Cannabis, commonly known as marijuana, and by numerous other names, is a preparation of the cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or as medicine. Marijuana is illegal in most of our nation, but it is gaining popularity fast. In 2012, Colorado and Washington became the first U.S. states to approve the legalization and regulation of marijuana in similar manners to alcohol and tobacco. Alcohol and tobacco have many rules and regulations. One, of many, is an age limit. The age limit to buy and consume alcohol is 21. If Marijuana were to become legal, there needs to be an age limit as well. At the age of 21, you are at a critical stage in life. You are making decisions that will influence you for the rest of your life. You aren’t an immature teenager anymore, which is why I believe 21 is an excellent age limit on alcohol and marijuana. On the other hand, the age limit for buying and consuming tobacco is 18. At the age of 18, you are not fully mature and ready to make crucial decisions, such as the decision to put harmful chemicals in your body. I disagree with the age limit on tobacco; it needs to be changed to 21 as well. …show more content…
In other words, you cannot be under the influence of alcohol in public. This law is used only to prevent people from disturbing others in public and to remove people who appear to be unable to stop themselves from hurting themselves or others. Marijuana has the same effects on people as alcohol does. So, if people aren’t able to control themselves under the influence of alcohol, then they aren’t able to control themselves under the influence of marijuana either. If marijuana were to become legal, there should be a similar law to keep people from smoking or being under the influence of marijuana in
Cannabis is a Plant, scientifically called Cannabis Satvia L., which is also called Marijuana or (the Hindi name) ?ganja?, as well as common street names such as pot, weed, and skunk, which is a drug, derived from Cannabis which is about two and a half times stronger than traditional cannabis. Cannabis is a psychoactive drug, which is ...
After interviewing a series of marijuana users, they’ve told me that marijuana is a safe, harmless drug, that is used for meditation. In order to smoke the marijuana, you’ll need some form of paper to roll it up with. While most people can control their liquor, unfortunately others can’t. Legalizing alcohol was a big mistake, the many different tragedies that occur because of alcohol are insane. The fact that immigrants are allowed to drink is even worse.
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.
The National Institute of Drug Abuse defines marijuana as, “The dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa, which contains the psychoactive (mind-altering) chemical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), as well as other related compounds” (“DrugFacts: Marijuana”). It was not until the Food and Drug Act of 1906 that marijuana was required to be labeled as an over the counter herbal remedy (“Regulatory Information”).... ... middle of paper ... ...
The government only has a right to limit those choices if the individual's actions endanger someone else. This does not apply to marijuana, since the individual who chooses to use marijuana does so according to his or her own free will, and the government also may have a right to limit individual actions if the actions pose a significant threat to the individual. But this argument does not logically apply to marijuana because marijuana is far less dangerous than some drugs are which legal, such as alcohol and tobacco. There for the most basic reason that marijuana should be legal is that there is no good reason for it not to be legal. Some people ask 'why should marijuana be legalized?" but we should ask "Why should marijuana be illegal?" From a abstract point of view, individuals deserve the right to make choices for themselves.
Many could argue that marijuana is destructive physically as well as mentally. “The National Institute on Drug Abuse says marijuana can cause heart irregularities, lung problems, and addiction” (Welch). “One joint can be just as damaging to [the lungs] as smoking at least two and a half cigarettes” (Ruff). According to Dr. Tom Wright, director of a substance abuse treatment center for adolescents in Rockford, “teens may be especially sensitive to marijuana’s effects because their brains are still being formed” (MJ Rebuttal). However, the marijuana legalization proposition would have tight restrictions and regulations by the states that would eliminate some of those issues, such as age. These facts are not consistent; the evidence is not backed from reliable sources. One institute is referred to, but more experts are needed to verify the information.
Today more and more people are deciding to side with the legalization of the substance, for America. For those who never give the legalization of marijuana a time of day or those who are hesitant on giving it a chance, are now starting to believe that the legalization of the substance would ultimately be helpful for the United States. As always, with every subject that rises up in the United States, there are people that are for the subject and also others that are against the subject. The legalization of Marijuana throughout the entire U.S. is one of the largest controversial arguments between both people and federal officers. As wrote in LegalizationOfMarijuana, “Prohibition must be weighed against the loss of personal freedom. Countries
Over seventeen thousand arrests are made regarding cannabis a year. Almost ninety percent of these arrests are for simple possession, not trafficking or sale. This is an inappropriate use of valuable law enforcement resources that should be focused on more serious and violent crimes. I don’t know about you, but I would rather have a midnight toker for a neighbor than a midnight stalker. The spending of government money needs to be reevaluated. Our government needs to take a step back and admit they were mistaken to think they could successfully discontinue the use of marijuana. “You cannot have illegal what a significant segment of the population in any society is committed to doing. You simply cannot arrest, prosecute, and punish such a large number of people, particularly in a democracy” (Incardi 285). Ultimately it is not the role of the government to tell it’s adult citizens what risks to take. Bicycles kill ten thousand people a year and yet no one is proposing to make them illegal.
For years the United States of America has been waging a war against drugs. The U.S federal government has spent well over fifteen billion dollars annually on combating illegal drugs. Marijuana in this day and age seems to be one of the most controversial drugs, and is at the forefront of the discussion boards on whether or not one should legalize the drug. Marijuana should be legalized not only because the government could tax it while reducing the national deficit, but also because some patients need it for medicinal purposes, and this will lead to a reduction in the crime rate by removing the taboo from the drug itself.
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.
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
Recreational marijuana should not be legalized because of the many negative health effects it has on a person. Marijuana has a big effect on the lungs and when marijuana is smoked it can cause harm to the lungs. The smoke from marijuana has cancer causing substances in it. “Smoking marijuana can cause large air sacs, called bullae, to form. Bullae normally form in young marijuana smokers (less than 45 years old.)” (Drake and Slatore). Marijuana smoke has the same harmful chemicals that tobacco products contain, and marijuana smokers develop lung damage because of this. The fact that marijuana smokers hold the smoke in their lungs longer than tobacco smokers and there is no filters in bongs, bowls, blunts, or joints, there is no safe way to smoke marijuana. Blunts are the wrapping of a cigar filled with marijuana, a...
There is a lot of controversy today over the legalization of Marijuana. Although there are some states in the United States that have legalized the recreational or medical use of it, there are some that are debating whether it is a good idea. The use of marijuana dates back to ancient times, and although some states seem to be benefiting from the legalization of it, others are hesitant.
Marijuana has over 250 approved medical uses now, making it one of the most therapeutic drugs. Besides recreational use, marijuana can be used to treat a wide range of blood disorders, glaucoma, anorexia, asthma, anxiety, pain, nausea, arthritis, etc. Coming from a family where most of these disorders are prevalent, most of my family members are prescribed marijuana for medical use. My grandmother was opposed to Marijuana when she was prescribed it. However upon close examination and research, she learned that. Marijuana has a positive side to it that takes away pain and provides medical benefits, opposed to a cigarette or alcohol that both do not provide anything beneficial. Our current president Obama even stated, “pot is less dangerous than alcohol” which raised much controversy. However we find that this is accurate. We have many substances out there that only result in damaging outcomes, so why ban something that has effective results?...
...sider. The youth is definitely a big issue which is why I think you should at least be 18 before you could smoke marijuana. As far as health and crime and medicinal marijuana I think that my side directs to the major points our country should be looking at.