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How legalizing marijuana impacts society in a positive way
Pros and cons legalising cannabis
Effects of marijuana
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Alyssa Aguilar
Mrs. Martinucci
English Honors Period 3
14 May 2014
Legalization of Marijuana
Is marijuana really as terrible as most people say? The marijuana industry is worth 141.80 billion dollars, and there are about 180.6 marijuana smokers in this world as of 2013 (24 Mind-Blowing Facts About Marijuana Production in America). Marijuana, more formally known as cannabis, is a very important crop in this world, and it should be legalized. Marijuana should be legalized because it is not dangerous, especially compared to the other legalized drugs out there today, such as alcohol and tobacco, it is beneficial, prohibition of marijuana is a useless waste of time and money, and because marijuana prohibition is unconstitutional.
First of all, marijuana is not dangerous. The short and long term effects of marijuana aren’t harmful, especially compared to the effects of legal drugs such as alcohol and tobacco. Short term effects of marijuana include the feeling of being high. When a person is high, they have memory problems, sensory distortion, panic, anxiety, poor coordination of movement, lowered reaction time, and sleepiness. Most of these effects are not felt each time a smoker smokes, and many people enjoy these feelings (Short- & Long-Term Effects of Marijuana). There are quite a few long term effects of marijuana. One long term effect of marijuana is cancer because marijuana contains some of the same cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco smoke. Though marijuana contains some harmful chemicals that cause cancer, it isn’t nearly as dangerous as tobacco smoke. Another long term effect of smoking marijuana is respiratory problems. Cannabis can cause a person to cough and wheeze. The possibility of cancer and respiratory proble...
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...ealed due to its conflict with the tenth amendment, why is marijuana still illegal? Marijuana prohibition goes against the second, tenth and fourteenth amendment, so it is clearly unconstitutional (Is Marijuana Prohibition Unconstitutional?).
All in all, marijuana should be legalized because marijuana is not dangerous, marijuana is beneficial, prohibition is a useless waste of time and money, and because marijuana prohibition is unconstitutional. “Marijuana prohibition causes more problems than it solves, and ruins thousands more lives than it supposedly saves” (About Marijuana). 2014 is anticipated to be a big year for marijuana legalization. More than 5 states are predicted to legalize marijuana. Legalization of marijuana won’t likely cause a great increase in marijuana smokers, but it will save a lot of people a few years in jail and a ruined permanent record.
First I will talk about some of the side effects of Marijuana. Immediate effects of smoking marijuana are minimal. A person’s heartbeat may increase by twenty to fifty beats more per minute. One’s eyes may become red, and time seems to creep by.
...are bad short term memory, apathy, lack of motivation and depression. Most findings do conclude after smoking marijuana for periods of time cause them afterwords to be disconnected from social activities and have noticeable differences in memory. But, most surveys or studies don’t usually ask the marijuana smoker to be clean for a year. This would probably prove more of the long term effects. It is somewhat disturbing that with all of the new technology, we cannot exactly prove that marijuana has long term effects. Short term effects have been pretty much proven.
Marijuana is a drug that is harmful to a person¡¯s health. It has been found to have adverse impacts on one¡¯s mental processes such as memory, attention, judgement, and problem- solving (Butcher, Mineka, Hooley, 2004, p.415). Also, marijuana can interfere with a person¡¯s ability to think rationally and logically. Thus, the lapse in judgement caused by the drug use can lead to risky sexual behaviours and this may result in increasing sexually transmitted disease such as AIDS. Moreover, the long-term use of marijuana may cause chronic breathing problems and cancer ...
First of all, some people feel smoking marijuana can get hyper, which providing them the emotion of happiness, and helping them to see the world from a different perspective. However, marijuana will cause a lot of healthy problems to human’s body. Marijuana has many physical effects on human such as rapid heart rate, red eyes and dry mouth. Because the chemical THC will enter into the body when people are smoking it, THC will enter through the bloodstream to the brain. The chemical affects them to feel ecstasy and unreality; therefore, THC will make them feel more confused if people smoke marijuana for a long time. According to, “ Treat marijuana abuse like a health problem” (McMillan, 2007, July 17), it shows using marijuana can cause more serious health issues on human’s body such as bronchitis, emphysema, and cancer. In addition, using marijuana has also been linked to lung damage and affects the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. For example, if marijuana ...
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 today's perspective. The history of marijuana prohibition is a story of racism, political repression, and poorly represents the qualities this country claims to embody.
The number one reason marijuana is illegal today is because of economics. Pharmaceutical companies make billions of dollars every year by treating medical conditions that could be treated naturally. People today have medicine cabinets that are completely full with medication that treats problems from headaches to anxiety and depression. The problem with this is that some medications do not react well with one another. You can have fatal results with mixing medication which is why you are told to consult your doctor before use. Some products even state the possible side effects which seem so horrible that you wouldn't want to risk it. The problem is mostly due to how huge these pharmaceutical companies have become, they can't come to terms that marijuana could eliminate the need for a large amount of medication being used today.
Marijuana used to be legal in the mid-1930s, “until the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 was passed by Congress” (Drug Legalization) . Congress passed this to make it illegal to have sold marijuana to anyone without having tax on the product (Drug Legalization). From that point on, marijuana was made illegal because of the few tax stamps that were being sold. During the 1970’s and the 1984’s, Congress was revoking laws that involved drug offenses (Drug Legalization). At the same time, the federal government was toughening the drug sales and possession laws (Drug Legalization). This has been going on for the past 80 years (Drug Legalization). Doctors then started to recognize the medical uses of marijuana (Rich). That made marijuana become deliberately sold in pharmacies (Rich). “The origins of marijuana prohibition in the United States stem from fears of a criminal element sneaking into the country, in t...
Marijuana can do so much for the society if it is used right, which is why marijuana should be legal. The government should try and do their best if they do not want to have more people in jail , and that way they can build more schools by using the taxes of marijuana. Marijuana legalization can help so many people by taking away the pain and not have to worry about money on medication. Legalizing Marijuana is not as bad as alcohol or tobacco, which will not cause so much deaths, unlike alcohol or tobacco. If marijuana is legal then people will not have to worry about being prosecuted or even arrested for the simple possession of marijuana. Marijuana should be legalized and the government should stop making it such a big deal and not get more people into prison because studies have shown that there has been more prisons built since the 1980s compared to schools, and more money goes to prisons than to
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.
Cannabis, more commonly known as marijuana, is a plant that people have been using recreationally for years. In fact, people have consumed marijuana since ancient times. Until 1906, the year the United States Congress passed the Pure Food and Drug Act. The debate on whether or not marijuana should be legalized in the United States has really blown up within the last decade. And finally, in 2012, Colorado became the first state to officially legalize marijuana for medicinal and recreational uses. The prohibition of marijuana has gone on for far too long, and it is time for America to change its views.
The long-term effect of marijuana is that marijuana smoke contains some of the same cancer-causing compounds as tobacco.
So why exactly should marijuana be legal? Well, there are many reasons both opinions and facts, but why does it need to be legal? According to many of my sources, marijuana has been found to be less dangerous than both alcohol and tobacco products. “Marijuana is safer than many over the counter drugs.” (Young, Francis L. 2) Judge Francis L. Young, from the DEA, declared that marijuana is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. “Long term heavy marijuana use does not produce the severe or grossly debilitating impairment of memory, attention, and cognitive function found with chronic alcohol use.”(British Medical Journal Lancet 4) Only a small number of marijuana users eventually smoke enough of it for a long period to suffer impairments matching those ...
People usually smoke marijuana in cigarettes or pipes, but it also can be mixed with food and beverages. Short-term effects of marijuana include both psychological and physical reactions. These reactions usually last for three to five hours after a person has smoked marijuana. The psychological reaction, known as a high consists of changes in the user´s feelings and thoughts. Such changes are caused mainly by THC. The effects of a marijuana high vary from person to person and from one time to another in the same individual. In most cases, the high consists of a dreamy, relaxed state in which users seem more aware of their senses and feel that time is moving slowly. Sometimes, however, marijuana produces a feeling of panic and dread. The different reactions result partly from the concentration of THC in the marijuana. Other factors, such as the setting in which marijuana is used and the userÕs expectations, personality, and mood, also affect a personÕs reaction to the drug. Long-term effects of marijuana are not completely known, but studies have shown that some people have used marijuana regularly for several months or longer have develop serious long-term problems. Among males, marijuana use can reduce the production of sperm and of the male sex hormone testosterone. Among females, it can cause menstrual irregularity and reduced fertility. Extended use of marijuana also has a long-term psychological effect on many people. These individuals loose interest in everything.
However, a number of people question why it is considered illegal, being it is a naturally growing plant or weed as some see it. With America’s war on drugs being highly focused on the increased use of marijuana, there is not much time for officers to focus on crimes of greater importance. Crimes related to illegal marijuana use are becoming more problematic due to drug deals that go bad, occasionally ending with murder. It has been estimated that one marijuana-related arrest is made every 42 seconds.
5. One long-term effect is the possibility of lung cancer, and many experts say that marijuana use leads to use of other more potent and dangerous drugs.