Legalizing Marijuana Martin Patriquin Analysis

Research has found that teenagers who used cigarettes were twelve times more likely to graduate to marijuana use. A similar study conducted by Denise Kandel (1992) revealed that use of marijuana affects dopamine levels in the brain in a similar way to nicotine. Cigarette smoking facilitates consumption of other substances. Smoking cigarettes initiate juveniles into the sensation of drug inhalation, which desensitizes them from the feeling of smoke clouding their lungs. This paper finds that marijuana pervades the life of a juvenile tobacco smoker. Teenagers who smoke cigarettes

Marijuana has its strongest long-term impact on young users whose brains are developing and maturing. Researchers see a decline in verbal ability as well as general knowledge in children between ages 9-12. (National Institute on Drug Abuse August

In addition to increase public health problems, legalizing marijuana will lead to increase use of the drug among youngsters. Despite the regulatory approaches, legalizing marijuana has the inevitable effect of increasing the availability and consumption of the drug. Under the current prohibitions, the rate of consumption of marijuana among teenagers is already high; however, the rate of use would greatly increase if the drug was legitimately available to the population. For instance, despite the prohibitions against distribution of alcohol to teenagers, many youngsters who are under the legal age drink alcohol today. Similarly, high percentages of the young population are currently smokers even though the law prohibit them from buying cigarettes. Therefore, it is expected that the usage of marijuana among teenagers would increase if marijuana was legalized. Notably, the marijuana use will impair the development process of teenagers, which will negatively affect their health in later life. Thus, the increased use of marijuana among teenagers is a great concern. It will contribute to great dangers on the health of the youths.

Marijuana is the most popular illicit drug used among our teenagers in the United States. Research shows that 42% of high school seniors have smoked Cannabis, 18% within the past month and 5% smoked daily and 1 in 6 are addicts. More than 64% of teenagers reported that marijuana is very easily available (Gary). Unfortunately, some parents live in a world of denial and say “It’s not my kid. My child doesn’t smoke.” Unbeknown to us, there are unfavorable concerns for many young marijuana abusers such as the risk of addiction, poor school performances and a “gateway” to other lethal substances. Smoking marijuana increases respiratory diseases, impaired immune function, cognitive problems and motivational impairment. (National Institute on Drug Abuse). It is the leading cause of abnormal cognitive development which persists long after abstinence. Marijuana is the main drug used by children who seek emergency medical treatments and screened following an arrest or autopsies (Dennis et at).

The University of Michigan “annually survey in 2010 ” identified that adolescents nationwide, will start using drugs from 8, 10, and 12-grade use drugs, which include alcohol, Tabaco, marijuana, and other drugs; the survey shows the increased of marijuana use among high school seniors to daily basis. Consumption is the highest in comparison with the previous study nearly 65% of those students use marijuana as their primary drug of choice.

The article, "We need to legalize marijuana now," by Ken MacQueen, dives into the topic of legalizing marijuana and the issues surrounding the matter.  The author expands the topics of why marijuana is illegal, the cost of keeping marijuana illegal, why the prohibition is unfair, the potential risk to public safety by legalizing marijuana and the positive effects of legalizing marijuana.  The author is able to firmly explain his point of view, why Canada should legalize marijuana, using examples, quotes and statistics.  MacQueen concludes his

In the essay “Marijuana Should Not be Legalized in Canada”, the author’s controlling idea is that marijuana should not legalized in Canada because of health, tax, and societal impacts. To begin with, the author tells us “if store-bought marijuana becomes overtaxed, people will fall back on the already established underground market”. This example discusses how black market will continue existing because of the overtaxed of the marijuana. Moreover, “street marijuana has other drugs mixed into it” so that more people prefer and that will also increase the establish of underground market. Secondly, the author states “marijuana constrain 33 chemicals that are known to cause cancer”. This reinforces the idea that marijuana cause health problems.

Within Friese and Grube, they state that Marijuana is the most commonly used drug among teens in the US and with the access to medical marijuana, teens have only increased their use (34). Research also argues that with legalization, recreational use would suggest to adolescents that marijuana is safe and normal (Friese and Grube 34). This finding suggests teen use might increase (Friese and Grube 34). Therefore, since research shows a defeat in executive functioning and processing with use of cannabis (Battistella et al.), it is essential that adolescences decrease their use since the teen brain is still maturing (Crean et al. 5). As well, there is evidence that teenagers who use cannabis in early years have more significant cognitive problems than their peers (Crean et al. 2). Furthermore, in Friese and Grube findings, they argue that a typical drug free environment is crucial for teens’ development (37) since an environment with accessible marijuana will encourage marijuana use and increase risks of negative consequences in their adulthood and health (Friese and Grube 33). Therefore, legalizing the recreational use of cannabis could potentially have a large harmful effect on

Marijuana is a drug that is prepared from the bloom head (flower) of cannabis plant and it is utilized as a medication in some conditions, such as, glaucoma and so forth. This pill has some destructive impacts and is recognized as illegal medication apart from a few states in United States and Amsterdam. Marijuana is a widespread drug and has damaging consequences for individuals. An enormous debate has started, in numerous countries should consumption of Marijuana should to be legalized or not? Canada is also amongst those nations where this issue is debated, it has grasped attention of many people, and the majority of individuals feel that utilization of Marijuana should not be legitimized in Canada, Since this drug is remarkably unsafe

Marijuana legalization has been a debateable topic in the recent history. Canada’s government sees Marijuana as the biggest threat while alcohol and tobacco, two of the most life threatening substances are legal, so why not legalize marijuana as well? Is prohibition of marijuana really helping the society or is it just creating the forbidden fruit effect”, which provokes the citizens to try it? There are many different ideas regarding its complete legalization as well as the smaller scale medical marijuana legalization. Regardless of what the conclusion of the argument is, these beliefs fall under either social order or conflict perspective. Following this topic,

“The earlier marijuana use begins and the heavier it becomes, the stronger the tendency to use other drugs is” (Effects of marijuana on youth 2). For instance, it introduces that among high school seniors who use marijuana daily, four times as many report daily alcohol consumption; twice as many report daily tobacco use. People don’t realize how dangerous marijuana can be; when they smoke it, they don’t think about the future consequences but only of the momentaneous pleasure it gives

It seems every decade marijuana studies show that it has no side effects on users, in turn it become more available like when some states in America had legalized it. Dr Kevin M. Gray believes that the only side effect of smoking weed is the physical addictions it causes, he believes that over 51% of all teens have used weed at least once and the biggest problem we are facing with this rapidly growing drug use is only addiction. Dr Marshall M. Gay believes that the health effects of weed isn’t that much as smoking cigarettes and doesn’t see it a threat to people’s health. “More than half (51%) of adolescents reported that marijuana is fairly or very easy to obtain.2 this ease of availability may have contributed to a recently reported "reverse gateway" from cigarettes use to marijuana”. The more ignored belief is that marijuana can lead to a variety of developmental, mental and physical side effects. The effects of smoking weed can extend to those of smoking cigarettes “studies show regular marijuana use can lead to many of the same

Marijuana is considered in popular culture to be a widely accepted mainstream recreational illegal drug used in the United States; its use comes with severe adverse side effects that are often overlooked. Long-Term use of marijuana 'sis shown to have negative effects on physical, mental, and environmental health. Studies have shown that in the United States, up to 20% of daily marijuana users become dependent (Marijuana and Lung Health) showing a physical or emotional need for the drug. Marijuana use has the potential to affect every aspect of a person 's physical and mental wellbeing negatively. Its use also comes with potentially life-altering risks to one 's future including an individual’s likelihood of obtaining a degree, impacting their future earning potential and decreasing their overall reported life satisfaction. Once dependent on marijuana, people stop caring about their schooling. Long-term use of smoking marijuana can result in the inability to learn, retain information and think critically.

Marijuana can deteriorate a consumer’s health including its mental condition; therefore, the recreational used of cannabis could drastically change our lifestyle and how society behaves. By approving its legalization, more people will start consuming cannabis. Colorado legalized the recreational use of marijuana in January 1st, 2014. Since then, the amount of consumers has increased.

Cannabis is becoming increasingly widespread and increasingly common in modern-day society for both recreational use and for medication. The article by Craig Reinarman, ‘Criminalisation, legalisation and the mixed blessing of medicalisation in the USA’ generates many controversial issues of cannabis.