On April 3rd in San Mateo, California, the first federally approved study was launched to determine whether marijuana could effectively ease painful AIDS-related symptoms. The study, which involves 60 AIDS patients who all suffer from pain in their limbs and have used marijuana before, is in response to a report released by the Institute of Medicine that states the active ingredients in marijuana can help reduce pain, anxiety, nausea and vomiting in humans.

In addition to the California research, there is currently a bill before the Minnesota legislature that could potentially allocate $100,000 to a study on the medicinal effects of marijuana. According to Governor Jesse Ventura of Minnesota, “Medical marijuana? I fully support it, absolutely. Who is government to tell someone if they have AIDS or cancer, what they should be taking?”

Critics, on the other hand, argue that the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes would send a negative, conflicting message to the children of our country. Many believe that marijuana is a "gateway drug" that leads users to abuse harder drugs somewhere down the line.

So, where do you stand? If the state of California finds that marijuana helps alleviate the suffering of AIDS patients, do you think the drug should be legalized? Do you side with the critics who say such a nationwide approval would send the wrong message to America’s youth?