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Persuasive Essay On Medical Marijuana

991 Words4 Pages

Medical Marijuana: An Alternative Option
In today’s society, the legalization of marijuana is a topic of an unsettling discussion. For over decades, marijuana users have been fighting for making this drug as legal as other commonly used substances, like alcohol or tobacco. Yet, the history of marijuana goes way beyond these fights. One of the earliest mentions of the usage of marijuana dates back in 2700 BC in Asia, where, according to a legend, the father of the Chinese medicine himself, the emperor Shen Nung, found out about the healing properties of the plant. Over the next two thousand years, the mentions of Cannabis are found in the cultures of Egyptians, Indians, Greeks and even the Holy book of Christians, the Bible. In the last 400 …show more content…

This is the opinion of Dr. Robert L. DuPont, President of the Institute for Behavior and Health, who implies that the users of marijuana consume more legal and illegal drugs than the people who do not use marijuana and it is easier for them to transition to other drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine as they are more likely to become addicted to them than non-users of cannabis (DuPont). However, Dr. Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director of Drug Policy Alliance, debunks DuPont’s statement in several points. It is ignorant to consider marijuana as a “gateway drug” as most people tend to use alcohol and tobacco first, both addictive substances. Nadelmann cites National Academy of Science’ Institute of Medicine that says “there is no conclusive evidence that the drug effects of marijuana are causally linked to the subsequent abuse of other illicit drugs. Nadelmann gives a suitable example of Netherlands where marijuana has been to some extant legal for years and the overall use is actually less dominant than in the US. Not only that, the users are less prominent to use other drugs as well. This is due to dividing the “soft drug” from the “hard drug” markets. Perhaps the biggest evidence is the decrease of death caused by overdose of heroin and other opioids as medical marijuana becomes an option in more states in the US

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