Its status as an illicit substance is hotly debated, with proponents from both sides (for and against legalization) engaged in a decades-long battle.

The status of marijuana in the United States as a Schedule I Substance under the Controlled Substances Act means not only that it is highly illegal to possess, but it is classified along the likes of cocaine, heroine, and crystal meth.

Schedule I substances are those that a) have high potential to be abused; b) have no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States; and c) are lacking in accepted safety in use under medical supervision. All of these qualifiers are potentially important in classifying drugs and substances, but many people argue that marijuana does not belong in Schedule I.

One of the main contentions that marijuana legalization proponents have is the supposed lack of Medisch gebruik van cannabis. This is an outright lie that is propagandized in allegiance with the purported addictive potential as well as marijuana acting as a "gateway drug" - opening the user to use of harder, heavier (and definitively addictive) substances such as heroin or cocaine.

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) of the United States Government actively has led campaigns against marijuana legalization and decriminalization, and denies any beneficial medicinal uses of marijuana. The criminalization of marijuana also has far-reaching consequences into the demonization and oppression of racial minorities and those of lesser socioeconomic status.

However, none of this has any standing strength in the face of growing trials testing the possible medical benefits of cannabis. Early studies were promising, with cannabinoids (the active property of THC) having beneficial effects on pain management, cancer treatment, appetite stimulation, and lessening anxiety. It is incredibly hard for studies on the medical benefits to even take place in the United States thanks to its Schedule I status, however some studies have taken place and they have been incredibly revealing into a wide range of advantages that medical marijuana could have. In response, some states have decriminalized, and even legalized medicinal marijuana.

In one prominent study, led by the Imperial College London and the Medical Research Council and published in the Journal of Anesthesiology, researchers found that Cannador, a cannabis plant extract, has significant analgesic effects for those suffering from post-operative pain. Pain after surgery remains a problem in the medical community, and traditional prescribed painkillers often have unpleasant side effects as well as diminishing benefits.

Cannabis extracts work due to the cannabinoid receptors in the human brain. Cannabinoids from marijuana help to effectively strengthen the body's ability to reduce pain sensation.

This is just the latest significant study detailing just one of the major possible advantages of medical marijuana. If anything, this should spur more study into the various uses of medicinal cannabinoids. For cannabis proponents, this professional study is incredibly useful for bolstering support for legalization, as it provides direct scientific evidence for the medical use of marijuana.

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