Should Marijuana Be Legalized?

Marijuana is known for its psychoactive effects creating a euphoric sensation or a high for its users. Introduced in the 3rd millennium BC, marijuana has evolved into a highly demanded and used drug. From it’s everyday users, known as “stoners”, to use and endorsement by celebrities, marijuana is considered a recreational drug. Marijuana is regarded as the most used illicit drug in the world; however, due to restrictions on the possession, use, and sale of marijuana is illegal in most parts of the world. Although marijuana is technically illegal, it is used for a recreational high, prescribed in the medical world, and is surrounded by controversy everyday.

Marijuana is one of the most highly addictive substances utilized worldwide in today’s society. According to David Evans, “clinical dependence has been found to afflict roughly 10% of all marijuana users. Most are in their late teens and twenties. The risk of dependence is higher among those who try marijuana at a young age. In 2009, individuals between the ages of 12 and 25 comprised 65.3% of all substance abuse treatment admissions for marijuana; daily use was reported by 49.6% of this group. More young people are being treated for marijuana dependence than for any other drug. Marijuana is far more powerful today than it was 30 years ago and it serves as an entry point for the use of other illegal drugs.”

Marijuana is the most popular and widey used illegal drug internationally. According to Room et al, 4 percent of the adult around the world population used marijuana(Room et al, 2011, pg.1). This number represents much more than other illicit drugs used combined, including cocaine and other extreme serious drugs. However, our global attention on drug problems focus on the serious drugs which is known to be very harmful, and destructive when the number of marijuana users are consistently rising every year(Schelling, 2011).

The argument of legalizing medicinal marijuana and marijuana used for recreational purposes has been around for quite some time now. Recreational use is when one smokes cannabis just for fun and with the intention of altering the state of consciousness while medicinal marijuana is used for treating certain maladies and alleviating their symptoms. Though marijuana use is not as harmless as many people seem to believe. Like any other drugs, marijuana can affect the body and mind and may have a majority of side affects. It has an addictive nature and is also known as the gateway drug. It can even affect those around you in more ways than one. For instance if something were to happen to you or if for whatever reason you lash out at them. The

Marijuana is the most frequently used illicit drug and has been used by nearly 100 million

One of the most divisive issues in America today is whether to legalize the cultivation, sale, and possession of cannabis. The prohibition of marijuana cost tax payers an annual of 12 billion dollars a year to prosecute recreational users as criminals which was a component in our deficit today. The current prohibition of marijuana makes criminals of otherwise law abiding cannabis users. Legalization will provide medical benefits of marijuana, and economic benefits of legal marijuana, and the re correct the societal harm that results from the current prohibition of marijuana on the federal level and the majority of states. Those in favor of the current prohibition claim “there are no good reasons to legalize marijuana”, but they do not know all of the plants benefits.

Marijuana is the most popular street drug in America, if not in the entire world. It is a Schedule 1 drug which puts it in the same category as Heroin, LSD, MDMA, Ecstacy, etc., which are the most dangerous drugs in the world that can seriously harm someone. But Marijuana is now legalized in Twenty-Six states, plus the District of Columbia, for medicinal and/or recreational use. Even though cannabis is an illegal drug, hundreds of millions of people are still finding ways to get a hold of Marijuana and the other illegal drugs. There is only so much the law enforcement can do if the people do not wish to listen. It is beginning to impact the lives of americans in a positive way, where they can help themselves why being sick and it allows

Getting the audience’s attention- “Why is marijuana against the law? It grows naturally upon our planet. Doesn’t the idea of making nature against the law seem to you a bit…. unnatural?” This is a quote from Bill Hicks.

Cannabis has numerous slang terms such as weed, pot, dope, Mary Jane and reefer. Regardless of its many nicknames, it is most commonly referred to as marijuana. Marijuana and its various forms can be taken in multiple fashions. Consumers of this drug commonly smoke it as a joint or a blunt, but it can also be vaporized, eaten, applied as a cream, and even consumed as a tea. With elections coming up, marijuana use has recently made headlines for its emergence in proposed legislations, which would legalize the recreational consumption of marijuana in several states if passed. These legislations, however, do not take into consideration the many negative effects of marijuana use on the body, the wide availability to underage children, and potential harm to others. All of these negative aspects of marijuana use should consequently make any recreational use of marijuana illegal.

There are different types of drugs, and they have different reactions in the body. When abused or misused, end results can resemble one of three courses: overdose, shocking responses or reactions, and death. Some illegal drugs, when abused, may present animal-like and/or abnormal behavior. Pot, cocaine, heroin, PCP, speed, mushrooms, and meth are among a long list of illegal drugs. The use of illegal drugs in the United States is considered by some to be the most concerning issue in our overall population. More than 40% of high school seniors use an illegal drug, and in a late 1999 National Family unit Summary on Illegal Drug Use, it showed that the three most used drugs are Weed - used by 11,100,000 people,

I like to think that I am fairly level headed when it come to recreational drug use. My parents did a good job of teaching me not to abuse drugs. I only snuck sips of alcohol to see what it tasted like when I was a teenager. Now that I am 21 and in college I will admit to occasionally getting drunk intentionally. I’ve never picked up smoking; I have had a cigar at a wedding. I have made it a point to stay away from illegal drugs like meth, cocaine, ecstasy, heroine, and etcetera. As for marijuana, I tried it in Colorado recently with my boyfriend. Afterwards, and during, I thought about why it isn’t legalized for recreational use in more areas. There are many points to think about regarding the topic of legalized marijuana. Is it safe? Is

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.

Drugs, we all have come across some type of drug in our lives whether it’s legal or not. There is a massive amount of drugs being used daily for medical reasons, some being used to treat multiple conditions at once. Though drugs play an important role in the medical field today and are being prescribed more and more by doctors, there are those consumers that abuse the use of these drugs. That brings into question if the legalization of certain drugs should be considered or if it is best to keep them illegal. One of the main drugs in debate now and the topic I conducted my research on is Marijuana. The United States is now in debate on the legalization of cannabis, and much of America is now for legalizing the drug. My top concern is how

A controversial issue in health care today is if marijuana should be legally prescribed as a medication for health-related problems. Currently, marijuana remains a Schedule I drug under federal law in the Unites States, however, 29 states and the District of Colombia have passed legislation permitting the possession, use, and distribution of medical marijuana in some form (Zimmermann, 2017). Proponents for this drug, base their arguments on the numerous therapeutic effects of it, while the opponents dwell on the stance that marijuana is a drug that has a high potential for abuse. Realistically, any drug has a potential for abuse, it is not an unknown element that over the counter laxatives, pain medications, vitamins and even cough syrups have been abused and probably will continue to be abused.

Drugs are heavily used throughout the entire world. However, it is important to understand and not undermine the variability in which drugs are used. It is clear some are for distinct medical treatment and others are for recreational use. In the United States, marijuana has been and continues to be a very controversial drug. Some states have allowed marijuana consumption for medicinal purposes, while others have completely outlawed the drug. Those who are against the legalization and regulation of marijuana suggest the economical and health risk associated with consumption of the drug are too high. Although there is risk involved with the legalization of the marijuana, our country has already been risking too much banning the drug.