Weed, pot, dope, and cannabis; these are all names of the one drug that causes so much dispute, marijuana. Loved by so many and hated by the law, it is the most controversial issue in today’s society. It’s a two sided argument which everyone has their own opinion on, whether they should legalize it or not. It seems that all opinions on this subject are divided into three basic groups. Many think that it is not worth legalizing marijuana, many seem to think it should be legalized, and some people say it should only be legalized for medicinal purposes. The main question is, should it be legalized and if so for what purposes?
“Marijuana, which is derived from the dried leaves and flowers of the herbal plant Cannabis sativa” , it was freely bought, sold,
…show more content…
It is widely used because unlike other schedule I drugs, it is viewed as safe more than it is viewed as unsafe. “Approximately 12% of individuals 12 years of age or older reported using this drug in 2013, and rates are the highest at the younger ages.” Moreover, more Americans now perceive marijuana as harmless rather than harmful and it is turning into a mainstream idea that it should not be controlled or considered an illicit drug. It is a substance that has become very much a part of our American culture. Dating back to the 70’s, a time at which marijuana was illegal and considered a schedule 1, a study was done by Rich Stingl and Alex K. Alexander on the amount of marijuana use during that time stating “It was estimated that about twenty-five million Americans were using marijuana in 1972; a 1977 survey indicated that the number of young adults who had tried marijuana was only slightly lower than the number of young adults who had tried tobacco.” From earlier research, we can conclude that even though marijuana is illegal, it is still persistently being used throughout the United