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Pros And Cons Of Legalizing Marijuana

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The debate surrounding legalization of marijuana is between those who are for its legalization and those who are against its legalization. As seen in recent elections there is a relatively even split of those who are for its legalization and those who against it. For those states who proposed the legalization of recreational marijuana use, the law was only passed by a small margin. For example the law was passed in Massachusetts by a vote of 53.6% of people voting yes and 46.6% of people voting No. The law was passed by in even smaller margin in Maine with 50.2% of people voting yes and 49.8% of people voting no. If these election results are representative of the general population than there is an approximately equal amount of supporters …show more content…

Each side of the debate carries its pros and cons. From the point of view that marijuana should be legalized, one pro is that there are known medical uses for the substance that have significantly improved the lives of individuals. For example, patients have benefited from the use of medical marijuana to reduce nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy treatments, reduce ocular pressure from glaucoma, and treat neuropathic pain and spasticity in multiple sclerosis. The legalization of the drug would allow further research to be developed for their treatments and possibly explore other therapeutic uses. This research could also lead to a greater understanding of possible adverse health effects, which would be useful in educating the general public. Currently, it is difficult to collect research about the therapeutic uses because the federal government lists the drug as a schedule one substance, indicating that is has no medical use. Another pro that accompanies the legalization of marijuana is the revenue collected by the government and the increased regulation of the substance. Data suggests that marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug with 18.1 million americans aged 12 and older report using the drug within the past month. If all of these users …show more content…

It has already been seen in states that have legalized marijuana use that the perceived risk of the substance greatly decreases. This can be a very dangerous misconception as some adverse health effects of marijuana have already been observed. Some of these health effects include lung damage when smoked, tar from cannabis actually smoke contains higher concentrations of carcinogens than tar rom cigaret smoke. Cannabinoids have also been found to suppress the immune system and increase the risk of bacterial and viral infections. Another con that accompanies the legalization of marijuana is the potential for an increase in driving related instances by individuals under the influence of marijuana. Marijuana is known to decrease reaction time as a result of a lacking awareness and alertness of all surroundings. These effects would cause significant impairment in driving

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If you aren't using the requirements to drive a car, you are putting a lot of people in danger. Marijuana is able to slow you down, and turn you into a straight up zombie. It is because the THC in this drug, messes with your brain's orbitofrontal cortex. Acting like a zombie in public, is harmful to yourself and others. The drug affects your learning, memory, and reaction time.

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It causes safety issues, can get in the hands of minors, and leads to other dangerous drugs. People think that marijuana cures and relaxes cancer patients. True, it has some benefits, but there are numerous other medications and treatments that relax patients and compromise the risk of cancer. Marijuana is a big safety risk, it causes the multitude of car accidents and other crimes. It also can affect minors who use it, causing them lower life satisfaction and later in life, psychosis.

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Many in favor of legalization would state that marijuana has minimal health risks, is not addictive, can treat many major illnesses. One interesting statistics suggests that the legalization of medical marijuana actually lowers the abuse or experimentation of marijuana use in youth. Also, legalization of marijuana in all states suggests an overall decline in crime rates. One can assume that legalization would provide necessary medical treatments for those who need it, less abuse of marijuana use, and a lower crime rate involving drugs. It has been said that marijuana is safer than many other drugs that are already legalized, and marijuana has never killed anyone from an overdose.

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1004 Words | 5 Pages

Legalization can be a step toward criminal justice reform, addressing social injustices and promoting equality. Critics raise concerns about the potential adverse effects of marijuana use, especially among vulnerable populations such as adolescents. Prolonged use may lead to cognitive impairments and addiction, impacting overall public health. Marijuana impairs cognitive functions, which could increase the risk of traffic accidents. Critics argue that legalizing marijuana might lead to more incidents of impaired driving and related

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514 Words | 3 Pages

Marijuana has had a significant amount of medical breakthroughs in its ability to help treat many diseases and disorders such as, glaucoma muscle spasms and even anorexia and bulimia. However, despite these many medical advances, there still lay many controversies surrounding the topic. Marijuana supporters argue that the drug should be used in medicine and be legalized for recreational purposes; on the other hand, those against marijuana argue that it is a gateway drug and should not be used in medicine or recreationally.

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Admittedly, the utilization of marijuana holds many cons. Due to marijuana being a mind-altering, psychoactive drug, there are concerns about the age usage of it. Marijuana is widely used, especially in adolescents and young adults. In the US, there are about 20 million users of marijuana. Around 7.5% of those consumers are aged twelve or older.

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The view on the legalization of Marijuana depends on your morals and beliefs. Marijuana is a very controversial topic because it is a drug that some view as good and others view as bad. With the legalization of Marijuana the government is giving marijuana similar guidelines to those of alcohol. Marijuana is legal in a few states but still remains illegal federally. It is causing uproar around the country because it's a drug that's been illegal for years

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Marijuana is a substance that is both beneficial and harmful to your body. However, despite the many cons of legalizing marijuana, the pros overlook the downfalls of it. Marijuana could be argued that it’s physically unhealthy for your body, but is actually a very effective medical source. In the United States Marijuana legalization has been debated nonstop since the drug's existence. Marijuana has been proven and tested to be a positive impact on our American society.

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Marijuana or cannabis has many effects some consider them good or bad. In my case I would consider them good and want this plant to be legal because many people consider this plant as a drug and this plant needs some support. This plant that could save people lives is not a drug it’s an herb made into medicine or edibles to help people from stress and diseases. Cannabis has positive reviews on health and can get rid of diseases. Cannabis has been tested on different diseases, sleeping disorders, aches, and pain and eating conditions.

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It was discovered that those who did smoke marijuana have impaired neural connectivity in certain areas of the brain. A region in the brain that Marijuana effects directly is the precuneus region; this region is responsible for a person’s ability to be alert or aware of things going on around them. Marijuana has been known to decrease these two essential processes. Marijuana also affected the fimbria, an area of the brain that is vital to learning and retaining memory (New England Journal of Medicine). These negative effects on the brain have been noticeable to those adults who began using during their adolescent years.

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It can affect an individual’s perception and decision-making process. This is the reason why drug testing policies have been implemented on some companies to protect the employees and the whole workplace- to keep it safe and maintain a positive and healthy environment. 7. Road accidents have increased over the years due to people who drive while under the influence of either alcohol or drugs. According to reports, there was at least a 3% increase in the number of car collisions on states with legalized marijuana use.

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Marijuana Legalization for Recreational Use Legalizing marijuana has been up for discussion and debate for close to seven years. However, there is an astounding number of research articles and headlines explaining the risks and possible dangers that come with legalizing pot recreationally. Without question, marijuana legalization is a hot topic in today's society, especially with misleading information on the rise and peer pressure being higher than ever. If the U.S. government passed the law for recreational use of marijuana for anyone and everyone over the age of twenty-one, addiction rates in young adults will skyrocket as well with deaths while under the influence.

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1178 Words | 5 Pages

Cons of Legalizing Recreational Marijuana Marijuana legalization, for whatever reason, has been a topic of heated debate for years now. Different people express different opinions about why or why not it should be legalized for recreational use. The American FDA categorizes marijuana as a Schedule I drug meaning that its benefits are not guaranteed as many people claim. Although the drug has been said to contain medical benefits, the reality is that further research on how and when to use it is needed. Different states have legalized the use of Marijuana for medical reasons.

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461 Words | 2 Pages

Next, marijuana can cause brain impairment to the user. A Long and heavy use of marijuana can cause impairment of thinking skills and memory problems; these damages can be quite dangerous while doing simple activities such as driving. Three hours or

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1693 Words | 7 Pages

This subject has been debated numerous times over the past few years. People’s points of view and researches about the topic have varied greatly. Some people believe that marijuana should be legalized, while the rest feel should stay prohibited. Proponents of marijuana argue that there are numerous medical benefits and that the drug is not more harmful than tobacco or alcohol. On the other hand, opponents argue that marijuana is too dangerous; its legalization would increase the chances of the drug falling into the hands of teens and that marijuana use often progresses to the use of more dangerous drugs like heroin and cocaine.

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