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Why marijuana should be illegal
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Salena Le Marijuana is a very controversial and misunderstood drug. It’s frowned upon in our society because of the bad reputation it’s gained from the lack of understanding and education. Although nowadays the government has become more lenient of the drug, I believe it is still a liberty that people are being deprived of. Recently, it has become decriminalized and even legal in some states. When it comes to making an adjustment to a law this big on a large population scale, it’s understood that it requires taking small steps and a lot of time. The government has so far relaxed this regulation, but it needs to be eliminated completely. Marijuana is sometimes used for treating medical effects such as pain, nausea, or lack of appetite, but …show more content…
It’s proven to be less harmful than cigarettes or alcohol. There have been more accidents involving cigarettes and alcohol than there are involving marijuana. Alcohol and cigarettes are addicting and cause permanent harm to your body, whereas marijuana is less addicting than caffeine. There has never been a documented overdose death from marijuana. The government allows it’s people to shrivel up their lungs from cigarettes and damage their livers from alcohol but they won’t allow marijuana, a harmless drug, be in the possessions of people who are doing no harm to anyone else around them. Alcohol and cigarette users inconvenience others around them with their drunken personalities or their toxic cigarette smoke, but marijuana users either zone out or become relaxed with the environment around them. Educating the people about the truths of marijuana will eliminate the bad reputation its gained over the years, and it will no longer be seen as a “gateway …show more content…
You can also say these things about alcohol, guns, and cigarettes, so what makes them socially acceptable versus marijuana? The reasoning behind marijuana being illegal is the same reasoning behind other legal substances, yet it is still illegal in many states. The government strongly feels that as a nation, we should have the freedom to do as we please as long as it doesn’t harm others. Marijuana falls into that category perfectly, and the longer we keep it illegal, the more money the government will lose trying to regulate this drug. The use of marijuana never endangers people around it. Just as people have the right to choose whether or not they want to smoke cigarettes, citizens should have the right to choose whether or not they want to smoke marijuana. This doesn’t mean that young children and unfit people should be allowed to smoke it, only people who choose to do it and take on the responsibility and consequences that come along with it. The benefits from using marijuana outweighs the drawbacks from using it. If people just took the time to do their research and clear their mind of misjudgments, they can agree that marijuana should be legal. Our society fears the drug because it’s tradition to hide from these kind of things. With the advancement of science nowadays, science will triumph
Marijuana or cannabis, according to the Federal Government is considered dangerous and addictive and is, therefore, placed on the controlled substance list as a schedule 1 drug, making its use and possession illegal, as well it is considered one of the worst drugs. Other more harmful drugs such as cocaine are considered schedule II drugs, so according to the U.S Government cocaine is considered less hazardous than marijuana. There have been many studies conducted by scientist proving the benefits of medical marijuana in relieving chronic pain, nausea and a full array of other ailments. The benefits of legalizing marijuana far outweigh the bad. By allowing people to possess and use marijuana for medicinal purposes, we are improving society as a whole and increasing the happiness or utility of individuals who are living with debilitating conditions in turn this would create a happier society all around.
Marijuana is more helpful than you think. It is much less harmful than legalized substances and drugs most use today. There’s no real reason why marijuana is illegal. Why the government wouldn’t want us to be hungry, happy, and sleepy is beyond me, especially if they’re making billions of dollars on it. Natural marijuana has been on earth since the beginning of time. What makes it wrong now?
For many years now marijuana has built up its reputations as the gateway drug which destroys youths lives. Not saying this is false “...the majority of people who use marijuana do not go on to use other, "harder" substances” (Is Marijuana a gateway drug?). But what does it do to the body. “How marijuana affects health is determined by how it's consumed. Marijuana is most commonly smoked, such as from pipes, bongs, paper-wrapped joints, blunts and other items including devices that heat or vaporize marijuana...” (Marijuana and Lung Health). Any kind of smoke in general is dangerous to humans so it does not matter if it is firewood smoke or tobacco smoke it is not healthy for the lungs. It is already know that smoke from tobacco is harmful and kills 480,000 people annually. “There are approximately 600 ingredients in cigarettes. When burned, they create more than 7,000 chemicals. At least 69 of these chemicals are known to cause cancer, and many are poisonous” (What is a Cigarette).While marijuana does have some of the same chemicals in tobacco it does not have as much. So why is something that is recorded to kill 480,000 people annually legal but something that is not as harmful illegal.
Of course, there are many people opposed to legalizing marijuana, despite the benefits. Some doctors are against legalizing marijuana because they think that it will cause “emotionally crippled adults”, and they think that people can become addicted to it. Doctor Howard Samuels believes that marijuana is a psychoactive drug which will create problems for adults in the future. I disagree with this. It doesn’t do anything harmful to your brain, so I don’t see how it would cause problems for adults in the future that use marijuana. You can’t become addicted to it, like you can with cigarettes and alcohol. Marijuana doesn’t have nicotine in it, which causes the addiction to cigarettes. Doctors prescribe morphine to patients, and that is very addictive...
The legalization of marijuana is, and has been a heavily disputed issue for decades. On one hand, marijuana could lead to a medical breakthrough, or at least provide relief to cancer and AIDS patients. On the other hand, legalizing a drug could expose it to too broad an audience. As a drug, marijuana has never proven to be anywhere near as harmful as cigarettes or alcohol. Each year in the United States, 400,000 people die from tobacco, 50,000 from alcohol, and from marijuana, zero. Regardless of what side one may take to this argument, there are some causes to this marijuana debate that everyone should know. Marijuana was not always illegal, and the reasons behind the history of narcotic regulation are interesting when viewed from today's perspective. The history of marijuana prohibition is a story of racism, political repression, and poorly represents the qualities this country claims to embody.
Throughout history people have used marijuana for its dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds to relieve pain, stress, and other medical issues from one’s life. Within the recent years it has become one of the most debated issues in the United States. In the 1930s, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Narcotics (now the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs) claimed that marijuana was a “gateway” drug and was a powerful, addicting substance. During the sixties marijuana became a symbol for rebellion against authority so it became very popular by college students and “hippies”. So in 1982, Drug Enforcement Administration increased pressure on drug farms and houses which decreased the use of marijuana. In the past twenty years marijuana has become a
The legalization of marijuana has been a highly debated topic for many of years. Since the first president to the most recent, our nation’s leaders have consumed the plant known as weed. With such influential figures openly using this drug why is it so frowned upon? Marijuana is considered a gateway drug, a menace to society, and mentally harmful to its consumers. For some people weed brings a sense of anxiety, dizziness, or unsettling feeling.
The cannabis plant has been the topic of much debate throughout the history of this country. Many people don't know that it was not the effect of cannabis that originally spurred its banning. It was actually originally the work of the cotton industry who put big money behind illegalization for the plant's mind altering effects. The cotton industry was afraid that hemp, a product of the cannabis plant, would soon overpower the strong hold of cotton since it was a more durable textile that required less work, less ground depletion, and could be grown almost anywhere. Since the time when cannabis first became illegal it has been grouped with other narcotics as a counterpart. The truth is cannabis has many benefits to society and other than the effects of smoke inhalation has very few negatives. Those against legalization try to put cannabis in the same light as other more potent drugs like cocaine and heroin. There are many misconceptions about the substance and it is clear it should be looked at separately.
What exactly is marijuana? Marijuana, also known as pot or hemp, is a naturally grown substance that contains THC. THC changes how the brain works and gives the user a high that relieves many different pains and even helps erase bad memories. The hemp plant can be found in just about any place, but has to be kept in heat. Marijuana is from a naturally grown plant so why not be able to use it legally? Well, there are many reasons against the legalization of marijuana and there are also many very good reasons to legalize it for medical and recreational use. So to the government and everyone against legalizing marijuana, too bad! It’s natural and people are going to smoke no matter what the laws are, so why not just make it legal? Making the use of marijuana legal everywhere will more than likely help stop the chaos between the smokers and nonsmokers and reduce the outrageously high total of 858, 408 who are arrested annually for marijuana possession and use.
People fail to see the positive outcomes of legalizing marijuana because they are too busy looking at the negative points against weed. There are solid facts against the arguments to keep marijuana an illegal substance however. There are two main reasons some Americans voice against the legalization of marijuana; it’s a so-called “gateway” drug and it can be harmful. People like to argue and say that users of cocaine, meth, heroine, etc would never have started abusing these drugs if they would not have started with marijuana. It is a fact that marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug. This may seem like a point against legalizing it, but it actually points out how it makes sense that drug users would have used marijuana. If marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug, then chances are that drug users would have tried marijuana at some point in their life. The other argument against the legalization of marijuana is how it can be harmful. It is time to get real though. Tobacco, alcohol, and pharmaceuticals are more detrimental to someone’s life than marijuana, but all are legal. Marij...
Cannabis is a natural plant that has been made illegal by the United States, and has been a controversial topic ever since the 1920’s. Marijuana is a substance that has been used hundreds of years ago as an herbal medicine and also can be used for textile products from hemp, which is from the Cannabis Sativa plant. Because of marijuana being categorized as a schedule one substance, it has no medical value and cannot be researched in the United States. Marijuana is said to be a gateway drug and is very unhealthy for adolescents with premature brains. The marijuana prohibition should finally come to a close because there are many benefits from cannabis and it is less harmful than both alcohol and tobacco.
Looking at the true facts and benefits of legalizing marijuana can help one realize that it is not a bad idea. It is widely used around the world so one could say that there is already a market for it, but it is illegal. The government can take over this market and regulate it to make billions of dollars and decrease the amount of underage smoking at the same time. Many people look at marijuana as a bad thing, but alcohol and tobacco is no better and is actually worse. One could bet that, in a few years, all states will have a market for marijuana and many other countries, if not all, will too.
To the AIDS or cancer patient, marijuana is the plant that fights nausea and appetite loss. To the nutritionist, its seed is second only to the soybean in nutritional value and is a source of cooking oil and vitamins. To the paper or cloth manufacturer, it is the plant that provided much of our paper and clothing for hundreds of years and produces four times more fiber per acre than trees. To the environmentalist, it is the plant that could greatly slow deforestation, restore robbed nutrients by other crops, and help prevent erosion. Preliminary findings show the drug may prove effective against glaucoma and asthma, and control such side nausea in cancer treatment. I concretely believe that marijuana should be legalized in the United States, primarily for the use of medicinal purposes. In technical or for the average American, marijuana, it is used only for recreational purposes. I think marijuana is a plant that could save many lives if it was made legal. My goal is to reverse prejudices, relieve ignorance, and inform people of the known and potential therapeutic uses of this remarkable plant.
Marijuana continues to be one of the most used illegal drugs in the United States. Marijuana has been used for many years and at one time was legal to consume. Throughout the years, marijuana has been used for treatment of different medical conditions and has been used recreationally by people of all ages. While the use of medicinal marijuana has proven to be effective in treating medically ill patients, society continues to question its recreational use and the long term effects it will have on its users. Some feel that legalizing marijuana will only open up avenues for the use of more potent drugs, causing an increase in criminal activity. However, a number of people question why it is considered illegal being it is a naturally growing