THERE is a lot of controversy over the use of medical and recreational marijuana. For the people that need it for real medical conditions, it is believed that medical marijuana is a good form of treatment for certain conditions and illnesses.

Marijuana has been used for thousands of years as a natural remedy in many ancient civilizations. It has been carried on throughout history, but the purpose of it has changed dramatically in modern cases of recreation. The controversy surrounding marijuana stems from the legalization of marijuana for recreational use because a lot of people have certain religious views on pharmaceuticals and drugs.

“I think it’s fine for medical use so as long as people need it,” Labrea Matteson (11) said. Matteson and her family are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She says that the LDS Church doesn’t believe in the use of medical or recreational marijuana. “I think that if you need it and it helps you, then use it. If it becomes legal to use for fun, then why not,” Matteson said. However, although she is not against the use of marijuana, she claims that she would never personally use it.

Michael Winder (12) is also a member of the LDS Church, but had differing beliefs. “If you are prescribed medical marijuana by a doctor, then it’s fine. But, I don’t support people using it for fun,” Winder said. Since Winder is on the swim team, he said he wouldn’t use marijuana because it could affect his performance.

“I support marijuana for medicinal and recreational purposes. California was struggling economically. After they started selling and taxing marijuana, they started to do really good,” Dustin Bryant (11) said. Bryant says that his parents support the use of marijuana, as well. “I support marijuana, but I don’t think I would use it even if it were legal and I was of age,” Bryant said.

Spencer Palmer (11) supports the use of medical marijuana, despite his religious views. Palmer’s dad has fibromyalgia, which is a condition that makes a person have widespread muscle pain and tenderness. This condition can’t be cured, but there are treatments that can help manage the pain. “My dad’s fibromyalgia used to be really bad. He uses medication now, which have helped him a lot, but I think that if his doctors prescribed him medicinal marijuana, he would choose that over the medication he is currently using,” Palmer said.

Ms. Robinson is a U.S. government teacher here at Granger, and she has opinions about medical marijuana. “I think that the government hasn’t allowed labs to do enough research and testing on medical marijuana, so it’s hard to know what you’re getting,” Robinson said.

She also stated that she has an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto’s disease. It is a condition where the person’s immune system attacks their thyroid. “I’ve considered trying CBD oil to maybe help with my condition, but before doing so, I would like to [see] more research,” Robinson said.

She added that she supports medicinal marijuana, but she does not support it for recreational use. “Marijuana used for recreation makes people unproductive, and I think that could affect a lot of people’s jobs,” Robinson said.

Ultimately, while the controversy of marijuana use continues to grow, one thing remains clear—more research and discussions need to occur about its harms and benefits.