Legalizing the Green Lady

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Marijuana has been around for centuries and has been used for many things, such as the oil in the cannabis plant, which is high in protein and essential fatty acids, or the plant is dried and made into hemp, and hemp into baskets or bracelets. Other than protein and crafts, marijuana has long been used for recreational purposes. With the underground black market controlling the trade of marijuana, it poses more risks than legalizing it. Marijuana is highly illegal in the United States, and the repercussions are very harsh, in some places more than others. Recreational marijuana use should be regulated or decriminalized. Tobacco, alcohol and prescription drugs are legal drugs in the United States under certain conditions, and although marijuana is less harmful and less impairing, it is illegal and harshly punished. A user under the influence of alcohol tends to present recklessness and violent behavior, where marijuana calms and keeps users controlled (Jonsson). Marijuana, as opposed to other recreational drugs does not promote violence, and marijuana users are usually not involved in other dangerous crimes, such as gun use and speeding. Kayla Morgan states that “It’s nearly impossible to overdose on marijuana, to do so; 1,500 pounds of marijuana would have to be smoked, or otherwise ingested in some form, in under 15 minutes,” (100) whereas users who drink alcohol run the risk of overdosing if they simply exceed their limit by a small amount, alcohol intoxication and overdose is very common. As such, with alcohol being dangerous and legal, tobacco products cause cancers of many kinds and kill many each year from those complications. Supporters of marijuana legalization do not sugar coat the fact that “it is a drug with mind-alter... ... middle of paper ... ...York Times 18 May 2013: A. 7. SIRS Researcher. Web. 23 Jan. 2014. Barbour, Scott. Should Marijuana Be Legalized? San Diego: Reference Point, 2011. Print. Hirst, Ellen J. "Benefits of Licensed Pot Are up in the Air." Chicago Tribune 28 Oct. 2013: 1. SIRS Researcher. Web. 23 Jan. 2014. Jonsson, Patrik. "Legal Marijuana: Will Most States Head That Way?" Christian Science Monitor [Boston] 17 Sept. 2013: SIRS Researcher. Web. 23 Jan. 2014. Morgan, Kayla. Legalizing Marijuana: Essential Viewpoints. Mankato, Minnesota: ABDO, 2011. Print. Usborne, David. "Support for Legalising Marijuana in the U.S. Reaches an All Time High.” The Independent [London] 24 Oct. 2013: 29. SIRS Researcher. Web. 23 Jan. 2013 Ruschman, Paul. Legalizing Marijuana Second Edition: Point CounterPoint. New York: InfoBase, 2004. Print. "Marijuana Legalization." White House. n.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.

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