Persuasive Essay Marijuana

Let the Farmers Grow When someone asks me about what I remember being taught about marijuana, growing up I instantly remember the infomercials showing a frying pan with an egg frying saying “This is your brain on drugs”. I always heard marijuana kills brain cells. Then I remember being taught marijuana is the gateway drug. I also remember hearing that all stoners are lazy and just sit around smoking pot and live with their parents. These are all myths that I want to help clear up now. Although many people view marijuana as a gateway drug or even view it as dangerous, marijuana should be legalized in the United States, because of the generation of revenue, creation of jobs, medication of patients, and reduction of crime. First I want to look

“The scientific evidence that does exist suggests that marijuana is far less dangerous than highly addictive drugs like heroin, methamphetamines and alcohol. But it is not harmless. Pot can probably cause permanent changes in the developing brains of adolescents” (Sanders 17). One important detail that I noticed is the word probably. Studies have never proven any damaging effects of marijuana. Two of the most dangerous drugs which are legal are alcohol and tobacco, if used on a regular basis. According to a report from the Center of Disease Control, alcohol related deaths equal around 88,000 per year now (Kaplan). There is not a single death related to the use of marijuana. “I 've heard that you have to smoke something like 15,000 joints in 20 minutes to get a toxic amount of delta 9-tetrahydracannabinol. I challenge anybody to do that” (The Union). I’m not sure how much marijuana that is but 15,000 joints would be a lot of marijuana. “In 10,000 years of known use of marijuana, there 's never been a single death attributed to marijuana. There 's 400,000 deaths in America alone every year that are directly attributed to tobacco” (The Union). So I have to ask why it is alcohol and tobacco are legal, yet marijuana is not. In a conversation

Marijuana is labeled as a schedule I drug, which Marijuana can treat many different ailments and that is the number one reason why it should be legalized across the United States. Marijuana treats a variety of different ailments including, but not limited to, glaucoma, epilepsy, asthma, autoimmune disease, pain, movement disorders, psychiatric symptoms, Dependency and withdrawals. Some of these ailments which are treated with cannabis are very surprising. Dependency and withdrawal? I was taught marijuana is addicting though why would it be used to treat addictions then? Growing up I was lied to. “Prior to Tuesday 's vote, 23 states and the District of Columbia had legalized marijuana for medical purposes, while Colorado and Washington were the only states to allow recreational marijuana use” (Ferner). After the votes on Tuesday November 4th, Oregon, Alaska, and the District of Columbia voted yes to approve recreational marijuana. That is 10% of the United States that it is legal for recreational use, it is about time the country stands together and votes yes to legalize