The Positive and Negative Impacts of the Legalization of Marijuana Levi Welshans Composition Professor Prince June 6, 2012 Introduction Marijuana has been the source of much debate in recent years. Many believe that this plant is special, and that this plant is less damaging than alcohol or tobacco. Some individuals believe it offers more than just physical and mental relief. They believe that it has the power to heal diseases. In the medical field, many have questioned where this evidence is. There have been studies of marijuana for decades. Most doctors would tell the general public that without a doubt this drug, like others, will have adverse effects in dealing with disease or pain management. For those who suffer with …show more content…
Many advocates for the legalization of marijuana consider alcohol to more detrimental for society than the effects of recreationally using marijuana. While alcohol does not necessarily have a great track record, many laws have been put into place to help curb any negative impacts for the average American. Alcohol is used around the world in almost every culture. This does not justify its use for the public. It does show that there are more people around the world who see alcohol as less of a threat than marijuana, and people have accepted alcohol as a social normality. Alcohol has been studied in many ways. Some studies suggest that minor consumption can help avoid heart disease, type 2 diabetes and assist in digestive health (Alcohol: Balancing Risks and Benefits, 2012). Alcohol does have considerable negative impacts on society in general. “The federal government estimates that 8.9 percent of full-time workers (12.7 million people) have drinking problems. Alcohol costs American business an estimated $134 billion in productivity losses, mostly due to missed work; 65.3 percent of this cost was caused by alcohol-related illness, 27.2 percent due to premature death, and 7.5 percent to crime”(Impact of Alcoholism, April, 2011). If America were to legalize marijuana then the social impacts would be costly, and it would add to the already significant damage that is done by alcohol and tobacco. With so much emphasis put on saving lives from the use
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 debate on Medical marijuana has been a controversial subject mainly because people have an abundance of opinions and very little scientific research to back up either side of the debate. The most important question here is “will medical marijuana be used for medical purposes or will it be used inappropriately?”
The decriminalization of marijuana is an incredibly controversial topic in the United States. Conservative views deem the drug dangerous and debilitating, while reformers suggest that legalizing the plant would have an enormous positive impact on the economy. While others, the terminally ill, wish for the plant to be legal so it can be offered as a less toxic and sometimes more effective alternative to harsh prescription drugs. an overwhelming wealth of facts that state the benefits marijuana can have medically.
The dispute over the legalization of cannabis sativa, more commonly known as marijuana, is one of the most controversial issues ever to take place in the United States. Its use as a medicine has existed for thousands of years in many countries across the globe. Legalization should be considered despite efforts made by groups who say marijuana is a harmful drug that will increase crime rates and lead users to other more dangerous substances. The legalization of marijuana can improve our society by helping with our economy, freeing legal resources, and benefiting the overall health of the nation though medical uses.
Medical marijuana, also known as cannabis, is a controversial topic because many find it beneficial as others find the usage to be recreational. Throughout the years, medical marijuana has gone through periods of times in which it was legal and illegal. Over the years laws have been developed in order to try and regulate the usage of the drug. Studies have shown many the benefits of treating diseases and symptoms. Today it is used in treatment with many different diseases and disorders such as cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, and multiple sclerosis. As medical marijuana has different species and uses of the product, it is important to depict where the drug can be used for treatment. The usage of this drug enables patients to have a more positive and livable outcome with treatments.
The legalization of marijuana has been a topic of debate for many years. This may be because of the cultural diversity that the United States of America is known for. Recently, bills were passed in Colorado and Washington to implement the legalization and regulation of recreational marijuana use. These events along with the ever growing popularity of the drug in society, media, and entertainment are proving to be more than anti-marijuana advocates can handle. In this paper, I explore the financial, social, medical, and political benefits of legalizing marijuana.
Medical use of Marijuana is probably the most discussed topic of the legalizing campaign over the recent years. Some opponents of Marijuana say that it does not have any medical uses at all, and argue that Marijuana is only harmful and should remain illegal. Others for legalization have an opposite view that is starting to gain more recognition as time goes on. Around the late 1990’s, some members of the nation’s medical establishment began to acknowledge marijuana’s potential health benefits. One respected health organization, the Institute of Medicine, released a report in 1999 which stated that “nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety can all be mitigated by marijuana (Medical). In an article Drug Legalization, Advocates of medical marijuana say that in many cases it is the only treatment that has been shown to work. “It is a very effective medication for people who have failed to get good results from standard medications,” says Ethan Russo, a neurologist who has studied medical marijuana, “and that is why so many people are devoted to risking their lives and career to get this drug”(Drug). There are many reports that Marijuana can help with conditions traditional medicines do not seem to help with. Marijuana has also been a huge help to patients with Cancer, HIV/AIDS, Glaucoma, and Insomnia. With a lot of prescription medicines being expensive, Marijuana would be a cheaper alternative to buy if people chose to do so.
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.
Marijuana is a drug that divides people. Some people claim it as the wonder drug of the '90s, capable of relieving the symptoms of many serious illnesses. Others curse the day the cannabis plant was ever discovered. From pain relief to stimulating the appetites of patients on chemotherapy, marijuana seems to have plenty going for it as a medicine. The legalization of marijuana is a large controversy in many parts of the world today, but the obvious negative effects that the drug induces has kept it from being legalized. Many researchers have a strong positive attitude towards marijuana. It has been said that the drug is “worth investigating and even providing as a medicine for pain relief, severe
Marijuana is said to be healthier than alcohol and I believe that if alcohol is legal then marijuana should be as well. “In 2007, a team of experts was formed to conduct an analysis on the relative harms of marijuana, alcohol, and other drugs for the esteemed British medical journal the Lancet. It concluded that marijuana posed far fewer health and safety risks than alcohol.” I don’t see the justice of allowing a drug that poisons people and not legalizing a safer alternative. Alcohol destroys your body and has no proof of medically helping you while marijuana is the opposite.
I have always been against the use of all illegal drugs including marijuana, but while researching this topic, I have learned a lot about some of the positives of legalizing marijuana use. Considering it is classified as an illegal controlled substance, I have always been under the assumption that marijuana was bad for people, no matter what my friends may have said about how good it was. I was peer pressured into trying it when I was fourteen. I knew right away that it was not for me. It made me pass out and sick to my stomach when I woke up. That reiterated my assumption that it was bad for people. I did not understand how people could like it. I figured other people must not have had the same reaction as I did after smoking it.
Marijuana has been used by people over many centuries for medical uses. It is a natural pain killer used today as a recreational drug by people all over the world. According to Noel Merino in, “Introduction to Gateway Drugs: Opposing Viewpoints”, “a drug is something other than food intended to affect the structure or function of the body”. Marijuana is a very controversial drug and has been outlawed in many countries for its affect on the function of the body. “Effects may involve hallucinations, impaired judgment, and mood swings.” Describes the effects of marijuana in “Marijuana” Current Issues Macmillian social science library. During the past century Marijuana has been legal, made illegal, strictly enforced, decriminalized,
Marijuana is a type of medication produced by using the dried blossoms and leaves of the hemp plant. There is a large debate in the United States of America on whether marijuana should be legalized; Marijuana is the most used illegal drug in the USA (Klein, 2005). Marijuana is useful as it has been utilized and made legitimate in part of a few states despite the fact that there are numerous critics of these recent activities. The uses of Marijuana have been scientifically supported to help relieve nausea glaucoma, wasting in virtually unlimited aliments, pain, menstrual cramps, AIDS, and depression. On the other hand, there are adverse effects that Marijuana can have on individuals, for example, direct impacts to the cerebrum, diminished capacity to learn and hold data; furthermore it may create uneasiness, fear, doubt, or anger.
The use of cannabis toward medicine should not be shocking to anyone, since it has been around for centuries. As a matter of fact, it has been under medicinal aid for an estimated 5,000 years. Western medicine truly grasped marijuana’s medicinal abilities in the 1850’s. Infact, doctors documented over one hundred papers about how marijuana helped numerous disorders, such as nausea, glaucoma, movement disorders, pain relief, depression, and anxiety. It also helps cancer patients and those with HIV or Aids. Currently, many American patients have access to marijuana use so that they can have effective treatments for their illnesses. Medical marijuana use is achievable because
Marijuana is illegal in fifty states because of its classification as an illicit drug, but controversial issues have been established that this “illicit drug” has improved the course of treatment for suffering patients. Marijuana has beneficial effects when used in medicinal scenarios for the treatment of pain; thus it should be an administered drug for patients who can benefit from the use of this drug. Marijuana has undergone analysis for its use as a medicine and the results have shown improvements in the patients who were treated with this drug. Doctors have expressed opposite opinions, making this issue very controversial.