Carl Sagan once said in an anonymous essay, “The illegality of cannabis is outrageous, an impediment to full utilization of a drug which helps produce the serenity and insight, sensitivity and fellowship so desperately needed in this increasingly mad and dangerous world” (Ingraham). For decades, the prohibition of marijuana has negatively affected residents in the United States, from long prison sentences to missed tax income opportunities. The legalization of recreational marijuana would benefit both users and non-users of the drug in the United States. One reason to legalize marijuana is that it is safer than both tobacco and alcohol. Annually, smoking cigarettes causes more than 480,000 deaths in the United States alone, including 41,000 deaths attributed to secondhand smoke. Smoking can also cause lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease, and other potentially deadly diseases (“Smoking & Tobacco Use”). Similarly, alcohol kills 88,000 Americans every year, making it the third preventable cause of death in the United States (“Alcohol Facts and Statistics”). While some evidence suggests that marijuana users are susceptible to developing chronic bronchitis and other respiratory problems, top scientists say that “there is no evidence that smoking marijuana increases the risk for cancers often associated with tobacco use, such as lung and head and neck cancers” (Neighmond). By these statistics, it is easy to see that marijuana carries none of
Legalized items such as alcohol and tobacco products are far more dangerous than marijuana. Alcohol is a legal substance that alters the mind. An estimated 88,000 people pass away every year from alcohol overdose or alcohol poisoning (Alcohol Facts and Statistics). Unlike alcohol, there has not been a recorded overdose from the illegal plant, marijuana. Alcohol impaired driving is responsible for over ten thousand deaths in America, annually. Data collected since 2001 by Stanford students does not support that driving while high on marijuana increases accidents. Drinking alcohol increases the risk of death by up to 30 years on average (Wing). On the other hand, a study conducted in California involving 65,177 men and women aged 15-49 found after 10 years, marijuana users died no sooner than those who did not smoke it (Wing). Alcohol use increases the risk for cancers of the mouth, esophagus, pharynx, larynx, liver, and breast. Likewise, more than 3 million cases of alcoholism and alcohol dependence have been reported per
The fact that Marijuana is still illegal is mind boggling to me. The fact that Marijuana, after being proven to have numerous medical benefits, and being proven to cause little to no harm whatsoever with long term use, is still labeled as a schedule one narcotic, is even more mind boggling to me. State and federal governments spend so much money trying to get rid of marijuana. State and federal government's spend even more locking up these "drug offenders" for the most harmless crime you can commit. This is a free country right ? So why are these marijuana users not free to put whatever it is they desire into their bodies? Now, of course there are violent crimes assosciated with marijuana, however a simple solution to that would be to legalize
Everyone has days that are very stressful or days when they just want to give up on life itself, but sometimes taking a deep breath can help or simply a cigarette can do the trick. However, in today’s society, Marijuana is usually the go to antidepressant even though it is illegal. Many people believe Marijuana should be legal in the United States and there have been rumors rising that the state of Texas may become one of the few states to legalize the drug. Marijuana has been portrayed as better than most legal drugs or alcohol out there. Smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol actually cause more deaths than Marijuana, about 50,000 people die from alcohol poisoning and about 400,000 people die from the use of tobacco. Marijuana is nontoxic and cannot cause death by overdose. Although Marijuana does have some health risk, these risks are less severe when compared to other drugs, such as alcohol. Marijuana is the third most popular drug
First, the potential harm of marijuana has been overestimated in the past while the risk of alcohol has been commonly underestimated. According to the study, alcohol presents the highest risk of death, trailed by nicotine, heroin and cocaine. Meanwhile, most expert has not found a documented overdoes death from marijuana use of someone without an undisclosed condition. In 2006, alcohol leads to 85,000 deaths in the US alone. Furthermore, in 2000, tobacco contributed to a staggering half-million deaths, in fact, there is no recorded history of a person died from the consumption of cannabis. Though, marijuana causes short memory damage and slightly reduce lung capacity when inhaled daily basis, Marijuana lies at the bottom of the chart in terms of addiction, which is after heroin, nicotine, alcohol and caffeine in ordered manner. Thus, marijuana is safer than other legally available substance.
Marijuana is the most popular recreational drug globally and the third in America (Stuart). It is, however, unique because unlike many others recreational drugs, it also has a range of medical uses. The separation of medical from recreational marijuana is a challenging and confusing task, which has affected its legal status significantly. Consequently, nearly half of the United States has legalized marijuana for medical uses while a few others have legalized it both for medicinal and recreational uses. Nonetheless, there are significant reasons that make the legalization of marijuana completely beneficial as a legal recreational and therapeutic drug. Not only would it benefit patients and people using it for recreational purposes but it would
For many years legislatures have been considering legalizing marijuana because of its ability to treat a variety of medical issues.
Marijuana in the United States is such a widely conversed topic you will get very different opinions from anyone you talk to. There are those who say it should be legal, and there are those who say it shouldn’t be. Marijuana is widely known throughout the countries and is used whether it is legal or not. Currently in the United States Marijuana is legal for recreational use in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. Marijuana can be taxed and regulated by the government. Marijuana is said to be safer than recreational alcohol consumption. Marijuana also has several health benefits. Although Marijuana is said to be a drug, it should be legalized.
Marijuana can also help addicts in recovery by easing the symptoms of withdrawal and allowing the person to feel better as they recover by using either an indica strain, or a hybrid strain with a high amount of CBD. When an addict detoxes, it can cause withdrawal, which can make the recovering addict feel all kinds of negative emotions and symptoms such as depression, anxiety, nausea, and many others. Different marijuana strains can help ease the symptoms of withdrawal, therefore helping the addict detox and recover. This could help more addicts feel more inclined about getting the help they need, because what they fear the most about quitting, which is the feeling of withdrawal, will be easier to deal with. It gives the recovering addict a cushion so it’s not as hard. This can also reduce the number of people using methadone to stay off of drugs because they’ll be able to get clean and stop using them all together. Although methadone would be a recommended route of action for a heroin addict in withdrawal. After a period of time, marijuana would be more beneficial.
The government also spends billions of dollars on advertisements and anti-drug ads a year to show the dangers of marijuana use. They say that is addictive and it is also used as a gateway drug, when there is no proof of that. In 1988, Francis Young, a law judge concluded that “marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man.” It can be addictive but only in extreme cases. In fact, marijuana is the least addictive and damaging drug out there, even less addictive than cigarettes and that is legal all throughout America. With lung cancer being a concern with most Americans who smoke or are around second-hand smoke. Unlike cigarettes, lung cancer involving marijuana is very rare. Did you know marijuana smokers smoke only a fraction of what cigarette users’ smoke? Marijuana can even improve lung capacity unlike cigarettes which cause lung cancer and other medical
The legalization of marijuana is a controversial topic. Jimmy Carter, the United States 39th president, said, “Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself; and where they are, they should be changed. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against possession of marijuana in private for personal use... Therefore, I support legislation amending Federal law to eliminate all Federal criminal penalties for the possession of up to one ounce [28g] of marijuana.” When evaluating the pros of marijuana to the cons, it is clear that the current punishments against the use of marijuana are doing more harm than good, and the legalization of the drug can create many benefits for the United and its people.
America paints this picture that nothing good can come from this plant, but on the contrary, it has a lot of beneficial factors if it was legalized. For example, marijuana being legalized in Colorado brought in millions of dollars in tax revenue. Colorado collected almost $70 million in marijuana taxes, nearly double the $42 million collected from alcohol taxes. There are numerous ways that marijuana can benefit the U.S. if it were decriminalized. Marijuana could save America money by not having to spend money on enforcing the law. at the same time bring in money. Marijuana can play a huge role in medical research. Marijuana should be legalized in the U.S.
The legalization of marijuana has been debated to be a harmful substance for so long. Marijuana is a drug that is always being talked about all over the media. There is constant debate on whether it should be legalized or not. It's also, debated on if it were to be legalized, how would it would affect society. All these questions are things the government takes into account every day. There is a big divide between people’s beliefs on this matter. Some people think it should be, others think it shouldn’t, and some think it should be with some modifications on the usage. When you look at the benefits, there is no question that marijuana should be legal throughout the entire country. There are way more positive things that could come out of
Cannabis discussion today is controversial, but also extremely helpful. Debates and arguments about marijuana motivates people to research the topic and learn for themselves. They can see that marijuana had a corrupt history and the low amount of danger it brings. I used to be one of those people who was uneducated on the topic of weed. However, after researching on the internet for this position paper, I believe cannabis should be recreationally legal in the U.S.
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. One of the main reasons why non believers are starting to convert is because of the medical advantages the substance has to offer. Some of the states in America have already legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes and even other countries, including our neighbor Canada have a set of strict laws for marijuana allowing the use of it for medical purposes (Curry, 2012). States in the U.S and other nations have permitted the usage of marijuana strictly for the medical aspect and to even give it the title like medicine should change some views on how “dangerous” it really is, especially since there has been no reports or any recorded issues with the substance being used for medical purposes only. Marijuana if used correctly is a great medicine that can relieve great pain for its user. It is also very beneficial to people who suffer on a daily basis with migraines, OCD, ADHD, ADD, and studies show it may even prevent Alzheimer’s. The substance also has no recorded or tested drawbacks from using it (20 Amazing Things, 2013). Another great medical benefit of the usage of marijuana is, unlike other sleep aids, painkillers, alcohol
Marijuana has become a hot topic in today’s society, and people on both sides of whether or not it should be legal, often feel strongly about their view. Medical marijuana has stolen the spotlight away from recreational marijuana in recent months, mostly since the advocates for this medicine are those who are at the end of the line when it comes to treatment options or those who are left to advocate for family members who can’t speak for themselves. Though patients who have used medical marijuana have claimed great success and relief of their pain and symptoms, little is known about the long term effect it can have on an individual. For most of these patients, the benefits long outweigh the concerns of potential side effects and for