Although alcohol is legal, it does not mean that it is better for you. There are arguments going both ways where people suggest that marijuana should be legal because alcohol is more deadly, while there are alcoholics that would say smoking weed is bad for you. Both substances are bad for your health and should not be used heavily by anyone. Marijuana has an immediate effect on the user, which last for about two hours after smoking. A person drinking alcohol may start to feel the effects after just one drink, and recover depending on how much the person drank, body weight, and how much they may have had to eat before drinking.
Some people think that legalizing marijuana is the only choice left. (Legalizing Marijuana) Others who disagree say that making marijuana legal will create more drug addicts and drug related crimes. (Zive, 2010) The people that want to make marijuana legal say that there is no good reason for it not to be legal. (Why Marijuana Shouls be Legal) We should have the right to make choices for ourselves as long as we are not harming others with our choice. The use of marijuana is far less harmful than other
In 1944 “The LaGuardia Report” was released, this was a report that studied the gateway effects and other associated Marijuana myths. The study showed that "The use of marijuana does not lead to morphine or heroin or cocaine addiction. ...The instances are extremely rare where the habit of marihuana (sic) smoking is associated with addiction to these narcotics" (Marijuana and the Gateway Theory). This shows that people who use harsher drugs and Marijuana started them at approximately the same time. One way people who get addicted to other drugs via Marijuana, is by having the Marijuana laced with other drugs or chemicals.
People who are addicted to narcotics due to chronic pain, would more than likely stop using if they could legally obtain marijuana. (NPR.org, 2009, John
Dylan Kelley Rough Draft 11-15-10 Yes We Cannabis Should marijuana be legalized in the United States? Should people be punished for smoking a harmless natural plant? The legalization of marijuana is a topic that most Americans have a powerful say in. Some believe it should remain illegal because they believe it’s a “gateway” drug or because it causes violence. Others, like me, think that the government shouldn’t have the power to outlaw if it’s not harming or endangering others.
Mohamed Alamoudi Why We Should Legalize Marijuana Many people believe that legalizing marijuana is only an issue of importance to “stoners” and other stigmatized groups in society; they couldn’t be more wrong. Marijuana is much less unhealthy than prohibition propaganda would lead you to believe. Furthermore, the government wastes vast resources on prosecuting and incarcerating nonviolent marijuana users. For these reasons, the United States should legalize and tax marijuana. The examples of the Netherlands and Portugal show that decriminalizing marijuana does not lead to “pot epidemics”.
For instance, say a friend of mine has a debilitating disease and no other treatment works for her but she is prescribed marijuana for her disease and it helps her function at a normal level. I would then be all for it and support her in her wishes to use marijuana. “For one it has cancer fighting properties like THC, it helps alleviate symptoms of chemotherapy, appetite suppression, muscular dysfunctions of MS and other pain causing diseases” (Stolic, 2009). But at the same time I feel it is addictive to users that don’t have medical conditions. From experience I know a lot of people that smoke marijuana and seem to function on a normal level but at the same time I see them becoming more dependent on it and can’t seem to function without it.
Although marijuana can lead to a relaxed and euphoric feeling it will not cause you to make decisions you would not normally do. When it comes to smoking the cannabis some say it is just as bad for your lungs as smoking, but a quote taken from an article on CBSNews.com written by Ryan Jaslow states, “The study, published in the Jan. 10 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, found occasional pot smokers - who used a median of roughly two to three joints per month - had normal lung function compared to tobacco smokers in the study.”(CBSNews.com). What this is saying is that smoking marijuana, although not great for your lungs, has less of a negative impact. Two states have already jumped on the legalization of the recreational use of marijuana. Colorado and Washington voted on a bill to legalize the drug for everyone for any reason and the people of these states were heard when the bills
What's important, though, is not so much the reason for wanting legalization but instead what one is willing to offer society in order to get it. The legalization of marijuana will not be achieved through cleverness; it is not a matter of refining an argument or implementing a shrewd public relations campaign. Legalization is a political objective, and political objectives are accomplished through making deals, through an agreed upon exchange of actions. Deals, though, ultimately require trust, something marijuana users are quite familiar with. Honesty builds trust, and more honesty about marijuana use in the United States can only advance the cause of legalization.
Final Paper 5/13/2011 Marijuana in California. The debate regarding the legalization of soft drugs such as marijuana is capable of being characterized as one which pits the concept of freedom of the individual against the concept of a paternalistic State. Advocates of legalization argue that amongst other things, marijuana is not only less harmful than alcohol and tobacco, which are legal substances, but also as a matter of fact has been proven to possess certain medicinal property. The people who support the legalization are member of law enforcement and medical professionals, who really know how ineffective and unnecessary in stance prohibitionist. In contrast, those opposed to legalization argue that the legalization of marijuana will