Marijuana Reform Essay

marijuana at some time in their lives. 18 million have smoked marijuana within the last

Medical marijuana has been one of the most controversial topics in politics for years regardings its legalization and any possible benefits. Marijuana is commonly referred to as the “gateway drug” and has been thought to be what causes the downfall of our youth in today’s society. This has caused Marijuana to earn a bad reputation due to the immense surrounding propaganda and bias opinions. Cannabis is the scientific name of the plant which is absolutely natural and free of chemicals, but the psychoactive components in the plant has been proven to be of medical use. If medical marijuana is prescribed correctly it has the potential to help thousands of patients due to the variety of benefits it can medically provide. Medical Marijuana should

There has never been a death from marijuana overdose. “A person would have to smoke 20,000 to 40,000 times the amount of THC in a joint to overdose” (Wing). Marijuana was classified as an illegal drug in 1970, because it can be abused very easily (“infoplease”). Marijuana was then grown indoors. Marijuana is illegally used by many people daily. Marijuana should be legalized because it is naturally grown and can be used to help cancer patients, relieve stress, and be used daily.

Lately it seems that drug policy and the war on drugs has been in the headlines quite a lot. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the policies that the United States government takes against illegal drugs are coming into question. The mainstream media is catching on to the message of organizations and individuals who have long been considered liberal "Counter Culture" supporters. The marijuana question seems to be the most prevalent and pressed of the drugs and issues that are currently being addressed. The messages of these organizations and individuals include everything from legalization of marijuana for medical purposes, to full-unrestricted legalization of the drug. Of course, the status quo of vote seeking politicians and

Lester Grinspoon, M.D., the Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School states that although cannabis is not entirely harmless, it is a safe drug. He also says that it is less toxic than the other conventional drugs that it would replace if it were legalized. In the history of its use it has never caused an overdose death. Cannabis would be one of the least toxic and addictive medicines in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia if rescheduled and legalized for medical use. Patients would not have to deal with the anxiety and expense that they deal with now. Cannabis would be at least 100 times less expensive than current medicines that perform the same treatment. Dr. Grinspoon also states that the most serious concern would be respiratory damage from smoking. The particulate matter in the smoke could be separated from the active ingredients, the cannabinoids to reduce the risk. Prohibition has prevented this technology from happening (Lester Grinspoon, 1997).

Marijuana isn't as bad as people say it is. These are reasons why marijuana isn't as harmful for your body for you as you think. There are actually many benefits from marijuana that can help you.

The argument of legalizing or prohibiting marijuana has been going on for very long time all over the world. In most countries, possession and use of marijuana is considered illegal. Today, some countries have legalized marijuana while other countries have not. In the United States, some states such as Washington and Colorado have also legalized the possession and usage of marijuana for medical and recreational purposes for adults. There are a number of advocacy groups that stand for its legalization for health related claims and also for a responsible recreational usage. On the other hand, various penalties are imposed for use or possession of marijuana in most countries. The use of marijuana is a very serious question as it always deals with the life of human being and its impact to our society. The risk of addiction, poor health and socio-economic problems associated with the use of marijuana are few of the many reasons why Marijuana should be illegal in United States or any other country in the world. Lots of research has been done to provide substantial scientific evidence as to why Marijuana use is harmful to oneself and to the society.

Purpose: To persuade my audience to: support the legalization of marijuana, because of it being able to provide many medical as well as economic benefits for the United States if legalized.

Abraham Lincoln spoke of prohibition as an “attempt to control a man’s appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes” (Lincoln). The prohibition and eventual repeal of the prohibition of alcohol taught the United States a valuable lesson about making essentially non-harmful entities illegal. Yet, even today the current prohibition on marijuana reforms has put the United States in a similar situation. Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, “95 million Americans age 12 and older have tried "pot" at least once, and three out of every four illicit-drug users reported using marijuana within the previous 30 days” (ONDCP). The decriminalization and eventually legalization for the recreational use of marijuana will bring forth benefits in all aspects of life in the United States. Many oppose the idea of marijuana legalization, but there is strong evidence to support the endless benefits its of legalization. 1. For starters, cannabis is proven to not be a life-threatening drug. 2. Furthermore, legalization will result in enormous societal benefits such as tax benefits, decreased criminal behavior, and the creation of new jobs and businesses. 3. Ultimately, the legalization of marijuana will bring forth safeguards and regulations to help insure the safe use and regulation of the product.

The legalization of marijuana has become a topic of intense debate and discussion socially and politically in recent decades, with three main schools of thought arising over the current issue. Some argue marijuana should remain illegal at the federal level in the United States. Others argue marijuana should be legal at the federal level for both medicinal and recreational use. Still others argue marijuana should be legalized but only for medicinal use. While discussion of the matter has become very polemical and controversial, further research is crucial and necessary to expound the medical benefits of marijuana and remove

When a someone hears the term “Marijuana” the first thing that comes into the mind is that it is a drug which is illegal. Some people believe that the only use of marijuana plant is that it can get you high, which is far from the truth. The Marijuana, cannabis, or hemp plant is one of the oldest psychoactive plants known to man. Many people fail to acknowledge that marijuana has a history of more than 8000 years and it has only been illegal for a short period of time. Its history dates back as far as 6000 B.C , when cannabis seeds were used as food in early Chinese traditions. People have used the hemp plant for fabric, ropes and even ethanol fuel. False myths have discredited marijuana for a long time, marijuana not only provides benefits

A controversial issue relating to the legalization of Marijuana has been brought to the attention of the public. Many Americans support the legalization of marijuana for numerous reasons, such as it is a useful aid to alleviate medical ailments and it has a low risk of abuse; nevertheless, others people do not believe that the marijuana should be legalized. When the practical reasoning is involved, however, I believed that the positive impacts of remaining marijuana illegal outweigh the negative aspects of illegalization of marijuana.

What exactly is marijuana? Marijuana, also known as pot or hemp, is a naturally grown substance that contains THC. THC changes how the brain works and gives the user a high that relieves many different pains and even helps erase bad memories. The hemp plant can be found in just about any place, but has to be kept in heat. Marijuana is from a naturally grown plant so why not be able to use it legally? Well, there are many reasons against the legalization of marijuana and there are also many very good reasons to legalize it for medical and recreational use. So to the government and everyone against legalizing marijuana, too bad! It’s natural and people are going to smoke no matter what the laws are, so why not just make it legal? Making the

Using marijuana for medicinal purposes is not a recent discovery. In fact, written references to use medical marijuana date back nearly 5,000 years. Western medicine embraced marijuana’s medical properties in the mid-1800s, and by the beginning of the 20th century, physicians had published more than 100 papers in the Western medical literature recommending its use for a variety of disorders (http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5441#f2 Accessed on June 5, 2010). These disorders include pain relief, nausea, glaucoma, and movement disorders. It is also used as a powerful appetite stimulant which helps patients that had HIV/AIDS or cancer patients going through chemotherapy.

less dangerous than tobacco and people smoke less of it at a time. Or you can