Legalization Of Marijuana For Medical Use example essay topic

Introduction "Hey man, you wanna get high?" Unfortunately, this phrase is said a countless number of times a day by high school students, referring to the use of marijuana. They have to sneak around, lie to adults, and they will do almost anything to get the feeling that marijuana creates. They risk getting arrested just to get this "special feeling". People should not have to go to such great lengths to use marijuana. The use, production, and sale of marijuana should be legalized in the U.S. Marijuana, also known as Cannabis Sativa, or pot, is defined by web as a dioecious plant containing upwards of four hundred chemicals. Affirmative Marijuana is helpful in many medical cases.

It is very helpful to people with anorexia. Anyone who knows marijuana is familiar with the "munchies". Every time you smoke pot you get a desire to eat. This helps anorexia patients gain weight. Synthetic forms of THC, the main active chemical in marijuana, such as Marino are ineffective substitutes because they often put patients to sleep before they start to eat, which is the whole point.

Marijuana also helps cancer patients. According to an article on web cancer patients smoke pot to dispel the nausea they get from chemotherapy. Doctors recommend it for epilepsy, arthritis, migraines, and glaucoma patients. In Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Use, Dene le Campbell said, "The outrageousness of the situation and a personal experience with a cancer patient is what prompted me to get involved; people risking arrest, dignity and the quality of life just to find comfort is outrageous", while speaking on why marijuana should be legalized. "Prohibition of marijuana doesn't work. It has only spawned an enormous black market, eroded our civil rights and corrupted our justice system".

On average, we sentence nonviolent drug offenders to five times more jail time than those convicted of manslaughter. "America is now the worlds largest jail or nation, with a prison population consisting overwhelmingly of drug offenders". (So You Wanna Know About the Legalization of Marijuana) If we legalized marijuana, our jails will be less overpopulated. While corn sells for a few dollars a bushel, pot sells for $70,000 a bushel.

Marijuana has taken corn's place as America's top cash crop. "Four million Americans regularly use marijuana more frequently than they do all other illegal drugs combined. They are no more criminals than people who like to have a drink and relax after work". Unlike alcohol though, marijuana never gives you a hangover.

In fact, alcohol is more dangerous because alcohol poisoning is a real risk. Furthermore, "no one overdoses on marijuana because it has a negligible therapeutic ratio; that is, you don't have to use much to get the desired effect."Compared with cigarettes and alcohol, the health risks and societal costs associated with even chronic marijuana use are mild. Yet we don't ban those items, while we deny marijuana to seriously ill people who could get a lot of relief from it. This is misguided and cruel". (So You Wanna Know About the Legalization of Marijuana) Negative Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug, meaning it has no known medical uses and possession of any amount is illegal, while cocaine is a Schedule II drug, meaning it can be prescribed by physicians. Marijuana can have many negative effects on the body.

Effects on the brain include changes in the way in which sensory information gets into and is acted on by the hippocampus, a crucial component of the brain's limbic system, which effects learning. Marijuana also has negative effects on the lungs. Marijuana smokers may have the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers have. These symptoms include daily cough, phlegm, symptoms of chronic bronchitis, and more frequent chest colds. Regardless of the THC content, the amount of tar inhaled by marijuana smokers and the level of carbon monoxide absorbed are three to five times greater than among tobacco smoke.

(Drug Information) Research has shown that babies born to mothers that used marijuana during their pregnancy had problems wit neurological development According to Parents. The Anti-Drug, studies have also found that "marijuana use among young people below college age indicates those who used have lower achievement that the non-users, more acceptance of deviant behavior, more delinquent behavior and aggression, greater rebelliousness, poorer relationships with parents, and more associations with delinquent and drug-using friends". An article called Should Marijuana be Legalized under any Circumstances? said that marijuana is often used as a stepping-stone drug, leading to heroin, cocaine, or other harder drugs. Marijuana is a very harmful drug and should be banned in the U.S. Personal Opinion I think that the use, production, and sale of marijuana in the U.S. should be legalized.

It's has many benefits. Some may argue that it is harmful and has disadvantages, but so does everything else in life. Cars are often referred to as "killing machines", and motor vehicle accidents are one of the leading causes of death in the U.S., yet cars are not outlawed. Marijuana can be very beneficial for medical patients. Why would anyone want to take that relief away from sick people?

Alcohol is also a dangerous substance, but is also legal for production and use in the U.S. I think doctors should be able to prescribe marijuana to their patients and people over the age of 18 should be able to use marijuana for recreational purposes. Upon turning 18, you are granted the right to vote, buy cigarettes, and enter into legally binding contracts, among other responsibilities. People should be able to decide whether or not they want to smoke pot. It's their life and they can do whatever they want with it.

Who is the government to tell people what to do with their own body? Compared with alcohol and other drugs, marijuana is proven to have milder health risks. There are less documented cases of death from marijuana, and it is unlikely to overdose on it. Also, if America legalizes the sale of marijuana, they can put a tax on it, make money, and in turn, strengthen the economy.

I think marijuana should be legalized in America. First, its risks are milder compared with alcohol and other drugs, it helps medical patients, the sale of it could strengthen the economy, and finally, it's no ones business what anyone else does with their own body. Overall, the use, production, and sale of marijuana should be legal in the U.S.

Bibliography

Drug Information". Parents. The Anti-Drug. The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign. 22 Sept. 2003.
Racial, Carol E. "Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Use". Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Use. 22 Sept. 2003.
Should Marijuana be Legalized under any Circumstances?" Legalization of Marijuana (Pros & Cons). 23 Sept. 2003.
So You Wanna know about the legalization of marijuana?" So You Wanna Know about the legalization of marijuana? 22 Sept. 2003.