Legalization of Marijuana
One of the most controversial topics to talk about around the United States is the “legalization of marijuana”. Marijuana is being actually used as a drug by many young teens; also, cannabis is currently one of the drugs used in the medicine department. Like any other topic of discussion, there are always two parts of the story. Opponents of the legalization of marijuana argue that it should not be legalized just because it is a sign of liberty, and only liberals want cannabis to be legal. People in favor do not see the drug as harmful as the opposing side sees it. Many people believe that marijuana should be legalized to gain control over it. There are many ideas on how to control the use of marijuana, but one will never know the result of this until government makes it happen.
First of all, marijuana has been used since ancient times when it was discovered by Chinese emperors around the fifth century B.C. These emperors discovered the narcotic benefits of the plant and allowed their subjects to use it as a painkiller. By the 1200s, Asians introduced marijuana to Europeans. During that time, the plant became a valuable crop because of its fiber content and narcotic effect. “Cannabis was brought to America with the Jamestown, Virginia, settlers in 1607” (Marcovitz 13). Still by the 1800s, many Americans were using marijuana for its recreational purposes, as a result, “In 1915, California became the first state to outlaw recreational use of marijuana followed by Texas in 1919, and finally by 1937, all but two of the forty eight states had passed laws banning marijuana” (Marcovitz 15).
As one sees in the past, the use of marijuana has been a controversy in the United States. Many believe that if the United States legalizes the use of this plant, the country will be receiving even more taxes because of the taxation of the marijuana. As a consequence, the country will be even gaining money out of the taxable marijuana. Also, the people in favor of this legalization even compare countries such as Netherlands, saying: “Since the legalization of cannabis, the use of marijuana has not increased, and its sale has been effectively regulated (Nadelman 124). As Ethan A. Nadelman believes, people also believe that if it is possible in other countries to regulate and control the use of marijuana, the United States could do it as well by saying that the use of this plant should be treated just like alcohol, by controlling it, taxing it, regulating it, and only making it illegal for children. The argument that Nadelman carries with him is completely valid, and should be considered on future laws if passed, but some people also believe that there is more to learn about this plant that not only helps the human being, but also is harmful to the human being.
On the other hand, people against a law that will approve the use of cannabis, bring a completely another perspective on how marijuana should be considered. As Sandra Lee Smith writes in her book called “Marijuana”, she lets the public know that marijuana is a mind-altering drug that slows the thinking process as well as the THC, which is the chemical found on the plant makes ones heart beat faster. A fact given by Smith after several studies concludes that the heart can go from eighty beats per minute to a hundred and fifty; this causes “the tubes on the lungs relax and become larger exceeding the oxygen that enters the body, and the extra oxygen is what causes the high” (Smith 21). As one sees, the other side of the dilemma is also strong and scientifically proved, not discarding other facts that science is currently studying.
Other Scientists had proven that “marijuana smoke contains fifty to seventy percent more carcinogenic (cancer-causing) hydrocarbons that tobacco smoke” (Laliberte 25). Similarly, smoke marijuana will result with the same exact illnesses than tobacco smoke such as lung cancer, emphysema, cardiac attacks, and many others well known. One has to also consider that the use of cannabis results in one of the most catastrophic events in the human being such as damage to the brain. Likewise, the use of marijuana is mentally and physically addictive. Accordingly to Michelle Laliberte in her book “Marijuana” explains how marijuana becomes addictive by the humans, but also she expands her research by proving that cannabis, after being used by a person for a long time, becomes an addiction that results in anxiety, of the plant even when is not in the best interest of the person. Also, Laliberte explains how people trying to quit smoking marijuana have reported irritability, difficulty sleeping, and becoming hungry more often than a person without using it. These are some of the many arguments that the people against approval of marijuana use in order to fight against people who believes otherwise.
After all, legalization of marijuana will be always a conflict. However, the plant will always be used around the world for any causes presented such as recreational or medical, and it is only one’s decision to do what one thinks, believes and perceives the use of marijuana. Personally, I believe that marijuana should only be legalized as medical purposes such as a painkiller. In other words, marijuana should be taxable and controlled just like alcohol, just like Nadelman says. Also, the control of marijuana will be a problem just like alcohol because I cannot take the fact that young teens in the United States find a way to consume alcohol without the consent of parents. Nowadays, teens from high school are drinking and smoking just like any other adult and this is always been a big problem for society. Perhaps if marijuana were legalized, this could result in another big problem for society, but big political figures from United States had used marijuana at least once in their past. George W. Bush will not deny he did, and Al Gore, Bill Bradley, and John Kerry they all say they smoked in the past. By this reason, many politicians are in favor of the legalization, but they are not enough yet to beat the politicians against it.
In fact, if one digs deep into stories of 1990s’ published on Thompson Gale’s book “Marijuana Opposing Viewpoints”, one can find how the federal government used to give permits away to people who really needed the marijuana as a medical resource, and actually most of the states in the United States have marijuana as an illegal drug. Here again, in the same book, one can gain knowledge on why marijuana began to be illegal and what the reasons were. For example, Thompson exposes stories from people who were involved in car accidents without denying the used marijuana at the time of the accident. Also, people who did not survive many of these accidents were tested, and accordingly to the results, these non-survivors were using marijuana at the time of their death.
Finally, marijuana is highly currently used in the United States, and has become an everyday life in the majority of the States. However, there are laws that are being used to punish people that get caught using it as a recreational drug, a fact that also Laliberte mentions in her book is: “A marijuana smoker is arrested every forty-five seconds in America” (Laliberte 9). Here is no doubt that the use of cannabis is always increasing, actually, there are studies that prove that one in every ten teens of high school used marijuana before graduating high school, and during college; four out of ten students currently use marijuana as a recreational drug.
In conclusion, there are many points of view in this controversy. Beginning from the usage from ancient times until the present day, to the harmful power of the THC that the plant contains, and from the laws of punishment to the people who agree the approval of this drug, it is only one’s decision to believe or act the way society teaches the new generations. As a result of the discussion, there is a middle ground for many people who wonder what is going to happen next. Similarly, I believe that people older than eighteen years should have enough knowledge to know what it is right and wrong; that is why I believe that marijuana should be a topic to learn in high school in order to let every person know about its effects and its benefits, this way, one could be the only judge in the approval or disapproval of this drug that is being used every day around the world