Legalizing Marijuana Essay

647 Words3 Pages

Many people believe that marijuana is the gateway to other drugs; however, research has proven otherwise. These studies show that in the Netherlands, where marijuana is legal and regulated by the government, there is still a lower amount of drug use. ” The Dutch generally use drugs less than Americans do, according to national surveys in both countries (and these surveys might understate Americans’ drug usage, since respondents are less likely to admit illegal behavior). More Americans than Dutch reported having tried marijuana, cocaine and heroin. Among teenagers who’d tried marijuana, Americans were more likely to be regular users.” Marijuana is easily obtainable for many teenagers in America because criminals distribute it. If marijuana …show more content…

Marijuana does not have affects that negatively impact other people, whereas almost all other drugs, including cigarettes and alcohol, can negatively impact every one of the people surrounding us. A professor at Claremont Graduate University did some research on the subject. By measuring the “effective” dose of a substance and the “lethal” dose of the same substance, he showed how to find a “safety margin”. From this data, we can compare which drugs are less harmful in terms of chemical toxicity. “Based on my research, the safety margin of recreational substances as normally used is: 6 for heroin; 10 for alcohol; 15 for cocaine; 16 for MDMA; 20 for codeine; and 1,000 for LSD or marijuana. Cigarettes have little immediate risk of death because most of the very lethal nicotine is destroyed in the smoke. The long-term risk of addiction and cancer from cigarettes is well known. No drug is good for teenagers. But when it comes to the chances of immediate death by chemical toxicity, marijuana is about a hundred times safer than alcohol or cocaine.” If one would ever travel to the Netherlands, beyond popular belief, marijuana users function in every day places without being a threat to society. Adults in the Netherlands can purchase their marijuana in a store where it is regulated and can be controlled. If this is ever obtained in America, there would be a lot of positive changes within our