Wed2view(A) Essay, Research Paper

Legalization of Marijuana—–The purpose of this paper is to discuss marijuana and compare bothsides of the issue of legalizing marijuana. We have two factions fighting each other ; onethose who are pro marijuana and those who are anti marijuana. These two factions have beenfighting on this issue on the halls of justice for years. Pro marijuana legalization groups such as the Physician’s Association for AIDSCare, National Lymphoma Foundation argue that marijuana should be legalized in order totreat terminally ill patients. Among them are AIDS victims who find that marijuanastimulates their appetites so they can fight off dangerous emaciation; glaucoma sufferers whohave used marijuana said it has prevented them from going blind, and cancer patients forwhom it alleviates the severe nausea that is often accompanies chemotherapy and sometimesmakes lifesaving treatment impossible. Due to all these lobbying groups which show substantial evidence thatmarijuana can be used as a prescribed drug. Also many advocates who are pro marijuanacomplain that morphine and cocaine are legal and are very dangerous drugs, that brings upthe question why not legalize marijuana as medical drug which is proven to be lessdangerous than cocaine and morphine. Lobbying groups in a San Diego, California , councilcommittee unanimously voted to urge president Bill Clinton and congress to end federalrestrictions against the use of marijuana for ” legitiment medical use.” City council women Christine kehoe said she wanted the city of San Diego “to go on the record we support themedical use marijuana.; marijuana can be a drug of necessity in the treatment of AIDS,glaucoma, cancer and multiple sclerosis. ” Many agencies which are anti marijuana such as Drug Enforcement Agencyand police departments argue that marijuana shouldn’t be legalized. These agencies believethat marijuana shouldn’t be legalized because if marijuana is to become legal then thousandsmore patients using marijuana. Then people will raise the question why marijuana illegalat all if its a medicine. The main reason why the Drug Enforcement Agency doesn’t want marijuanato be legal is because their is no hard core evidence that proves that marijuana is a effectivedrug as a medicine. In twenty years of research have produced no reliable scientific proof that marijuana has medical value. The American Cancer Society , American GlaucomaSociety,the National Multiple Sclerosis, the American Academy of Ophthalmology , or the American

Medical Association , say that their is no evidence that marijuana is a medicine.The agencies also argues that no other drug prescribed is smokedand that knew findings show that marijuana is acutely harmful to AIDS, Cancer patientsbecause the active ingredient in marijuana acutely reduces the the bodies white blood cellswhich fight off infection. The Drug Enforcement Agency along with police departments allover the United States believe, with the legalization of drugs crime will increase due to ahigher increase of pot users which will eventually become addicts and will still or kill in orderto get their drugs.These are the main points and reasons why the Drug named marijuana shouldn’t be legalizedin the United States of America. Seeing booth sides of the issue I come to a conclusion that marijuanashould be legalized in order to help people suffering from terminal diseases such as AIDS, Cancerand Glaucoma. Prohibition of marijuana over the past decades hasn’t deminshed the demandof the drug in the United States. The use of marijuana has acutely went up due to the massattention given to marijuana by rappers such as Cypress Hill who promote the use ofmarijuana as a social drug. But I believe that marijuana is here to stay in our society and isonly going through the stages that alcohol had during the prohibition era. Marijuana will become legal due to the knew administration which is liberal andwho’s leader , president Bill Clinton who had acutely used marijuana during the nineteensixties. Due to all these factors marijuana will become more widely accepted by theAmerican people who will pressure congress to rewrite the laws on the drug marijuana. Nowits only a matter of time before lobbying groups pressure the legislature to legalize it. Due tolegalization many states will be able to grow marijuana as a cash crop, and the United Statesgovernment will be able to tax marijuana and make revenue off it. The revenue made frommarijuana will be in the millions which can be used for drug rehabs and anti drug programstargeted at elementary children. Still by seeing both sides of the issue I’m stillone hundred percent pro marijuana because I use it socially and I believe its less harmful thanbeer or liquor because with marijuana you can’t overdose. THE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA FOR AND AGAINST 569-43-0246 ALFONSO A VALDE POL SCI 150

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