Marijuana Essay, Research Paper

INTRODUCTION

The decision to use marijuana is first and foremost a moral question. Drugs, in this case marijuana, is a moral assault on a person being, because they make a person less than what they should and can be, they degrade one s character, and systematically destroys everything a person cares about (Warren 1999). Marijuana is the drug that is disguised into medicine. Many people believe that marijuana can be used as medicine for some diseases, and, therefore, it should be legalized. However, many studies proved that marijuana is not qualified enough to be legalized as a medical substance. Besides, legalizing marijuana will be followed by the demand of legalizing another major drugs, such as cocaine and heroin. Marijuana should not be legalized due to the addiction attitude, economic loss, and health risks it causes; therefore, everybody should vote to stop stirring the pot.

Addiction Attitude

Drugs such as pot are addictive and destructive not only to the one s mind, but also to the society as a whole. People who are addicted to marijuana neglect duties that are important to their lovers, community, job, family, friends, God, and everything meaningful in their lives. The reason why marijuana addicts stir the pot is the same reason why some people consume the other major drugs, and this reason is to escape and hide from their duties.

People who believe in legalizing marijuana, believe that it s not addicting. They also believe that marijuana does not control somebody s life. Also, pro-legalizing marijuana people believe that it does not lead to using other drugs. However, all of these statements that are stated by the pro-legalization turn out to be false, Marijuana controls out lives. We lose interest in everything else; our dreams go up in the smoke. Ours is a progressive illness often leading us to addiction to other drugs Our lives, our thinking, and our desires center around marijuana scoring it, dealing it, and finding ways to stay high (Marijuana Anonymous 1997). It is a general rule that when someone is seeking recovery from a habit, they must be suffering from it.

By legalizing marijuana, the number of marijuana addicts will rise. Not legalizing the sale and use of marijuana means it is tougher to purchase the drug, thus decreasing the frequency of it s use and the frequency of addiction (Hedman1999). Therefore when marijuana becomes legal, many people will try to escape from their problems and duties in life and become addicted to it. Another disadvantage of legalizing marijuana is that people will spend their money trying to get high as they stir the pot, and eventually this will cause a shortage in the money supply for the families who are supported by those people.

Marijuana is addicting drug. Marijuana makes its addicts unable to accomplish their task in life in the proper way because it controls their lives. Legalizing marijuana will corrupt the society as it increases the number of addicts, and consumes the money

they make. Legalizing marijuana will have very destructive impacts. Those impacts start at the individual and end at the country as a whole.

Economic loss

The impacts of legalizing marijuana on the economy are very destructive. Those impacts affect the economy very badly because it is a drug that has a rapidly growing black market. The recovery from the bad effects of marijuana on the economy will not be by legalizing it. The recovery however, starts from the people who use marijuana. Those people have to start treating themselves to get recovered, which will stop the growing of the black market.

People who believe that marijuana should be legal claim that by legalizing marijuana the black market will disappear. In addition, legalizing marijuana will help the economy by taxing it with a high rate on its sales. Those economical benefits of the legalizing of marijuana work only on the short run. Where as in the long run, legalizing marijuana does not have any benefits.

In the long run, legalizing marijuana will cause an increase in people using the drug.

Therefore, there will be a need to increase rehabilitation programs that will come at the cost of taxpayers and the government (Hedman 1999).

The people using it can stop the fast growth of marijuana s black market. Those who believe in the benefits of taxing the sales of marijuana have to realize that the

taxation will not help the economy on the long term. As the number of the marijuana addicts increases, the taxpayers and the government will have to spend more money on rehab programs. Thus, the decrease of using marijuana means less health risks. Besides, a decrease in the use of marijuana means a decrease in the chances of ruining your brain function and a decrease in the risk of cancer.

Health Risks

The preponderance of scientific evidence to date demonstrates that marijuana is a dangerous drug. Marijuana is a contributing case in the injury and death to users and non-users alike (McCaffrey 1999). Research shows that marijuana impairs normal brain function, damages the heart, lungs, and immune system.

People who are pro-legalizing are trying to use the uses of marijuana in the medical fields to support their argument. Pro-legalization of marijuana believe that marijuana should be legalized for the sake of AIDS and cancer patients because of the relieving attributes that marijuana has for them. Another part of the argument is that there are people who cannot perform effectively in the society without marijuana.

However, solving the problem for those who cannot function in society without marijuana is not in legalizing it. People who cannot function in the society without marijuana are addicted to it and have to get them selves treated. Moreover, as for the use of marijuana in the medical fields, it has not yet been proven by the (FDA) food and drug administration that marijuana treats any disease or condition (Marijuana Anonymous 1992). Compared to the normal slides, the brain slides of the marijuana abusers

clearly show diminished activity in all cross sections particularly in the cerebellum (McCaffrey 1999). Obviously, the disadvantages of using marijuana in general and in the medical fields in particular outweigh the advantages of using it, and therefore, it should remain illegal. Although its not anymore in a couple of states such as California and Colorado.

CONCLUSION

Marijuana is an addicting drug. Marijuana makes its addicts unable to accomplish their tasks in life in the proper way because it controls their lives. Legalizing marijuana will corrupt the society as it increases the number of addicts, and consumes the money they make. Legalizing marijuana will have many impacts. Those impacts start at the individual and end at the country at a whole.

Marijuana is a dangerous drug. Marijuana damages the brain , heart, lungs, and immune systems. Regardless of people claiming that marijuana has good uses in the medical fields, there has been no certified evidence that proves that, or it would ve been legal in the whole country. Many researchers, however, prove that marijuana has some effects on the brain. Marijuana should not be legalized due to addiction attitude, economic loss, and health risks it causes.

Works Cited

Hedman, leighann. 1999. Legalization of marijuana. 25 August. Internet:

http://www.usask.ca/education/ideas/tplan/sslp/legmarij.htm

McCaffrey, Barry R. 1999. Smoked marijuana poses risks for the individual user.

Internet: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/

Marijuana Anonymous. 1997. Frequently asked questions. Internet: http://www.marijuana-annonymus.org/pages/faq.html.

_______. 1992. Detoxing from marijuana. Internet://www.marijuana-annonymus.org/pages/faq.html

Warren, Ady. 1999. Against the wind. 28 August. Internet: http:/

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ABSTRACT

Marijuana is the drug that is disguised into medicine. Many people believe that marijuana can be used as medicine for some diseases, and, therefore, it should be legalized. However, many studies proved that marijuana is not qualified enough to be legalized as a medical substance. Besides, legalizing marijuana will be followed by the demand of legalizing another major drugs, such as cocaine and heroin. Marijuana should not be legalized due to the addiction attitude, economic loss, and health risks it causes