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Why Marijuana Should Be Legal

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Why Marijuana Should Be Legal

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I'm not trying to be an advocate for the use of marijuana, because it is not for everyone, but I do strongly believe that if you are going to make products available for legal sale that are proven contributors to things such as cancer, drunk driving, heart, and health problems, than the jury should be out on legalizing marijuana soon.

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All I can base my case on are personal experiences. I'm not a drinker, or a smoker, but I am fair, and since I've had first hand experience watching someone use marijuana to help them, while watching those other legal drugs destroy different people that I have known; I have started to build a strong animosity towards the hypocrisy behind the fact that marijuana is still considered an illegal substance.

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The most compelling personal experience that I've had with respect to marijuana being used to help someone is in the case of my good friend's brother. He was only thirty seven when he passed away from stomach cancer. Although there was an eleven and a half year difference in age between him and I, he always treated me with respect and like I was one of his own brothers. So we were close.

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He moved to <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:State><st1lace>California</st1lace></st1:State> for work and soon after was diagnosed with cancer. By luck, <st1:State><st1lace>California</st1lace></st1:State> was one of ten states allowed to prescribe marijuana to treat illness. (Siegel, 2003) He was given a card that he could take to the pharmacy and get the prescription filled. We affectionately named it “The Weed Card.” Unfortunately there was no stopping the cancer that eventually took his life, but the marijuana would ease the pain and nausea, increase his appetite, and make him laugh when he needed to. It didn't hurt him, it only helped.

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If I was submitting this paper to a panel of judges who were going to make the decision of legalizing pot or not, I couldn't expect to convince them strictly with sob personal experiences. So let me make a couple of points. To start, I am going to compare some of the effects of marijuana as opposed to other legal over the counter substances such as cigarettes, alcohol, and exercise supplements, just to name a few. Something else to think about is that recently, there have been many research findings which contradict earlier studies that have labeled marijuana as illegal and a risk to society. (Marijuana: The facts, 2005) So what's the truth? What do we the public know for sure?

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Well, we all should know by now that cigarettes are bad for your health. Subsequently, nicotine has been studied and is known to be physically addictive. Anyone who has a family member or a friend who smokes cigarettes knows what I'm talking about. We've all seen them try to quit time and time again. When they do try, they get irritated, some get sick, and others have even worse withdrawal symptoms. (The American Heart Association, 2005)

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The most commonly known similarities between nicotine and marijuana is that they are both addictive. But there is a significant difference between what addiction means for each one and the health risks involved. Usually when people think addiction, they think of someone (or even themselves) who feels great when they are on the drugs, but go through uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms when they are not, which in turn makes people want it more and more.

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The difference between the two is that marijuana addiction is much more mental and has proven not to be physically addictive as opposed to tobacco and nicotine. (Marijuana Addiction, 2005) Another aspect that marijuana does not share with cigarettes is that being addicted to nicotine and tobacco has been compared to the addiction associated with heroin and cocaine, which also happen to be two of the most physically addictive drugs known across the world.

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Because I pride myself on being fair, I want to touch on some of the other health risks involved. One thing I found to be interesting is I that I was unable to find one single web site or piece of literature that has research findings of any kind, which contradict the harmful effects of cigarettes. They all tell me cigarettes are not good for you, period. (The American Heart Association, 2005)

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However, I was able to find several conflicting sources on marijuana where one study say it is no good for you, and another study says that it truly is not as bad for you as was once thought. (Marijuana: The facts, 2005) That by itself should raise your eyebrows just a smidge. The other fact that we do know for sure is that physical dependence is not much of an issue with marijuana; however, the consensus is that it may be a mental thing. And, there is simply no comparison between the cravings a person has for alcohol, opiates, or cigarettes as opposed to marijuana.

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The ironic thing is that we know marijuana reduces nausea and increases appetites in cancer patients, helps people with glaucoma, and it is linked to reducing asthma attacks. The list goes on and on (Levinthal, 2002). So what's so bad about it? We know there is no concrete evidence that it causes cancer like cigarettes, there is no real scientific studies (other than quarter of a century old speculation) that supports whether or not it kills brain cells, and the only support the government has in regard to any health risks marijuana poses to humans are the result of studies on animals; not humans. (Marijuana: The facts, 2005)

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But even though we have these facts about comparisons between cigarettes and marijuana, anybody can purchase cigarettes anywhere. Even that new law that requires you to be eighteen (or whatever it is) to purchase cigarettes doesn't stop the kids all over this country from hanging out in front of the store asking people to buy cigarettes for them until someone does. At least they do in my town. But get caught with a nickel bag of weed, and you have to face the consequences of going to jail, increasing crime rates in your community, paying fines, and losing student loans; not to mention it's hard to find a job with prior arrests.

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The lamest reasoning I've heard from the people who believe marijuana should be illegal is that it is a gateway drug. (Marijuana: The Facts, 2005) How can you possibly prove that? That all really depends on the person. Marijuana is the most popular illegal drug in the country, and yes there are individuals who have smoked marijuana and also experimented with other more serious drugs, but there is no handbook for drugs users that states that you have to smoke marijuana before you can use any other drug.

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My case in point is where I work. This will be another example where we will give credit to “personal experiences.” I have an inside look into the world of addiction on a daily basis because I am the Executive Assistant at a drug & alcohol rehab for adults and adolescents. I can tell you that a majority of the clients come in addicted on drugs far worse than marijuana and some have never even smoked pot. It goes without saying that there are a minority where the shoe is on the other foot. But I also know a guy who breaks out in hives and gets sick if he eats chicken or fish, and I love chicken. My point; it depends on the person.

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So what about alcohol? Why is that legal? This drug, simply put, is poison to the body. When a person comes “down” off of alcohol, this poison erodes the liver as it passes through the body causing cirrhosis, which we all know leads to death. Then, there's the social aspect. When is the last time you've seen someone who is high on weed loose all self control like people do when they are drunk. This behavior can resort to violence that leads to serious crimes such as physical and sexual assault, disorderly conduct and drunk driving. (Levinthal, 2002)<o></o>

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All we have to do is turn on the TV at night and you will get all the supporting evidence you need to support the claim that drugs can and will cause violence and crime. But there is also supporting evidence that marijuana, if used by itself, makes a person calm and mellow, almost lethargic at times, which makes the individual less likely to commit a violent crime. Alcohol on the other hand, is the most commonly known psychoactive drug connected with violent behavior. (Levinthal, 2002)<o></o>

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“According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2004, an estimated 16,654 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes - an average of one almost every half-hour. These deaths constituted approximately 39 percent of the 42,800 total traffic fatalities.” (MADD, 2005) I attempted to find out how many people died from marijuana use in 2004 and got nothing. That's pretty substantial evidence in itself to support my theory.

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Suppose we went back to the way things were done prior to the 20<SUP>th</SUP> century when people minded their own business. Back when addicts functioned in the community and at work. The ironic thing is that prior to the 20<SUP>th</SUP> century, there were attempts to ban alcohol but none against more serious substances. (Siegel, 2003) A person who abused drugs back then would simply be viewed as a person who lacked morals, but no worse than a person who consumed alcohol. (Levinthal, 2002) Would it be easier that way? Would there be less government money wasted on “the war on drugs” that looks like they will never win?

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What if we just educated people about the real harmful drugs out there and then we just let them make their own choices, like they pretty much do anyway. You and I both know why. The government wants their cut. It's that simple. And if they can't control it, they make it illegal. Of course, that's strictly my opinion, but I am also the guy who doesn't understand why this country ever uses the word “deficit” when we can make money. <o></o>

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How much does money play into it? Suppose those legal drugs were all of the sudden illegal and marijuana was all of the sudden legal. For one day, how much money do you think the country would lose? Long term, the economy would probably plummet. So why not just legalize marijuana? What's stopping them? Are there people still hanging around in the government from a quarter century ago who told us marijuana was bad for us that don't want to put their foot on their collective mouths?

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At least the Food and Drug Administration initially tried to advise people not to take supplements containing ephedrine once they learned of the negative health effects. Then, for whatever reason their conscious got to them and they eventually banned the sale of anything containing the drug. (NCAM, 2005) But I wonder how much of that was done just to save face for all of the other legal drugs that are out there causing people similar or worse health problems.

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In doing my research on this topic I have come to the conclusion that no one seems to really know whether or not marijuana is good or bad for you. It seems as if you could simply say that it depends on the person. And if you are going to say that, you could logically put the use of marijuana in the same class as cigarettes, alcohol, or over the counter medication for that matter. This is why I believe marijuana should be legal.<o></o>

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References
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Marijuana: The facts (n.d.) Retrieved <st1:date Month="5" Day="29" Year="2005">May 29, 2005</st1:date> from, http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/

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The American Heart Association (n.d.) Retrieved <st1:date Month="5" Day="29" Year="2005">May 29, 2005</st1:date> from, http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4753

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Marijuana Addiction Info (n.d.) Retrieved <st1:date Month="5" Day="29" Year="2005">May 29, 2005</st1:date> from, http://www.marijuana-addiction.info/addiction.htm

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Levinthal, Charles F. (2002). Drugs, Behavior and Modern Society. Alan and Bacon

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Siegel, Larry J. (2003). Criminology (8<SUP>th</SUP> Ed.). Thomson & Wadsworth

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MADD: Mother's against Drunk Driving (n.d.) Retrieved <st1:date Month="5" Day="29" Year="2005">May 29, 2005</st1:date> from, http://www.madd.org/stats/0,1056,1112,00.html

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NCAM: <st1lace><st1laceName>National</st1laceName><st1laceType>Center</st1laceType></st1lace> for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (n.d.) Retrieved Mat 29, 2005 from, http://nccam.nih.gov/research/

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I hope I posted this right.