Free Argumentative Essays-Federal Legalization Of Marijuana

1277 Words6 Pages
Federal Legalization of Marijuana Marijuana, weed, cannabis, hemp, or grass, it is called by many names and has gotten a bad rap in the past few decades, but it should be federally legalized. We have been encouraged to believe it is a “gateway” drug and that it may lead to addiction and various health issues. Yet there are many therapeutic benefits as well as practical applications. The consumption of marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol and smoking cigarettes. There is an excessive amount of money spent every year on its regulation, criminalization and prohibition. While the use of marijuana is not “bad” or “immoral,” we, as adults, should be given the option. The cannabis plant has been used for thousands of years, not only for smoking…show more content…
His car was broadsided and he was thrown from the car. His injuries were extensive, causing him to lose part of his spleen. He was hospitalized for almost six weeks. He was given medication for the severe pain but nothing would help with the 30 pound weight loss caused from his inability to keep food down. His stomach actually forgot how to digest. He needed a feeding tube for the next six months. It was then he started smoking marijuana (legally). His appetite soon returned and his pain lessened. He no longer needed to take the harsh prescription medication the doctors were giving him and soon began to finally gain weight. If not for the marijuana, his recovery would have taken even longer. There are legal substances that can be mind-altering. One of those is alcohol. Alcohol affects judgment, and contributes to thousands of deaths every year, but it is perfectly legal (as long as you are over 21), and is not considered a public health risk. The Division of Vital Statistics reported that in 2009 there were over 15,000 deaths caused from liver diseases as well as over 25,000 additional deaths related to the use of alcohol. There has never been a reported overdose from the use of just marijuana. Yet drunk drivers are responsible for nearly one half of the highway fatalities, around 65 people…show more content…
It has been commonly labeled as a “gateway” drug that leads to using harder substances. Young people who smoke marijuana are two to five times more likely to move on to harder drugs. That is the formal opinion of researchers, who published their conclusions from a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Addiction is the compulsive need to use a substance in order to feel normal. It is a disease that can be treated. Dr. Jack E. Henningfield from the National Institute of Drug Addiction (NIDA) ranked the relative addictiveness of six substances (cannabis, caffeine, cocaine, alcohol, heroin and nicotine). Cannabis ranked least addictive, with caffeine the second least addictive and nicotine the most, both are legal and can be easily

More about Free Argumentative Essays-Federal Legalization Of Marijuana

Open Document