Argumentative Essay On Legalizing Marijuana

For many years, the prohibition of marijuana has led people to believe that marijuana was extremely dangerous, therefore, it could never be legal; but, most dangers spoken about marijuana are myths as it is found less harmful than alcohol, and even tobacco. In 2007, research done by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare came to the conclusion that alcohol was a large contributor to death and the cause of more than 3% of the overall disease and injury in Australia, while marijuana was accountable for no deaths and only 0.2% of disease and injury. Despite what many are told to believe, this research poses that marijuana holds way fewer risks than alcohol does, and alcohol is legal. Around 88,000 deaths occur each year due to alcohol consumption, and half of those are due to binge drinking. With this in

Many people from all around the world believe that marijuana is an addictive drug that has ruined the lives of millions. The U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that more than 37,000 annual U.S deaths are the effects of alcohol alone. Alternatively, there is not even a category for the deaths caused by marijuana. Many of us think that marijuana kills brain cells but studies show teens that use marijuana as well as alcohol suffered significantly less damage to the white blood cells in their brains. Alcohol use contributes to aggressive and violent behavior while marijuana will only make a person feel more comfortable. “Alcohol is clearly the drug with the most evidence to support a direct intoxication, violent relationships, whereas cannabis reduces the likelihood of violence during intoxications” (Shuette, 2013). The government does not even track violent acts specifically related to marijuana use. Marijuana and alcohol should be switched where marijuana is legal and alcohol is not because it will benefit people more than alcohol will.

Drug-impaired driving is becoming a much more common issue on Canada's streets, and the number of people driving after taking drugs is greater than those who drive after drinking. Regardless of public perception that drugs may be less harmful to drivers, evidence is growing that drug impairment contributes to collisions. Roadside saliva tests have become more accurate and cost-effective in recent years, particularly for the most commonly-used drugs. Drugs can cause you not to think through decisions before making them. When under the influence you have control over your body and who knows what would happen, it could be as extensive as waking up in the hospital or not waking up at all. The consequences are the same for drinking and driving pretty much.

From 2001 to 2005 the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports on average more than 79,000 deaths per year was caused by excessive alcohol use. (CDC, “Vital Signs”) Excessive drinking includes binge drinking, heavy drinking and any drinking by pregnant women or minors. On the other hand, the CDC does not have a category for deaths caused by the use of marijuana. Statistically, death directly from marijuana overdose is extremely rare. However, according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting data, there were a total of 1.5 million drug arrests nationwide in 2011 and out of those arrests around 750,000 were for marijuana alone. (FBI, “Person’s Arrested”) While both alcohol and marijuana should not be taken with any other drug and getting behind the wheel while drunk or high poses significant risk to everyone. Alcohol is still vastly greater in number when it comes to death than marijuana but then again one is legal while the other one is not.

This issue concerns all drivers in Canada, as well as everyone in this room as most of us will start driving in the upcoming years. It can pose great risk to us on the road if we come across someone who is impaired. It angers me that the Federal Government is trying to push the legislation to come into effect as of July 1st, 2018. I think what can best be done to help improve this situation is to reconsider the deadline of legalization to come up with further research to develop new ways to test for marijuana in a driver’s system.

According to “National Forensic Laboratory Information System (NFLIS) data for Philadelphia County, marijuana accounted for 32.9 percent of all positive drug reports in 2012. There was no change in the criminal justice indicator data, with 30.0 percent of individuals entering probation or parole for the first time in 2012 testing positive for marijuana, similar to 2011.” “Alcohol remained the overwhelming primary drug of choice among treatment admissions (39.7 percent); alcohol also led among detections in mortality cases with the presence of drugs (20 percent in 2011 and 26.7 percent in 2012). (National Institute on Drug Abuse,

Marijuana use affects coordination, decision making, and perception which impacts driving. It is the most prevalent illegal drug detected in impaired drivers. Drivers tested positive for marijuana are more than twice as likely to crash. Ads promoting marijuana products such as, cookies candy bars, brownies and many other things should be banned. Colorado recently reported that these marijuana ads were asking for kids to try their product. Many accidents happen when you start smoking pot. This is a very dangerous drug and no one should have access to it.

The Co-Founder and Strategic Advisor of National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) Steve Fox et al. wrote a book called, “Marijuana is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink?” to highlight the positive effects of legalized marijuana it exposes how the only harm caused by illicit drugs is the simplicity of it being illegal. In the foreword of this book is a direct message from Seattle's former chief-of-police Norm Stamper. Norm shared his experience arresting individuals by the non-violent drug and supports that marijuana is safer than alcohol (Fox). Stamper said the only reason he arrested people who possessed marijuana was because he had to enforce the law. As aforementioned, marijuana is medically safer under doctor’s orders when compared to the legal over-the-counter drugs such as alcohol and tobacco. Reports from the National Vitals Statistics System (NVSS) shows that in the United States, tobacco use is liable for the deaths of 480,000 and alcohol claims an average of 88,000 lives per year from 2006 to 2010. Yet, marijuana alone is responsible for zero deaths

It is hard to determine if someone smoke marijuana and drive. Drunk driving can determine by the blood alcohol level. Testing marijuana level in blood is unreliable. A study done by AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that the THC substance in someone’s blood is not supported by science. THC can stay in the body for weeks and it only causes cannabis impairment when it is in the fatty tissue of the brain. It means that it is hard to prove when did someone smoke marijuana and drive. The AAA study recommended that law enforcers stop using the-the blood test and use other methods. The AAA study and many experts think that law enforcers should improve on testing saliva.

With the year of 2018 coming to an approach, the realization of legal marijuana is becoming a reality to many canadian citizens. Concerns over the potential risks and lack of laws in place is causing a mass panic for legal institutions. Marc Emery a respected pot user in his community and a marijuana activist, is adding fuel to this fire with his claim that, “smoking pot regularly makes people better drivers.”

Marijuana, like alcohol, undermines the driver's judgment and consequently is unnecessary. Marijuana is the most illicit and illegal drug that is being used and detected in drivers that are impaired, detected in fatally injured drivers, and detected in the crash victims of a motor vehicle, that is why our concern for drugged driving, which is driving under the influence of drugs that acts on the brain could “impairs one’s motor skills, reaction time, and judgment, is so important and crucial” (Drugged Driving). Also, according to the article, it states that, “it is illegal to operate a motor vehicle if there is any detectable level of a prohibited drug, or its metabolites, in the driver’s blood” and “studies conducted that 4-14% of drivers

    One major obstacle in marijuana’s path to legalization is that there are no road tests for the amount of marijuana a person has in their system (Migoya 3-4). While there is not yet a standard for a safe amount of marijuana in one’s system, all police officers are trained to detect drug use, an ability they can put to use on potentially intoxicated drivers (Puente 5). More recently, however, there have been police officers trained further than the standard, receiving the title ‘drug recognition expert.’ They go through more extensive training, and if they believe a driver is being impaired by substance use, “the person can be asked to undergo a specialized 12-step field sobriety test designed for people under the influence of drugs” (Puente 2). Since tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a chemical compound found in marijuana, can be detected in a person's system from prior use, even if they are no longer under the influence, a mouth swab test known as the Dräger 5000 tests only for active THC compounds, in addition to six other drugs, so that a police officer can know for sure if a driver is intoxicated

Unfortunately, only thirty percent of people under the influence of THC fail. Consequently, police have been receiving special training in how to recognize subtle signs of drugged driving.

In Las Vegas alone, we have so many car accidents involving drugs or alcohol, that we have some of the highest DUI rates in the nation. “An estimated 10,000+ Nevada drivers are arrested for DUI each year.” (www.shookandstone.com) So many people have been killed throughout years due to DUI. The reason drugs affect how you drive is because you have a slow reaction to things, so if you realize you’re close to hit somebody, you’ll react slower.

Driving under the influence of marijuana it’s one of the biggest concerns for the small group against its legalization. In fact, several marijuana consumers argue that it is safer to drive under the influence of marijuana than alcohol which motivates them to perform such action feeling safe. However, it is proven that driving under the influence of marijuana could be as or even more dangerous than alcohol. Due to marijuana’s impairment of psychomotor skills and reaction when mixed with alcohol, it shall not be consumed while driving.