Societal Issues Surrounding Marijuana Essay

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Societal Issues Surrounding Marijuana The use of marijuana has become very prominent in the United States. In 2009, approximately 16.7 million people ages 12 and up claimed to use marijuana (Answers to Frequently Asked Questions). Although many people associate marijuana use with a negative connotation, it has begun to take a turn toward the greater good: medicine. 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. …show more content…

One of the major arguments used by supporters is the simple fact that there are way less toxic ingredients in marijuana than there are in cigarettes and alcohol, which are legal. Cigarettes contain around 600 toxic chemicals, much of which are known to cause cancer, including formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, and ammonia. The side effects of marijuana are temporary and way less harmful. Also, medicinal marijuana is recently being used to treat many conditions such as nerve pain, eating disorders, seizures and many more. Many people believe that the prohibition of marijuana is causing the United States more harm than good and that the legalization of marijuana could increase the amount of jobs and