Marijuana: Illegal Drug Trade and New York Times Essay example

Submitted By salihaidao
Words: 1133
Pages: 5

Legalizing Marijuana The legalization of marijuana is a well-known social issue. No major moves have been made to encounter what should really happen. People have different standpoints on this issue. The many people for it make valid points and the many people who oppose it also give valid reasoning. The one thing to think about is, is it good for our economy as well as the community around us? There are medical and economical benefits as well as negative aspects such as more people will have access to drugs, which is already harmful, and the economy will be using more money than needed for unnecessary reasons. As you all may know we have certain rights as citizens that are there to protect our best interest, but the government still has a right to do anything they please and they will do whatever they want to have the economy at its finest. In my opinion, marijuana should not be legalized for all Americans. I think marijuana should remain illegal for most people, but those with a legitimate medical need should not be punished. Marijuana should be legal for medical purposes and that purpose only.
Marijuana has been around for many years and it will exist for many years to come, so it is an issue we simply can’t avoid. Legalizing marijuana has been a controversial issue surrounding California for many years. This drug is something that people will always try to make legal for several reasons. However, I believe that it’s not necessary enough to be legalized because it carries with it some negative aspects, especially in the area of health. Drugs, such as marijuana, are and should be illegal because they are harmful to the body which is why the government has not yet legalized it. Legalization of drugs—even if only marijuana—will increase the harm already suffered by the drug-using public by spreading use to even larger numbers of people (Legalization - Arguments Pro And Con). Although marijuana can be a medical benefit, marijuana itself is the root of many deaths of Americans. Legalizing marijuana is one of the things that will harm Americans’ health drastically. Dr. Brente Moore and the national cancer institute have evaluated data from a nationally representative sample of 6,728 adults. Their analysis indicated, “That a history of more than 100 lifetime episodes of smoking marijuana, with at least one episode in the past month, increased an individual's risk of chronic bronchitis, coughing on most days, wheezing, chest sounds without a cold, and increased phlegm” (Zickler). Within an hour of use, marijuana increases heart rate and blood pressure and can produce heart attacks in people with pre-existing heart conditions (Clare Hanrahan, PhD Rebecca J. Frey and Jacqueline L. Longe). Clearly, using this drug is a very serious situation. We have to ask ourselves, do we really want our government and community to be the blame for all these health problems occurring?
On the other hand, many might argue and say that marijuana has many medical attributes. This may be correct, but if it should be a medical issue it should only be given to patients who really need it, not to everyone who can get their hands on it. They would also argue that marijuana will beneficial for tax purposes, as well as helping to decrease the amount of people imprisoned for reasons related to marijuana and decreasing crime. We have to take these opposing arguments into consideration.
Although the people for the legalization of marijuana make valid reasons, I still believe that the legalization of marijuana would do more harm than help. Many people say marijuana is very beneficial to their health, but what tends to happen in other similar cases is that marijuana will lead Americans to try more harmful drugs such as heroin, cocaine or even harder drugs. Peter Provet explains, “When residents in treatment at Odyssey House (more than 1,000 every day) are asked about their drug history, most adults say it began with marijuana, and