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Persuasive Essay On Cannabis Debate

623 Words3 Pages

Cannabis Debate Gloria S. Wahl San Jose State University PSYC 126, Section 02 Fall 2015 Cannabis Debate Cannabis is the most illicit drug around the world. More than 96 million individuals in the United States have smoked cannabis at least once, and more than 3 million individuals have been diagnosed with cannabis abuse (NIDA, 2010). The damaging effects of cannabis have long been recognized. For example, in a study conducted by Goncalves, Malbergier, Andrade, Fontes and Cunha (2010), researchers found executive cognitive functions deficits in cannabis smokers during abstinence. Similarly, results from a survey conducted by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA; 2010), revealed that adolescents at the age of 13 who smoked …show more content…

Cannabis is the most popular drug in the USA because it is easy accessible, it is not considered harmful, and it is less costly than other illicit drugs. In addition, its popularity may be due to the fact that more and more states are legalizing the drug (NIDA, 2010). I strongly believe that the legalization of cannabis would make the drug even more available to everyone, and it may eventually lead to a myriad of mental health disorders (i.e., cannabis-abuse disorder). According to Partwee (2008), cannabis is highly addictive because of its main active chemical Deltha-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). When a person smokes cannabis, within minutes of inhalation, THC passes through the lungs into the blood stream, passing it to other organs (including the brain) where cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 reside. These receptors play a crucial role on body functions (i.e., memory, thinking, movement coordination, and time …show more content…

But, what about when someone is driving under the influence of cannabis? According to a report released on September, 2015 from the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (RMHIDTA), in Colorado ¬–the only state with legal recreational cannabis– driving tickets under the influence of cannabis doubled from 33% to 66% in just one year. Cannabis-related fatalities also doubled, from 37% in 2007 to 77% in 2014. So, we should not consider cannabis to be harmless. Proponents of cannabis legalization may also argue that smoking cannabis does not necessarily mean that one may become addicted. But, what about people whom are vulnerable to stress or genetic predisposition? According to NIDA (2014), one in 11 people are at risk for addiction to cannabis if they are predisposed for mental health disorders. Let’s take into consideration the countless physical, psychological, behavioral, social, and environmental problems that alcohol and smoking cigarettes have caused already (i.e., auto-related fatalities, brain damage, family disruption, etc.). It simply means we do not need another source of problems. We need to protect our future generations. Everyone should take personal responsibility and think twice when a harmful drug like cannabis is

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