The Pros and Cons of Medical Marijuana Essay - 1201 Words

Marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America (behind only alcohol and tobacco), and has been used by nearly 100 million Americans. According to government surveys, some 25 million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year, and more than 14 million do so regularly despite harsh laws against its use. Our public policies should reflect this reality, not deny it.(keith stroepe). Marijuana should be legalized for medical use across the country. Marijuana has been used medically, recreationally and spiritually for about 5,000 years. Under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, marijuana was classified as a Schedule I drug because it was considered to have no â€Å"accepted medical use in treatment in the United†¦show more content†¦First, from 1900 to 1940, marijuana, including opium and cocaine were considered part of everyday drugs. As time went on, the U.S. cracked down on crack and opium, eventually outlawing them, but continued to be very â€Å"l oose† with the use of marijuana. Hoxter a weed smuggler explains how he began in the 1960’s trying weed and years later saw himself unloading four hundred pounds of pot in Vancouver. The story of this man ends in his isolation and argument of why he couldn’t smoke weed even if he stopped selling? He asked a parole officer and she didn’t know what to respond. It is true what Hoxter states, fifty years ago alcohol was illegal and now it’s not, was it bad then? Will weed be legalized? And will the conflicts have been in vain? (Schou 8). Around the late 90’s and early 2000’s, scientific studies started to produce jaw-dropping results. Scientists started to discover that marijuana can significantly help people who have become ill. Medical Marijuana has been tested to help people with cataracts, cancer and severe depression (Zeese 1999). With this new worldwide discovery, the argument about medical marijuana ignited. States wanted to only make medical marijuana legal so it may help sick people, but the government did not want any form of marijuana legal. The law that was known throughout the United States was any form of marijuana was illegal. But now with this new discovery, doctors in states across the country want theShow MoreRelatedShould Marijuana Be Legalized?935 Words   |  4 Pagesbuy marijuana! The states of Colorado and Washington are already allowing this (Pro Con 2014 p.20). I feel strongly that the drug marijuana should not be legalized. Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug (Pro Con 2014 p.19). When Colorado legalized this their â€Å"state went from the healthiest in the nation to one with thousands of mostly young adults in need of medical treatment (Congressional 2014 p.5). To me this is a big indicator to stay away from it. Some may say that marijuana hasRead MoreEssay about Should Marijuana be Legalized?968 Words   |  4 PagesShould marijuana be legalized for recreational or medical use? This is a debate that has been happening for quite some time and this is not just a debate that is happening among people. There are many that have taken sides including medical personal and government officials. Currently in the United States there are two states in which recreational use of marijuana is legal; Colorado and Washington. There are three states currently that have pending legislation to legalize recreational use; CaliforniaRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?1224 Words   |  5 PagesLegalizing Marijuana Many different web pages and read over the information that they provided and this is what is found. The debit for this topic is all over the place some say we should some say we should not legalize marijuana. The three main topics that will going to go more into depth with are the medical benefits, monetary benefits and the renewable benefits. But first, let a bit about marijuana, so other names for it is weed, herb, pot, grass, bud, ganja, Mary Jane to name a few. Marijuana can beRead MoreMarijuana: For Better or For Worse?1740 Words   |  7 PagesMarijuana is a harmful drug and should not be legalized. Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug used in the United States. It is a plant that grows from the ground however, it contains many harmful toxins. There are many pros and cons for the legalization of marijuana although there are more cons than there are pros; one being that children are the ones who abuse marijuana the most. Surprisingly, against other beliefs, marijua na smoking actually does impair the user’s ability to drive aRead MoreMedical Use of Marijuana875 Words   |  4 Pageslegalization of marijuana for medical use, eight out of ten states caused a decreased in teenage cannabis use. Currently in the nation there are several states that allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Government officials have different belief on medical marijuana. According to Judge Young, â€Å"Marijuana has been accepted as capable of relieving the distress of great numbers of very ill people† (â€Å"Top Ten†). The governmental figure sees potential with the use of medical cannabis. AccordingRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?1463 Words   |  6 PagesLegalizing marijuana is the most argumentative issue in United States. It has been discussed for many years. There are many debatable questions that need the final answers such as: Should Marijuana be legalize and taxed? Should medicinal marijuana in all states? Should the iss ue be addressed at the national or at the state level? Everything has its own pros and cons, so does legalizing marijuana. It can reduce the pain in medical purposes, prevent consumers from consuming marijuana illegally, andRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized? Essay1030 Words   |  5 PagesMarijuana should not be legalized There are many reasons why marijuana should not be legalized. There are also reasons why marijuana should be legalized. However, the cons for legalizing marijuana outweigh the pros, which lead to why marijuana should not be legalized. The topic of marijuana is extremely important in our society and one worth investigating. It was a blast finding information that I didn’t know about this topic. In this essay, I will break down facts, statistics, and data aboutRead MoreLegalizing Marijuana For Recreational Use1362 Words   |  6 Pageslegalize marijuana for recreational use. Similar to the age limitation set for buying and consuming alcohol and smoking of tobacco products, Colorado has set the age limit for recreational use for adults who are at least twenty-one years of age and over to use an ounce of this drug. According to the drugabuse.gov website, the drug marijuana is defined as a greenish-gray mixture of the dried, shredded leaves and flowers of Cannabis sativaâ₠¬â€the hemp plant. After two years of legalizing marijuana, ColoradoRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?1135 Words   |  5 Pageswere using cannabis as a medicine thousands of years ago. Marijuana is deeply American too—as American as George Washington, who grew hemp at Mount Vernon. For most of the country’s history, cannabis was legal, commonly found in tinctures and extracts† (Sides). This is how the national geographic article â€Å"Science Seeks To Unlock Marijuana’s Secrets† by Hampton Sides was opened. Very good opening sentences that provide a good idea of marijuana and a little history on it as well. There are many problemsRead MoreEssay Astonishing Statistics of Marijuana Use in Minors1539 Words   |  7 Pagesmillion Americans ages 12 and over have reported to using marijuana at least once within the previous year. That number alone is an astonishing statistic on marijuana users. Although marijuana has been a drug with increasing p opularity especially throughout the past couple of years due to the legalization in some states. In November of 2012 history was made when Washington and Colorado both legalized marijuana for recreational use. Although marijuana is considered to be a Schedule 1 drug, which means it