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Legalization Of Marijuana And The United States For Recreational Use

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Based on biological research, statistics of drug use amongst children and youth and the health effects on regular users of marijuana, this paper will argue that marijuana should remain illegal in the United States for recreational use. Arguments for the legalization of marijuana and arguments against the legalization of the drug will be discussed throughout the paper. It will address the biological effects of the drug on the human body, the current laws in place and the effects it has on children, adolescents and adults. The National Institute on Drug Abuse, (NIH), refers to marijuana as the “dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa.” In this plant is the chemical, tetrahydrocannabinol, better known as THC. The chemical makeup of THC is similar to other chemicals, such as anandamide, and is located in the neural endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system has receptors in the frontal, temporal and parietal lobes, as well as in the cerebellum, and therefore is responsible for brain development and function. When the THC binds itself to the cannabinoid receptors, the body allows it to and does not attack it, due to the similarities it shares with chemicals such as anandamide. It is the over-activation of the THC on the receptors in the brain that causes the “high” or euphoric feeling. According to a 2014 NIH study focusing on the use of marijuana the following statistics were found: 6.5% of 8th graders used it within the past
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