"Nor have I seen a mightier man-at-arms on this earth than the one standing here: unless I am mistaken, he is truly noble. This is no mere hanger-on in a hero's armour."

Monday, March 14, 2011

Medicinal or Recreational: Should marijuana be legalized?

Have you ever wanted to experience marijuana or looked upon people who have experienced marijuana and realized that you couldn’t try it because it isn’t legal? Well, marijuana is the most used illegal drug in the United States. Many sources say that if it were to be legalized the use of smoking it would increase. However, marijuana should be legalized regardless of the effects it has on the human body. If people wish to smoke marijuana then they should be able to have that option without the fear of law enforcement hanging over their head.
Marijuana is the common name for a crude drug made from the Cannabis Sativa plant. Its active ingredient is THC but there are more than 400 more chemicals in this plant. THC acts on the receptors of the nerve cells and influences them into activity influencing pressure, memory, thought, concentration, sensory, and time perception and coordination movement. (T, Buddy) When a person smokes marijuana immediate effects are a faster heartbeat, pulse rate, bloodshot eyes, dry mouth, and dry throat; it also reduces your short term memory, alters your sense of time, and reduces your sense of coordination, concentration, and reaction time. (Fact Sheet - MARIJUANA) Now, don’t get me wrong these symptoms sound horrible and very unhealthy for the human body but people still have the choice. The earlier people start to smoke marijuana the more likely they are to experiment with other drugs which can also lead to their learning process and their interest in schoolwork. Using marijuana leads to many mental and physical problems.
Legalizing marijuana was compared to the legalizing of gambling. (Dr. Robert L. DuPont) When gambling was legalized it increased instead of decreased. This is in turn saying that the legalizing of marijuana would lead to more users throughout the world because it is already the most common abused illegal drug around the world. Marijuana is currently the leading cause of substance dependence other than alcohol in the U.S. If it were to be legalized the use of marijuana would increase and currently there are 15.2 million marijuana users. Medicinal purposes for marijuana are basically for chemotherapy patients, patients with Parkinson disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and glaucoma.
A solution to marijuana is just legalizing it. I don’t believe that legalizing marijuana will be just as it was when gambling was legalized, I believe that the use of marijuana will be decreased. I compare it to children wanting to do something and their parents not allowing them to do it. When a child really wants to do something they figures out ways to do that something and if their parents are to say no then they want to do that thing even more than before. If their parents were to allow them to do that thing yes, some kids would still do it but I also think that some kids wouldn’t be as interested because it’s not “on the edge” anymore. Government should make the usage of marijuana legal. If government were to make marijuana legal they would be able to profit from the tax placed on it, and also it’s not terrible because you cannot get physically addicted to marijuana unlike alcohol and other substances.
In conclusion, marijuana should be legalized giving people the power to choose whether they want to smoke or not. People will continue to use marijuana whether legalized or not so why wouldn’t the government want to profit off of it. Cigarettes, alcohol, and other drug substances cause addiction marijuana has mostly medicinal use and when people smoke if most of time it’s for relaxation of some sort. Again, I say marijuana should be legalized because it might help the government to make more profit just as they do off of cigarette sales.

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