Marijuana is a topic that causes significate debate in the United States. And I have discovered that it isn’t always easy to find profound research based information on marijuana that can answer question and concerns about this specific drug. Is it okay to make this drug legal in the United States, if it is legalized is it something that should only be legalized for medical use, or recreational use? I wanted to take the time to address some of the issues I feel people have the most questions about. Congress determined that marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance. In 2012 Colorado and Washington passed initiatives that would make marijuana legal for adults twenty-one and older. But something that needs to be addressed is that Congress determined that marijuana is a dangerous drug and that illegal sales of it is still a serious crime. Marijuana is …show more content…
In the year 2011 more than 18 million Americans age 12 and older reported using the drug. Also approximately 4.2 million people met the criteria for abuse or being depended on this drug. This is more than pain medication, cocaine, tranquilizers, hallucinogens, and heroin combined. There are very serious consequences associated with this drug. In 2010 marijuana was involved in more than 461,000 emergency department visits nationwide. This number is nearly 39 percent of all emergency department visits involving drug use. And in 2011, around 872,000 Americans 12 or older reported receiving treatment for marijuana use more than any other illicit drug. I feel that there are many viewpoints to this drug being harmless, but these numbers and valid points state that this drug has very real and serious problems. Marijuana puts a strain on the healthcare systems, and it causes serious danger to the health and safety of the users, their family, and the people they care most about. I also feel like this drug causes more problems with the