The Stoner Zone: Decriminalizing Marijuana

     Marijuana does have some negative effects, but compared to other drugs marijuana is harmless. Other drugs are highly addictive were marijuana is not. Alcohol is one of the most leading causes of car crashes. Marijuana is nowhere near being a leading cause of death. Other drugs can lead to cancer where marijuana is used to cure it, and other drugs can lead to deaths. Other drugs impair you vision, but marijuana does not. All the other drugs except alcohol are gateway drugs, and the only way to purchase them is by smuggling them across the border. Many advocates say “we should begin to reflect that reality in our state and federal legislation, and stop acting as if otherwise law-abiding marijuana smokers are part of the crime problem. They are not, and it is absurd to continue using law enforcement resources arresting them.” (Gary) Many advocates also say, “Far more harm is caused by marijuana prohibition than by marijuana itself.”(Gary)

Those who disagree with the legalization of marijuana across the United States state various concerns regarding its potential for negative side effects, such as causing addiction and deteriorating cognition (Loflin and Earleywine 293-296). Nonetheless,

Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal substance in United States and in many other countries; this is a statement that seems to be in each article that is written about the legalization of marijuana. This is a subject that has been up for debate for quite a few years now. There are many people who support the legalization of this drug and are strongly convinced that marijuana is not a drug in which one should be punished for, but rather a drug that should not be frowned upon and seen as a way to help our nation economically and medically. On the other end, there are also many people who support the criminalization of marijuana and believe it is a drug that should remain illegal

“In strict medical terms marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly consume. For example, eating 10 raw potatoes can result in a toxic response. By comparison, it is physically impossible to eat enough marijuana to induce death. Marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis, marijuana can be safely used within the supervised routine of medical care.” Francis Young, DEA Administrative Law Judge, stated. Marijuana was thought of as a drug that was enormously harmful to the user’s health and well-being, but the truth about it is that if used correctly, marijuana has the ability to alleviate a variety of medical conditions, some that were thought to be “untreatable.” An immense amount of research and evidence has proven repeatedly that marijuana is able to treat many problems that plague much of our nation. Medical marijuana needs to legalization across the United States because of its ability to aid those with respiratory issues, to assuage one’s struggle with mental disorders, and it has a profound ability to mitigate the side effects often seen with people who are burdened with cancer.

Marijuana is illegal in most cities in our country because of the effect it has on the human body. When marijuana is inhaled, THC is released into our bloodstream, brain, and organs. THC levels affect parts in the brain that focus on pleasure, memory, thinking, and coordination. Due to this, marijuana can cause long term damage to one’s brain. Or at least that’s what they want us to believe. There are no real cases where someone has suffered severe

Cannabis Sativa, more commonly known as Marijuana, is made up of dried parts of the Cannabis hemp plant and is the most commonly used illegal drug in the United States. For centuries, people all over the world have been using marijuana to achieve “euphoria”, but the drug has remained illegal in the United States despite countless efforts to reverse the law. In the last few years, the legalization of Marijuana became both a prominent and controversial issue in our country and remains an extremely touchy subject. Despite its short term effect of distorted perceptions and memory impairment, Marijuana has several pro’s that can not only help individuals but could benefit our country as a whole. These “pros” include medical use, a boost in our

The legalization of marijuana is, and has been a heavily disputed issue for decades. On one hand, marijuana could lead to a medical breakthrough, or at least provide relief to cancer and AIDS patients. On the other hand, legalizing a drug could expose it to too broad an audience. As a drug, marijuana has never proven to be anywhere near as harmful as cigarettes or alcohol. Each year in the United States, 400,000 people die from tobacco, 50,000 from alcohol, and from marijuana, zero. Regardless of what side one may take to this argument, there are some causes to this marijuana debate that everyone should know. Marijuana was not always illegal, and the reasons behind the history of narcotic regulation are interesting when viewed from

Marijuana legislation in the United States seems to be divided between very subjective and objective credence’s. The objective perspective seems to be that marijuana is a substance that has medicinal properties and merits further research into its utilize as a substance that can be utilized for medical treatment. While the subjective perspective seems to be more fueled by propaganda than scientific research. All too often, arguments for and against the utilization of marijuana have been predicated more on emotion and personal opinion shaped by propaganda and the taboo subject of illicit drug use, than genuine scientific fact. This should not be what decides if there should be legitimate scientific research on the subject. Currently, marijuana is a schedule I controlled substance, indicating it is considered highly addictive and of no medical use. Due to the many claims that marijuana is of medical benefit, many states have passed laws that allows limited access of

On the other hand, marijuana which has proven to be much less damaging, continues to be illegal in the majority of states. The article, “7 Facts That Prove Alcohol is Way More Dangerous Than Marijuana” states, “The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than 37,000 U.S. deaths are attributed to alcohol use alone while on the other hand, the CDC does not even have a category for deaths caused by the use of marijuana” (Short). It is also shown that medical related expenses are significantly greater for users of alcohol versus users of marijuana. Also, while alcohol has been linked to both brain damage and certain forms of cancer, marijuana actually has properties that act to protect brain cells from impairment. In a 2006 experiment directed by Dr. Donald Tashkin from the University of California at Los Angeles, it was determined that marijuana users do not have an increased risk for developing lung cancer and that use of the drug actually decreases the risk of lung cancer happening because of the drug’s “neuroprotective properties” (Short). While alcohol is very addictive producing detrimental and sometimes fatal withdrawal symptoms when it is consumed chronically, marijuana has been found to not create any significant

Cigarettes and alcohol are much more dangerous to humans than marijuana, yet they are legal to purchase and consume (at a certain age). “The effects are generally less severe than those of tobacco and alcohol, which together cause more than 560,000 American deaths annually. Unlike booze, marijuana isn't a neurotoxin, and unlike cigarettes, it has an uncertain connection to lung cancer.” (Barcott, Bruce, and Michael Scherer. "The Great Pot Experiment. (Cover Story)." Time 185.19 (2015): 38-45. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.). This shows that substances that are already legal and available to Americans are much more dangerous than marijuana. This shows that there is no reason for the government to be concerned about it in a health risk point of a view. Marijuana has no reported deaths from overdosing on the drug, because you need to smoke 1,500 pounds in 15 minutes to do that, which is a physically impossible task. Top scientists know that there are no reported deaths from marijuana alone, unlike other substances, but due to their extensive research they were able to find it is technically possible to overdose, but highly unlikely. This shows that the health risks of consuming marijuana are little to non-existent when compared to other legal substances, therefore it should be legal in the United States of America. The fact that marijuana is less harmful than other legal substances proves that is should be

A lot of people are still stuck to the ideal that marijuana is dangerous to society and body. The facts are that the government has misled a lot of people about marijuana. These people are not well educated about the use of marijuana. Most people think person using marijuana is dangerous to the community, however, all the outcome of the research that the government carry out does not say anything about marijuana being dangerous. Use of marijuana for treatment has not just been discovered, according to Cohen Peter stated \" Cannabis, more commonly referred to as marijuana, has a long history of medical use in this country and worldwide\"(Cohen 20). Marijuana has been prescribed for pain relief, nausea, and glaucoma. It is the use as a powerful appetite stimulant which helps patients that have HIV/AIDS or cancer patients going through chemotherapy. Cohen wrote, \"smoked marijuana could ease the symptoms of AIDS wasting and produce gains in body weight\"(Cohen 21). When comparing, medicinal marijuana to other prescribed drugs, the prescribed drugs are a lot less effective, more expensive, and have dangerous side effects. Pills that were often given to people and some is strong painkillers which, are highly addictive, and that can cause overdoses. Marijuana leaf call \"cannabis\"(Cohen 20) is safer if used in the right dose without side effect. Today many patients are able to use marijuana as a method of treatment for their sickness. This is possible for some patient because, some state governments across the country have acknowledged cannabis known as marijuana for treatment. For the useful of marijuana for treatment, some physician were been given license to prescribed marijuana for the patient. However, these patients can have the necessary treatment, without been in

Marijuana has been used for thousands of years to treat many conditions and has never caused a single human death. The 1999 institute of medicine proved that it did not in any part reach the legal definition of a schedule 1 drug the US law put it under. The institute of medicine established that marijuana has positive medical benefits in a variation of illnesses and has a lower chance for drug abuse than alcohol and tobacco which have a higher rate of being a gateway drug used by minors. In 1988 the Drug enforcement administration also started to investigate the medical uses of marijuana. As a result the DEA discovered that there are positive medical uses for marijuana and was uncovered to be “one of the safest substances known to man” DEA Administrative Law Judge Francis Young said during a two year hearing on marijuana for medical use. Soon after the facts about the acceptable medical uses of marijuana were noted it started to attention publicly, increasing its popularity and supporters quickly.

Classified as narcotics, marijuana is prohibited by US federal law. A law allows the use of small amounts of marijuana in medical and scientific research, under the close supervision of public authorities. But the United States federal agency allows states to sometimes designate local laws that conflict with federal law. The rules of eighteen states on recreational cannabis use are one example. Supporters say harm of using marijuana for relaxation purposes has been exaggerated. Cannabis is safer than alcohol and almost impossible to overdose. It is not strong enough to be classified as a drug but deserves a place in the drug precursor group. Although potentially addictive, scientists claim that the proportion of people who smoke marijuana is relatively low, less than 10%. Conversely, the protesters say that THC in marijuana is a powerful hallucinogen that can cause people to lose their mind completely and take uncontrollable actions. Even when stopping cannabis use, these effects are still prolonged. Thus, the use of medical marijuana should be under the supervision of a specialist who prescribes in accordance with medical

The legalization of marijuana has been a debate in the public eye within the United States for quite some time now; however, as time progresses many states continue to pass legislation. As of, March 2017, 26 states and the District of Columbia have laws legalizing marijuana use in some fashion and 24 remaining states with pending legislation. Although states are in debate for legalization it remains that federal law still prohibits any form of usage, selling, or buying. Federal law supersedes state law on this issue as it is written, “Legalizing Marijuana: Why Citizens Should Just Say No” from the Legal Memorandum Published by the Heritage Foundation,

In our world today, it's often told to use that marijuana is bad for our health. The government has to put a lot of effort to put the people who do smoke into jail. But people no longer think the reasoning for illegal marijuana is to keep us healthy. Quote from Ronald Reagan, “ the most reliable scientific sources says permanent brain damage is one of the inevitable results of the uses of marijuana” Ronald base this information of an statement  on Tulane University Study of 1974. This puzzled people for six years, making them think it would cause carbon monoxide poisoning.