Should Marijuana Be Legalized?

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The use of drugs are becoming more common today. Marijuana is the most used recreational drug, although this drug is illegal in most states. Other states are legalizing its use for recreation and others for medical purposes against the recommendation of the FDA. Is marijuana beneficial to patients suffering from serious illness or should it remain illegal to save the lives of many?
Marijuana is sometimes referred to as hash, hemp, weed or pot. The word Marijuana was created in the 1930’s to tarnish the good image and phenomenal history of the hemp plant (Yurchy).“Marijuana refers to the dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa, which contains the psychoactive (mind-altering) chemical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), as well as other related compounds” (DrugFacts of Marijuana). Marijuana leaves and flowers are dried and usually smoked by hand-rolling it into what is called “joints” or by using a water “bong”. A person will have immediate sensations of increased heart rate, lessened coordination and balance, and a “dreamy,” unreal state of mind-about thirty minutes after smoking the drug. Marijuana smoke has a distinctive smell that is described as being both a sweet and sour. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “marijuana can be brewed as a tea and mixed into foods as well.”
According to Webmd, “Occasional marijuana use is rarely seriously harmful, but smoking pot has important medical effects.” Short term effects of using marijuana include dry mouth, rapid heart rate, increased blood pressure, increased rate of breathing, red eyes, dry mouth, increased appetite or “munchies”, and slowed reaction time. “The psychological short term effects include distorted sense of time, par...

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...on/marijuana-use-and-its-effects
“Tennessee Laws & Penalties” Norml: Working to reform marijuana laws.
Web 23 April 2014. http://norml.org/laws/item/tennessee-penalties-2
“What is Marijuana?” Foundation for a Drug-Free World: Find out the truth about drugs.
Web 23 April 2014. http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/marijuana.html

Wing, Nick. “These States Are Most Likely To Legalize Weed Next. You Have A Happier 4/20
In 2015?” The Huffington Post. Revised 23 April 2014. Web 23 April 2014. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/18/states-legalize-weed_n_5162737.html
Wishnia, Steven. “Debunking the Hemp Conspiracy Theory” 28 February 2008. AlterNet. www.alternet.org/story/77339/debunking_the_hemp_conspiracy_theory Yurchey, Doug. “The Marijuana Conspiracy: The Real Reason why Hemp is Illegal” World Mysteries. Web 24 April 2014. www.world-mysteries.com/marijuana1.htm

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