Also, it can be very addicting and most adolescents who have been exposed to marijuana at a young age have parents who also smoke it. An adolescent’s home environment and friends can be a big contributor on why they start abusing this harmful drug. Though other factors also contribute to whether or not someone will become addicted to other drugs after using marijuana, including biological, social and environmental factors, it stands confirmed that marijuana use often serves as a gateway to other drugs of addiction. Another environmental factor is because the person who sells the marijuana to them more than likely sells or does other drugs. Therefore, that person hangs out with others who do harder drugs and peer pressure them into trying it.
Marijuana; Not Just a Counter Culture For many people the choice to use drugs is an easy one; no, but for other people when it is a life or death situation, or their depression is great enough, they will do and try anything to help gain relief from pain. With the legalization of Marijuana, medical patients would have the ability to seek other ways of treatment via medicine. Also with the legalization of Marijuana the gateway theory would be proven false. Along with these two solid reasons why Marijuana should be legalized, the federal government would also reap astonishing amounts of revenue that could be used to pay off debts and pay into social security. Marijuana has been used for thousands of years, not always for the “high effect,” but
People find it bizarre that the tobacco age is 18, but the drinking age is 21? People care more about alcohol than they do tobacco products, but tobacco is one of the leading killers in the U.S. today. Allowing 18 year olds to start ingesting tobacco products, such as cigarettes or chewing tobacco, at the age of only 18 will give them an earlier start to becoming addicted, and in the long run, shorten their life span. Some think it is absurd letting people smoke, but they cannot go out with friends and drink. Smoking and drinking are both addictive and can have negative effects if used improperly, but smoking one cigarette is more harmful than drinking one beer.
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.
In view of facts that it causes health problems, costs the government millions and is also harmful for the environment. Firstly, smoking has been shown dangerous to health. Tobacco is the cause of millions of deaths and illnesses. It has been known as one of the causes for heart diseases. “Atherosclerosis (buildup of fatty substances in the arteries) is a chief contributor to the high number of deaths from smoking” (Smoking & Cardiovascular Disease).
The moment that person sits in the driver seat, they become as dangerous as a drunk driver. Another extremely dangerous side effect is the slowing down of reflexes. If a marijuana intoxicated driver were to be confronted with a foreign object on the road, it we be too late for him/her to realize the danger he has placed himself and possibly the other passengers. Those side effects could be considered miniscule to the possibility that smoking marijuana leads to harder drugs. The cold hard facts prove that marijuana is the steppingstone to harder drugs.
Once marijuana became illegal in 1937 legal prohibitions against the drug have cost tax payers billions of dollars in law enforcement. Billions of dollars have also been lost in revenues if marijuana had been taxed in the same manner as are alcohol and tobacco. Decriminalizing marijuana has a very large potential for becoming a large source of additional tax revenue. The government profits millions of dollars in cigarette and alcohol taxes. Imagine how much more money could be made if marijuana became legal.
Recent polls taken by the Pew Research Center and General Social Surveys show that the main reason for support of marijuana is that the American public fails to see marijuana has a major moral issue (Galston, Dionne 1). Compared to gay marriage or abortion, many more Americans are indifferent when it comes to others using marijuana. Those against legalization who consider marijuana to be a gateway drug and a vice argue that legalization will lead an overall increase in consumption of the drug. They argue that legalization will decrease productivity in the workplace, influence children negatively, and increase drug induced automobile crashes. However, the pro-legalization Americans respond in saying increased marijuana use has no lasting health effects, legalization will allow for better regulation of distribution, and marijuana legalization will reduce alcohol consumption in America.
Do you really think smoking a joint is worse that raping and killing someone?? If marijuana were to be legalized, the jail would have room for criminals that deserve jail time for their crimes. Tax dollars that go to prosecuting and jailing these so called ‘criminals’ could go towards programs in helping inform smokers of how to do it responsibility. Drug dealers that dealt illegally would soon go out of business and drug smuggling would drop to a low. They would still sell cocaine and PCP and the other illegal drugs but they wouldn’t have the same profit that they got prior because marijuana brings in such a large
They believe that since alcohol and cigarettes are more dangerous so why shouldn’t it be legal if regulated in a similar manner. Many people are curious to see how this works for Colorado. With the passing of Amendment 64, marijuana will be distributed under the same guidelines as alcohol; meaning residents must be 21 years of age or older to purchase and possess the drug. Alcohol can lead to disorientation and uncontrolled behavior. Although marijuana can lead to a relaxed and euphoric feeling it will not cause you to make decisions you would not normally do.