Why Congress Should Legalize Pot Analysis

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.

I believe that weed should not be legalized. The reason for that is because to many people use it for the wrong reason, they make up excuse when they can be doing better than that. Marijuana even mess up with people health and you don’t even know it.

Marijuana has been used in the treatment of AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, and chronic pain ("Medical Cannabis."). Researchers have been trying to explain the negative effects that marijuana can have on the central nervous system and how it hinders memory as well. The constant reports of short-term memory loss by heavy marijuana users brings up the question, is it the most common long term effect of marijuana use? Although it is said that marijuana has many effects such as exhaustion, increased appetite, offset sense of time, and bloodshot eyes, short-term memory loss is the symptom most frequently linked with the use or ingestion of marijuana. But why? Why does using marijuana have any impact on a person’s memory at all? Countless scientists have been working tirelessly to find an answer for this question. The active ingredient in marijuana, THC, is known to attach itself to areas of the brain linked to memory. When the scientists injected lab animals with THC at Rutgers University, they found that they acted as though there was no rhythm to their thought. It affected the hippocampal circuits in the brain to produce animals that were acting normal but in a delayed or offset manor.

Marijuana is known for causing issues with the human brain, which is a product of behavioral issues. Nevertheless, being under the influence of this drug can produce poor memory and little to no attention span (Marijuana: A Continuing Concern). Research shows that all of these effects can indeed take place after using the drug. After long term use of marijuana, the human brain may not become fully developed if the user started the drug at a young age. This could result in the brain not reaching its full potential. Furthermore, it is acknowledged that someone can have complications with their short-term memory after using the drug, and these complications can last for a multitude of days. People who are under the influence of marijuana have a difficult time paying attention to what is going on around them. With the use of marijuana comes brain damage, which some could become permanent (Marijuana: Breaking Down

All Americans have their ideas on legalizing marijuana, yet they need to make sure they have done substantial research using past experiences the American people have already experienced from using this drug; also they need to take a good look into what the actual outcomes are of smoking marijuana, before making a final decision on whether or not to legalize marijuana for medical purposes or any other reason. Americans will look at health and social issues as well as review money matters concerning legalizing marijuana and realize it is not right for the United States .

The statement “marijuana is a lot safer than alcohol” cannot go unchallenged and should be debated. One important subject is the risk that marijuana use (especially in young adults) can lead to some kinds of mental illness. “Studies support findings that risk of schizophrenia doubles in young abusers” (U.S. National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 2009). According to Joseph Califano Jr., CASA founder and chairman of Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) “If we were to make marijuana legal and taxed it, for approximately every dollar of tax revenue, there could be as much as seven dollars incurred in medical costs”.

Marijuana has a greater beneficial impact on society then many people realize. Marijuana should be legalized for medical as well as recreational purposes. This is a highly controversial issue that is being debated throughout the country. In essence marijuana is evaluated by the effectiveness of the drug. It is defined as the dried flowered clusters and leaves of a hemp plant smoked for the intoxicating effect. Whether it should be legalized or not is the real question.

Marijuana continues to be the most widely used drug in the Western Hemisphere, its cognitive effects robustly revolve around memory. There have been many studies done on the chemical effects that marijuana has on the brain centers concerned with memory and learning. There are more productive studies relating to the effects of cannabis on short-term memory that show different memory processes effected by this drug. Though there is not much knowledge on the effects the drug has on long-term memory due to suspected confounds that temper with the process of collecting proper data, there have been studies showing lasting effects in adolescents and chronic users (Schoeler and Bhattacharyya, 2013). More research should be done on the long-term processes in order to better understand the lasting effects of cannabis use. Marijuana causes these adverse effects on memory by first altering chemical processes in the brain.

I believe that the time has come to end the prohibition of marijuana in the United States of America. If marijuana were a legal substance and taxed like alcohol and tobacco, billions of dollars in revenue would be generated that could be put towards paying down our national debt. Further stimulation of our economy would result from the thousands of jobs that would be created in order to grow, manufacture, process, market and distribute the product. Overcrowding in our prisons would be reduced, creating much-needed room for violent and aggressive criminals. Finally, there is evidence that the legalization of marijuana will yield certain health and environmental benefits to American society.

Marijuana has been used in religious ceremonies or for medical purposes for thousands of years. I have always been against the use of Marijuana up until four years ago when my husband at the age of twenty seven underwent invasive surgery on his knee and has never been the same since. Colorado took a huge step several years ago legalizing marijuana for medical use and in recent years took the plunge to legalize it for recreational use. Marijuana is not always a bad thing nor is it always a good thing. A lot of people will compare it to any other mind altering substance and have very valid points. I would rather have a loved one or myself smoke marijuana or ingest it, instead of popping pain pills or other harmful substances put on the market by the pharmaceutical industry; Recreational use can be safe and accepting if it is regulated correctly and used responsibly.

However other americans have have a different perspective about recreational marijuana. Most American believe that Recreational marijuana should be illegal.“A new survey finds that 53% favor the legal use of marijuana.” Was stated by Pew Research Center. Now that it is legal it is the Americans individual rights that they can use

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.

It’s no secret that marijuana can affect a person’s memory. And it doesn't help that today’s stereotypical pot smoker is absent minded and forgetful.” Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, is known to impair nearly all aspects of memory. There is one exception, though. THC does not affect the recall of existing memories.”

In today’s society, the drug marijuana has become quite popular. People use marijuana to relieve stress, for anxiety or medical issues and recreationally. What many tend to ignore are the effects the drug has on the human body when used. Marijuana has a major influence on the memory part of a brain. There are many parts to a person’s memory and the use of marijuana impacts all of them. Although there are many beneficial effects of marijuana, the harmful effects of marijuana on the memory outweigh the overall benefits. Current research provides plenty of evidence that proposes that there are real effects of marijuana on memory.

In the "Marijuana Should Not Be Legalized," essay, Kevin Sabet a former senior adviser in the White House, Office of National Drug Control Policy wrote that calling marijuana harmless or non-addictive goes against scientific results that habitual use of the drug causes memory problems, impaired thinking and weakened immune system. (1) My essay will argue against this position.