Bud, ganja, grass, herb, Mary Jane, weed…the ever-controversial marijuana has many nicknames, and just as people can’t decide what to call it, the United States can’t make up its mind on the drug’s legality, uses and whether or not insurance companies should cover it. It is a slippery slope, with many pros and cons on both sides of the argument, but just where are people coming from? Medical marijuana is legal in many other countries around the world, so why not here in the United States? Will we ever reach a point where not only is cannabis legal for medicinal purposes, but it is covered under a health insurance plan like other drugs of its ilk?

Medical Marijuana Facts and Figures

Medical marijuana, henceforth to be referred to simply as “cannabis” to save my poor fingers the typing exertion, has a different story if you are comparing state versus federal level here in the United States. At the federal level, cannabis is illegal, period due to falling under the Controlled Substances Act. As far as cannabis as a medical treatment goes, states have the right to choose whether the drug is or isn’t legal. Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington all have approved and regulate cannabis for medicinal use. One thing that it is important to be clear on: medical use does not mean that the drug is approved for a prescription as medicine.

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