Weed Should Not Be Legal

Although it is a highly common defense that marijuana is not addictive, it in fact is. Many regular smokers find themselves ridden with very similar withdrawal symptoms of a tobacco addict (Marijuana Addiction Symptoms and Effects). Around 9% of people who use find themselves dependent on marijuana (Is Marijuana Addictive?). That may not seem like much, but that is almost 1 in every 10 people hooked on a drug that is supposedly “non-addictive.” Legalizing a drug that causes disorientation, paranoia, depression, anxiety, dizziness, and a slowed reaction time is not safe, not to mention the fact that it is a gateway drug, often leading users to use even more damaging and dangerous drugs (Is Marijuana Addictive?). With the legalization of a drug like marijuana comes increased use and abuse of the drug. Marijuana is unsafe medically for the individual using and for the people around them when the user is under the influence, it will cost the government money and time and it will cost employers tons. Legalizing marijuana would be a huge mistake by our country.

The question of whether or not marijuana should be legalized for recreational and medicinal use has been a three decade long conversation. There are many pros and cons to legalizing marijuana. There are many different ideas about the effects of marijuana, but as with any drug answers are going to vary depending on the person you survey. Age, health, and mental stability are all factors to consider how a drug can positively or negatively affect you, and marijuana is no different. To be legal or not to be legal is the million dollar question up for debate.

Legalizing marijuana has always been an interesting topic for many people to dispute about. Some people say it is good, while others say it is bad. No matter what topic you speak about, it has its pros and cons. For example, marijuana can be used in great ways if legalized. Through money given from dispensaries to the crime rate lowered because of the ability to acquire marijuana in legal ways. Some bad examples are that it can be a gateway drug and can cause one to want a “better high” to people thinking it affects people's lives. Legalizing marijuana (medical and recreational) will help the United States with money, crime, and other numerous ways.

It is common knowledge that marijuana is a gateway drug, and a large percentage of users have tried or moved onto harder drugs such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, etc. Decriminalization of this drug would create a huge dent in criminal activity. You have to look at it like a two-sided coin, you are fixing one thing, but breaking another. Marijuana much like alcohol and cigarettes will get in the hands of young children and create even more problems. Driving under the influence of alcohol is a big enough problem as it is, in reality decriminalizing marijuana is going to create a scenario with even more impaired drivers than there currently

There have been studies done that have proven that IQ’s of people 21 and older that use this drug have not been affected in the long term, even though while under the influence their IQ may drop temporarily. There have been many studies done on cannabis and they have found that the drug should not be considered a schedule I drug and that it should not be illegal but Nixon dispelled this information and kept the drug’s illegal status. In addition, it has been shown that misdemeanors have decreased and opioid use has decreased in places that marijuana is legal. It was shown in Colorado that opioid use went down by about 30%. This would mean that the overall safety of communities would be on the rise. Lastly, there are many addictive substances that are currently legal that could be compared to pot. Alcohol is legal and has the same short term effects as cannabis. Also, tobacco is the number one cause of death by an addictive substance, followed by alcohol, with marijuana in the rear. Although, this side provides many compelling arguments, the opposition has a significant number of relevant points as

Legalizing marijuana is one of the biggest controversial debates in America today. Although legalizing marijuana would be beneficial to America, the government will not allow it. Marijuana should be legalized because it can help in medical areas, help the economy, and lower crime rates

To start off, many people think weed should not be legal. One reason some may say it is not safe to legalize weed is public safety. “Marijuana use, like the use of alcohol, can cause impairment in the user. This means if a person is driving whilst under the influence, they may be more prone to having a collision and potentially harming a pedestrian or fellow road user.” (10 Reasons Marijuana Should Remain Illegal). Also, some think the use or marijuana will lower the quality of life. “

Marijuana, a speculated harmful gateway drug where ‘Marijuana raids are more harmful than the drug itself”(Ingraham, 2017). Is Marijuana really that harmful to be illegal? Marijuana is currently illegal in some states in the U.S. and Canada for recreational use, medical use or both. Some areas already legalized the use of Marijuana like California, Nevada, etc. which is causing controversy since other states and countries won’t. Marijuana should be legal as the facts and statistics are coming out, like, the health benefits, the Economic benefits and how a low-risk drug like Cannabis compares to other legal drugs.

No matter what you judge, there is always pros and cons. Some of the pros of legalizing marijuana is most health benefits. Medical use can treat things such a glaucoma, control epileptic seizures, decrease anxiety, relief of arthritis discomfort, helps suffering veterans from PTSD. On a non health matter marijuana can spur creativity in the brain. What if we could discover or make something no one else could ever think about without being high. On a personal view some people need it to calm down. People who think about twenty things at one time need medical distribution. People in school who can’t focus, marijuana could possibly improve our educational system. Instead of using all the pills. On another non medical matter, what about the taxes on marijuana? What if the simple legalization could get America out of debt. If not out of debt, help America on things we need to fix. Wouldn’t it be nice to save not only lives but to get America back on it’s feet like it used to be before everything and everyone went

I think the pros strongly outweigh the cons in every argument. Marijuana has been used as a treatment for cancer showing in studies that it can inhibit tumor growth in leukemia and breast cancer. I’ve also never heard of a 10 car pileup on the freeway because a person was driving on the wrong side of the road due to being under the influence of marijuana. I’m not saying that is has never happened, but rather more times than not, most incidents of that nature stem from the use and abuse of alcohol. The estimated annual revenue that the state of California could raise is around 1.4 billion dollars if the state was to tax the sale of marijuana. I would think that number is mind boggling enough to want to implement some type of change. It would literally create an entirely new industry that would also create new jobs. With more jobs and people making more money, we could make some serious headway in the growth of today’s economy. Some federal agents have also gone on record to say that with the legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington, the Sinaloa Cartel has already taken a hit in their pocket book. If we can minimize the profit of a powerful crime organization that has a major influence in our country just by discreminalizing a plant that is proven to help life in its self, why would we not want the change? We’ve spent over a trillion dollars since 1970 for the war on drugs. That is over 5% of our current national

Another popular argument is that legalizing marijuana will put criminal organizations out of business. While such an outcome would be a beneficial, it is unlikely to happen for several reasons. Firstly, criminal organizations will always find other things to sell. Secondly, the majority of marijuana is still likely to come from cartels. And third, people will continue to buy marijuana on the black market for no other reason than its tax free. As an example, illegal cigarettes called “loosies” are commonly sold on the black market due to the high taxes placed on them. Eric Garner, who died while resisting arrest for selling “loosies”, brought this issue to public attention. Then there is the argument that the government has no right telling people what to put in their bodies. While this argument may have some merit, I would argue that the government does have a responsibility to protect our well-being. No one argues, for instance, when the FDA keeps things off the market that adversary affects our health. Lastly, proponents will say that marijuana is not addictive, however research shows otherwise. About 9 percent become addicted to marijuana, for those who start young it’s 17 percent. For those who use marijuana daily it can be as high as 25 to 50 percent ("Health Effects Of Marijuana

Some medical reasons that marijuana shouldn’t be decriminalized are that it has long and short terms effects. Examples of the short term outcomes include memory loss, difficulty with thinking, loss of motor skills and increased heart rate. According to the National Institutes of Health show that someone smoking about five joints per week is taking in as many cancer causing chemicals as someone smoking a pack of cigarettes every day. There is no science proof that smoked marijuana can be used for medication. Since cannabis plants are polluted with a range of fungal spores, smoking marijuana may increase the risk of infectious organisms. Taradiff, J. "Marijuana and the War on Drugs. “Marijuana. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Thomas Gale, 2008. 157. Print.

Marijuana just relaxes you and is just something to make you feel better; it does not make people act stupid. Young people that get caught with marijuana ruin their record and often get stuck in the system with no way out except to continue living lives of crime instead of turning their lives around.” The people all for the legalization of marijuana might say something like that, but like every argument, there are always two sides. The people against the legalization of marijuana and that are fighting for marijuana to remain legal, argue, “Marijuana is a gateway drug and it leads to the use of harder, more serious drugs, and marijuana is often the cause of drug addiction. There would more people driving high on weed, which would result in more accidents and traffic offenses, especially among the youth. The drug marijuana is just not right and it was not made to be smoked by humans or used to get high. If marijuana is legal, then there is more likely a chance that kids will start using it at a younger age because it will be easier to obtain. Marijuana is just unhealthy, and physically, not good for your body. It doesn’t serve a great or accepted medical purpose. With marijuana illegal, the country can keep all the drug users and criminals off of the streets.” These are some of the arguments that some people fight for against the legalization of

Many people claim that there is no known case of people dying due to marijuana. This is a half truth since it’s not the marijuana itself that kills; it’s its side effects. Marijuana causes lung and throat cancer much like cigarettes. As a matter of fact, marijuana is worse for the lungs, since it contains three times as much tar as cigarettes and it’s usually smoked without a filter. They also claim there is not nearly as much crime due to marijuana use compared alcohol. This is also true but for one simple reason. Alcohol is legal and more easily accessible than marijuana. It’s the fact that marijuana is illegal that is keeping these numbers so low. Legalizing marijuana would be like adding fuel to a fire. If marijuana were to be legalized these number are sure to increase.

It is heavily debated as to whether or not marijuana should be legalized. There are numerous reasons for and against legalizing marijuana, some say that the government can tax it, some say that it helps with certain medical conditions. People also say that it is not a gateway drug and does not lead to drug abuse. Then there is the question of should we legalize it now even though there is no way to test the levels in your blood at a routine police stop. There are some really good points as to why marijuana should be legalized and some good reasons as to why it should not be legalized, the truth is that people are going to smoke marijuana whether it is legal or not.