Did you know there are activist groups pursuing the legalization of a harmful drug for recreational use? It sounds crazy but it is already legal for recreational use in eight states and even in our nation’s capital (Wallace, para. 2). What I am referring to is cannabis—commonly called marijuana, weed, pot, bud, ganja and a vast number of slang terms. Legalization of marijuana has quickly become a controversial issue in America. They say marijuana is a helpful medicine. They say marijuana can calm one’s nerves. People want marijuana to be legalized but I beg to differ. Marijuana should stay criminalized and illegal because if it was to become legalized, more people would use it and would cause detrimental effects on health and families. Years …show more content…
People will smoke to ease pain or stress in their lives or maybe to simply feel the sensation of being “high”. With that being said, it is not unheard of that cannabis ranks among the most commonly used illicit substance in the nation (NIDA, “Media Guide” 6). Even though marijuana is becoming more socially acceptable, many people fail to realize is that using marijuana is dangerous and still against the law in the majority of the United States and should not be used just because it is easily accessible. Because of my past experience with cannabis I have spent the majority of the semester researching the topic of cannabis in American society in an effort to support my own viewpoint with facts and information to back my position. Throughout this paper I discuss why cannabis should remain illegal for both medicinal and recreational use because I believe it is addictive, hazardous to one’s physical health, and detrimental to youth development. After giving a background on the history of cannabis, I will show through academic research and testimonies why marijuana should remain criminalized throughout the