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Argumentative Essay: The Legalization Of Marijuana

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Everyday the government is ruining lives, and in some extreme cases killing the citizens they are supposed to protect. All because of a medicine that saves chemotherapy patients, epilepsy patients, and many others suffering from an array of medical issues. This medicine goes by many names; Marijuana, pot, weed, reefer, Mary-Jane, Bud, Dro, and countless others. According to the government this medicine is highly dangerous, and kills. The truth? Our government has killed, and continues to kill more people than Marijuana ever has, or ever will. The reason Marijuana is illegal in the first place is because Hemp (the leaves from the marijuana plant) held a monopoly in the manufacturing industry. In fact, George Washington grew hemp! Once Hemp …show more content…

A popular prescription drug called Adderall, is prescribed to children and adults everyday to treat Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). There have been over 200 reported deaths due to Adderall. The government sees this as a “safe drug” and continues to allow doctors to prescribe it. Marijuana, on the other hand, has never had a reported death due to overdose. In fact, it is impossible to die because of an overdose on Marijuana. This is because of the active ingredients in marijuana and how your brain reacts to them. The active ingredients in Marijuana are Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD). THC is the ingredient that makes you feel high, whereas CBD is the ingredients that has all the medical properties. Unlike opiates and other drugs, THC and CBD don't attach to your receptors that control your breathing. CBD and THC attach to a completely different part of your brain called the cannabinoid receptors which do not control breathing. Therefore, you cannot overdose no matter how hard you try. It would take someone sitting down and smoking over 200 joints in a row for them to die. However, it is NOT the marijuana killing them, it is the CO2 from the smoke that kills them, which has never happened. Marijuana also has many medical uses, despite what the government thinks. In the state of Arkansas Marijuana is classified as a schedule 1 narcotic. In order for a drug to be …show more content…

Peter McWilliams was a paraplegic who was diagnosed with AIDS. McWilliams smoked marijuana to keep him from throwing up his medicine. In 1999 McWIlliams was charged with the use and cultivation of Marijuana. During his trial, the judge would not let him plead his defense, and the judge found him guilty of all charges. Due to his circumstances, McWilliams was allowed to serve his sentence at home under house arrest. McWilliams also had to submit to weekly drug tests, keeping him from using the medicine that kept him from throwing up his other antibiotics. In June of 2000 McWilliams was found face down in his bathtub dead from asphyxiation on his own vomit. If Marijuana was legal, situations like this would not happen again. According to “Marijuana in Arkansas: Arrests, Usage, and Related Data” a collection of data written by Jon Gettman, Ph.D. , 50% of all drug related arrests in Arkansas are Marijuana related; Either use, possession, cultivation or intent to sell. Of this 50% , 40% are all non-violent crimes. The punishment for possession of marijuana is as harsh as life in prison. Currently there are about 8,000 Marijuana related arrests a year in the state of Arkansas. 6,000 of these arrests ended up with jail time, costing Arkansas taxpayers roughly $53 million a year. If Arkansas legalized Marijuana, it would save taxpayers about that much

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Marijuana is not only seen as a drug, but seen as a vital medication. To some people, it’s used as a cure. They don’t use it to get “high” or to relive their teenage years, but they use it to keep themselves out of pain and suffrage. Some patients spend hundreds of dollars on medication

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Everyday patients are visiting their doctors in a desperate search for help with their problems, some physical and some psychological. Far too often in today’s troubled society a doctor is quick to hand their patient a prescription for a powerful and potentially harmful substance. The prescriptions could include drugs such as benzodiazepines for psychological problems and epilepsy, or opioids for pain. Both of those substances can have substantially dangerous and adverse effects and could lead to addiction and even death. Marijuana is a much safer and more naturally occurring substance that can be used for all of the previously listed purposes.

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That’s how many people died in the first six months of 2017 from prescription drug overdoses. Do you want to know how many people have died due to a cannabis overdose? Zero. You would have to ingest an impossible amount for it to be lethal. To add to this, it’s easy to become addicted to prescription medication.

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The controversy of legalizing marijuana is pertinent in many aspects of modern society, and has far reaching implications that one might not realize upon shallow inspection of the issue. There are many subjects that cause this issue to garner attention, such as freedom, health, justice, and economics. The spotlight has created activists on both sides of the argument; However, all oppositional assertions are flawed or not substantiated. The prohibition of marijuana has been a futile effort guided by misinformation and nefarious interests. Marijuana has been researched more extensively and used more heavily than many currently available pharmaceuticals; It is known to not only be less harmful than alcohol, but also an effective medicine for seizures and anorexia.

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Before decriminalization of marijuana was established, the state of Alaska spent almost $25-$30 million dollars a year enforcing marijuana prohibition laws. After decriminalization, such funds were able to be transferred to necessary programs and civil services. The state of Alaska reported a significantly large marginal increase in revenue along with positive resident feedback due to the decriminalization. On a national level, a recent report by Jon Gettman estimated that national criminal justice expenditures for enforcing marijuana laws is “$7.6 billion per year” with “$3.7 billion” being allocated to police, “$853 million to the courts”, and “$3.1 billion to corrections”, amounting to a total of $15.253 billion dollars in tax payer dollars (“A Brief History of the Drug War”). That is $15.253 billion dollars that could be put towards education, public services or paying back the nation’s momentous pile of

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Although the bad name and label the Drug Enforcement Agency has given it, it has not been responsible for a death. Unlike tobacco, which takes five and a half million lives under its belt each year, there has also been no evidence that marijuana increases the risk or causes lung cancer according to Dr. Gabor Mate (qtd in “Culture High”). Even Earl Blumenauer, U.S. Representative for Oregon’s 3rd congressional district, agrees that marijuana is not as dangerous as meth. Blumenauer challenges the Deputy Director of the Office of Drug Policy by asking, “If a professional like you can't answer clearly that meth is more dangerous than marijuana, which every kid on the street knows, which every parent knows. If you can't answer that, maybe that's why we're failing to educate people about the dangers.

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As a nation we have come to point where we must take a unified stand on the issue of marijuana. Since 1937 the drug has been deemed illegal by the U.S. government but over the best decade, people have been pushing for the decriminalization of the cannabis plant. As a non drug user, i have researched the internet in search of unbiased information regarding the drugs health, economic, and crime influences on society. The fruits of my labor have brought me to the undisputable conclusion that our continued restriction on possession and use of the drug not only violates the liberties of U.S. citizens, but it also is costing Americans Billions of dollars, and something, our lives.

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Statistics show that over 6 million people are killed smoking constantly; also, statistics show that smoking kills over 600,000 people you secondary smoke. The government allows further domestic violence and further deaths by allowing alcohol use and smoking. However, the government still restricts the use of marijuana. But marijuana has no risks in health, and is said to cause the body to be more resistant to cancer. However, some people blame some rare car collisions on marijuana though there were other substances involved when the collision happened.

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Doctors will refer their clients to dispensaries to help their condition. Even for those who know they are dying, they chose to use marijuana for the pain, so they won’t be as miserable. The side effects of the drug are minimal, and as long as it is used in a contained environment where a person will not be driving, there should be no problem. The risks of drugs are known to users, just like cigarette risks are advertised, marijuana risks are too, and they are also not close to being as bad as those of cigarettes-- addiction is a separate issue. Marijuana can be an exit drug and help those who are addicted to hard drugs that kill, but people can also become dependant on weed, and that’s when it becomes a problem.

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yes It is impossible for a person to overdose on marijuana It was claimed that marijuana helps many people with nausea and relieved pain. This is why marijuana is frequently used for relieving chemotherapy side effects. A recent study showed that marijuana, if taken in lower doses, improved mood, as it reduces anxiety. infact opponents say that marijuana causes crime but yet again they have not noticed that most crimes due to marijuana is because it is illegal but the drug doesn't make you do crazy thing it self. People who consume marijuana for recreational purposes demand legalizing marijuana because they claim that alcohol and tobacco was legal although it caused more harm to a your body and had no benefits.marijuana is good for many thing such as Preventing Blindness Decreases Anxiety Preventing Cancer.

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[Accessed 08 January 15]. It can have many side effects and the longer you use the drug the more damage it can cause. It contains THC which is the ingredient in the drug that makes you feel ‘high’. Effects caused by marijuana consist of: anxiety, moodiness, depression, paranoia, memory loss (short term), an increase in heart rate, dilated pupils, an increase in appetite and also it causes a slower reaction time for users. Although not all users get addicted to marijuana, studies have shown that almost 10% of users do get addicted.

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People believe that if marijuana is legalized users will get addicted. Marijuana use disorder become what is known as addiction when “the person cannot stop using the drug even though it interferes with many aspects of his or her life” (“Is Marijuana Addictive”). Although addiction is a problem, out of all the people who use marijuana, only 9% become dependent on it (“Is Marijuana Addictive”). Also, opioids and painkillers are very addictive as well, and they can lead to an overdose resulting in death. The second concern is abuse.

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If marijuana is regulated and taxed properly, it can generate millions of dollars that can help pay the debt of the US and/or help cities rebuild a better infrastructure. Marijuana has become the third most popular drug in the US behind alcohol and tobacco. It is a renewable resource and is not just used for smoking; it can be used to make paper, oils, and cloth. Every year millions of tax dollars are being spent to enforce marijuana laws. If these laws were repealed and marijuana was legalized, we would not only make money from the marijuana, but we would also be using a lot less money to enforce marijuana laws.

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Marijuana, also known as Cannabis, is derived from the Cannabis plant and is used commonly for either recreational or medical purposes. Marijuana is composed of chemicals such as tetrahydrocannabinol (HTC, and over eighty cannabinoids. Marijuana is acknowledged for providing smokers with a “high” feeling. Since the twentieth century, this illicit drug has been banned across the world. However, over the past few years studies have been conducted on marijuana and the results show that it can actually be helpful in many different areas of society.

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