or testimonial would be highly appreciated. Thanks . Cbd and thc are also new to me and I don't even smoke. If this is true I cant find any solid conclusive evidence that speaks to its efficacy. Any personal experience or testimonial would be highly appreciated. Thanks

[vox nihili]

Maybe next time start your own post. This post is three years old and probably didn’t need to be bumped. No worries though!


To your point:

Be careful if you’re considering providing a testimonial, as marijuana is only legal in very narrow circumstances that don’t apply to the majority of people who use it, medically or otherwise.

Moreover, testimonials/personal experience will not provide the solid, conclusive evidence you’re looking for. A lot of work has been done on medical marijuana, establishing the efficacy of cannabanoids for the treatments of certain conditions, including some epilepsies. My, albeit fairly limited, view on the evidence as it currently stands is that there is definitely a role for cannabanoids to play in the treatment of a variety of conditions; however, it’s over-hyped.

I’d also suggest you be careful with your sources. This represents a potentially significant industry and has been championed enormously by advocate groups, to the point that there now exists a large body of “evidence” that has been exposed to the biases of these groups. For instance, you cite “ilovegrowingmarijuana.com”...a site with a clear interest in supporting the cause for medical marijuana.