marijuana debate is it a good or bad drug essays

Image Credit: Alexa T., Pompton Plains, NJ They say marijuana is a helpful medicine. They say it makes you calm down and feel good. They also say that it isn’t as dangerous or harmful as alcohol and other drugs. Those are some reasons why they want to legalize marijuana. But are they right? No they are not. Marijuana should stay illegal in the United States because if it is legalized, more people will smoke it, causing negative effects on health and families. If marijuana is legalized, people will think smoking marijuana is something we can do every day at anytime, which increases drug use. People are going to smoke marijuana without getting in trouble or getting arrested. Also there is going to be easier access to marijuana, and it will be cheaper to buy. These same things happened when alcohol was legalized. Also, drug dealers can grow marijuana without getting arrested, and make a bunch of money off of it. “Van Deventer, a news reporter, described how he and his friends used drugs casually for a while. He felt like he was growing closer to addiction. But buying illegal drugs wasn’t easy. Van Deventer and his friends feared being arrested. They worried about undercover cops posing as drug dealers, who often sold them fake drugs” (Legalizing Drugs, pg 67). According to this passage, Van Deventer stopped using drugs when it was illegal, because he didn’t want to get arrested. If drugs are legalized, he and his friends would use drugs casually again. Increased drug use leads to negative health effects. For example people who are depressed use marijuana because they believe it will calm them down, and make them feel better. However, this isn’t true because marijuana worsens depression. Other negative health effects are respiratory illness, lung infections, and cancer of the lungs, mouth, throat, and esophagus. Marijuana users have a higher risk of cancer then cigarette.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta says we have been systematically misled on marijuanaDEA lists marijuana as a schedule 1 substance with high potential for abuse Most recent research on marijuana has been on its negative effects, Gupta saysStudies on marijuana require approval from National Institute on Drug AbuseOver the last year, I have been working on a new documentary called Weed. The title Weed may sound cavalier, but the content is not. I traveled around the world to interview medical leaders, experts, growers and patients. I spoke candidly to them, asking tough questions. What I found was stunning. Long before I began this project, I had steadily reviewed the scientific literature on medical marijuana from the United States and thought it was fairly unimpressive. Reading these papers five years ago, it was hard to make a case for medicinal marijuana. I even wrote about this in a TIME magazine article, back in 2009, titled Why I would Vote No on Pot. Well, I am here to apologize.I apologize because I didn't look hard enough, until now. I didn't look far enough. I didn't review papers from smaller labs in other countries doing some remarkable research, and I was too dismissive of the loud chorus of legitimate patients whose symptoms improved on cannabis. Instead, I lumped them with the high-visibility malingerers, just looking to get high. I mistakenly believed the Drug Enforcement Agency listed marijuana as a schedule 1 substance because of sound scientific proof. Surely, they must have quality reasoning as to why marijuana is in the category of the most dangerous drugs that have no accepted medicinal use and a high potential for abuse. They didn't have the science to support that claim, and I now know that when it comes to marijuana neither of those things are true. It doesn't have a high potential for abuse, and there are very legitimate medical applications. In fact.
Search Results Free Essays Unrated Essays Better Essays Stronger Essays Powerful Essays Term Papers Research Papers Search by keyword:   Sort By:   Your search returned over 400 essays for marijuana 1  2  3  4  5    Next >> These results are sorted by most relevant first (ranked search). You may also sort these by color rating or essay length. Title Length Color Rating   The Legalization of Marijuana - Marijuana is a misunderstood drug. Many assume that the usage of marijuana, or cannabis, is dangerous, but it can be the exact opposite. So why is the legalization of marijuana in the United States such a problem for many people today. Considered to be a gateway drug and the reason for the downfall of our youth nowadays, marijuana has developed a negative reputation. Lester Grinspoon, a professor at Harvard University, states, “Few drugs in the United States have produced as much affective heat as marijuana, particularly during the last decade.   [tags: Legalization of Marijuana] 1759 words(5 pages) Powerful Essays [preview] The Use of Marijuana for Medicinal Purposes - The use of marijuana for medicinal purposes has long been at the centre of much controversy. Some studies have shown results that the benefits of using marijuana for medicinal reasons far outweigh the negative health matters that may be associated with its use, and therefore should be an accepted method of treatment for some patients who are suffering with illnesses such as multiple sclerosis, cancer, AIDS, and eating disorders (Okie, 2005). Still, other studies have proven that there is not enough scientific evidence on the drug, there for it should not be legalized for the use of medication (Hutchings, 2002).   [tags: marijuana, medicinal marijuana, drugs, ] :: 4 Works Cited 965 words(2.8 pages) Strong Essays [preview] Marijuana Effects Teens and Their Mind - The purpose of my paper is to prove that.
For Michele Leonhart, the administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, there is no difference between the health effects of marijuana and those of any other illegal drug. “All illegal drugs are bad for people,” she told Congress in 2012, refusing to say whether crack, methamphetamines or prescription painkillers are more addictive or physically harmful than marijuana.Her testimony neatly illustrates the vast gap between antiquated federal law enforcement policies and the clear consensus of science that marijuana is far less harmful to human health than most other banned drugs and is less dangerous than the highly addictive but perfectly legal substances known as alcohol and tobacco. Marijuana cannot lead to a fatal overdose. There is little evidence that it causes cancer. Its addictive properties, while present, are low, and the myth that it leads users to more powerful drugs has long since been disproved. Continue reading the main story The New York Times Calls for Marijuana LegalizationJULY 26, 2014 Editorial: Let States Decide on MarijuanaJULY 26, 2014 Editorial: The Injustice of Marijuana ArrestsJULY 28, 2014 Editorial Observer: The Federal Marijuana Ban Is Rooted in Myth and XenophobiaJULY 29, 2014 Editorial: The Great Colorado Weed ExperimentAUG. 2, 2014 Editorial: Rules for the Marijuana MarketAUG. 4, 2014 Editorial: The Public Lightens Up About WeedJULY 26, 2014 Editorial Observer: High in the Rockies, a Chill Marijuana Debate ​AUG. 2, 2014 Evolving on MarijuanaJULY 29, 2014 The White House Tries, Fails to Explain Why Marijuana Should Remain IllegalJULY 31, 2014 That doesn’t mean marijuana is harmless; in fact, the potency of current strains may shock those who haven’t tried it for decades, particularly when ingested as food. It can produce a serious dependency, and constant use would interfere with job and school performance. It needs to be kept out.
Marijuana, since its discovery, has been used as a recreational drug by many individuals.  Marijuana has been always seen as a “safe” drug to use with no serious complications or side effects.  Many marijuana users believe that it does not have serious side effects like cocaine, crack, and heroin.  Many “weed-heads” believe that smoking marijuana is okay and it stimulates one’s brain activity.  Since the 20th Century, marijuana has been prescribed by doctors for use to deal with the bad effects of having glaucoma and cancer.  Marijuana is currently okay to use for medical reasons on a state government level, but is still illegal to use on a federal government level.  But, the debate over marijuana usage has gained momentum in recent years, and there are about ten states that have now legalized the use of marijuana.  About eighteen states, have lowered the punishment for using marijuana and have “decriminalized” the usage of the marijuana. Since its creation, marijuana has been seen as more of a recreational drug, than a serious “hard-core drug” like crack cocaine or heroin.  Many “weed-heads” do not believe that weed smoking is an addictive behavior or causes serious problem for daily users.  Many individuals believe that marijuana should not be placed in the same category like heroin, cocaine, and crack.  But, should be in the same category as smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol. But, many marijuana users fail to realize that cigarettes and alcohol have bad side effects like any other addictive drug.  But, the difference is that many people are making a lot of money from the usage of cigarettes and alcohol.  Many states would like to legalize marijuana usage because, like cigarettes and alcohol, they can receive a lot of tax revenue from the sale of the marijuana.  Like alcohol and cigarettes, the states can place hefty taxes on the sale of marijuana which would.