Cannabis, also known as marijuana is a drug that is used for medical and recreational use. Marijuana is illegal in many parts of the United States as it is deemed by many to be harmful. People who are found using marijuana or have it in their possession are often incarcerated for many years. However, marijuana should be legalized as it is helpful to people for many different reasons. Marijuana is no worse than alcohol and cigarettes and it should not be considered an illegal substance. Marijuana’s health benefits are one of the reasons for why it should be legal. Marijuana can help and has helped many who have or have had injuries or illnesses that legal medication hasn’t been able to relieve the pain for them. Furthermore, …show more content…
There are innumerable people who smoke cigarettes on a daily basis and when they smoke cigarettes, they become exposed to a variety of health illnesses. Strangely enough, smoking cigarettes is legal even though it can be harmful to one’s body, no doubt, in a few aspects marijuana can be harmful, but the tobacco in cigarettes are too. If the reason for why marijuana is illegal is due to it being viewed as harmful to an individual, why isn’t smoking cigarettes seen in the same manner? Research shows that tobacco is more harmful to the lungs than cannabis, tobacco is just as capable to causing harm to a person’s body, however tobacco is legal and marijuana is not. Cancer.org referenced many books when emphasizes that: “The carcinogens in cigarette smoke are known to cause lung cancer, colon cancer, and rectal cancer.” Statistics by Paul Brodish and Laura Brodish in the article “Smoking Has Serious Health Effects’ show that cigarette smoking is responsible for almost 500,000 deaths per year. In addition, 50% of those with lung cancer are ex-smokers. Tobacco is just as harmful as marijuana, but it is still legal. Of course, there are numerous people who still feel as if marijuana should still be illegal. In Research Supports Continued Prohibition of Marijuana, the author points out how the usage of marijuana has led to many emergency room visits. “In 2010, marijuana was involved in more than 461,00 emergency department visits worldwide.” The author didn’t stop there, it was also emphatically stated that marijuana usage was the main drug for which people needed treatment of: “In 2011, 872,000 Americans reported receiving treatment for marijuana use, more than any other illicit drug.” Untimely, tobacco and marijuana both have harmful consequences if one uses them. With that stated, my point Is that marijuana has health benefits to them also,