During the first blogging period, I noticed a large influx of posts detailing reasons marijuana should be legalized and its potential benefits. So far, the fight has been fairly one-sided, so I’d like to play devil’s advocate and make the argument for it staying illegal. I expect this post to be fairly controversial, and I hope it can foster a good discussion.
First of all, it can be addictive for many people. A famous example is Lady Gaga, who smoked 15-20 marijuana cigarettes per day at one point in order to cope with her anxiety. Dr. Drew Pinsky has treated marijuana addicts for the last 20 years, and explains, “It would be malpractice to say that cannabis isn’t addictive.” He explains that while he has no preference in the marijuana legalization debate, he wishes the government would “pass laws that enhance health, not jeopardize it.”
Amsterdam is one of the most famous cases of a city legalizing marijuana. In fact, it has turned into a tourist destination for marijuana users. However, citizens have become more and more worried about the increased exposure of the drug to schoolchildren. Many kids are showing up to school high, and school officials can do nothing about it. Amsterdam is one example of legalizing marijuana going wrong, as many young children are being exposed to the drug, which can be extremely harmful at their age.
While there are many who will debate this, there are negative mental and physical consequences to using marijuana, especially amongst children. A study done by scientists at Northwestern University linked casual use of marijuana to brain abnormalities. The more joints a person smoked per week, “the more abnormal the shape, volume and density of the brain regions.” This study shows that there may be evidence against the idea that casual marijuana use has few negative health consequences.
Marijuana causes a general loss of motivation. From personal experience, my friends who regularly smoke are less likely to do well in school and are more likely to smoke a bowl than do a more productive activity. This is because long-term smokers are less able to produce the chemical dopamine, which plays an important role in motivation.
While smoking marijuana probably is not going to kill you, there is a case to be made against using it regularly. There is also evidence against legalization, as evidenced by the city of Amsterdam. As weed becomes more and more common, it will be easier for kids to get their hands on it, and could cause more kids to develop mental deficiencies.
I agree with your point on the health risks of marijuana. It is a highly addictive substance, it just effects people differently. Some people can become addicted faster and harder than others it is a disease that effects everyone differently. I also do believe that weed is a gateway drug to others, which I know a lot of people argue against. Also the THC in weed is a dangerous substance that goes after the brain and like you said can cause mental problems. Our brains are not fully developed until we are 25 and most people start to smoke before that which will lead to long term problems. I am for the medical legalization of marijuana since it can help cancer patients going through chemo but I am against the recreational use since to me the health risks outweigh the “good feeling” you get while you smoke.
http://abovetheinfluence.com/drugs/marijuana/#facts
Somil, THC has been recognized as a very useful drug in curing and preventing many diseases. So when you say we should be making laws to promote health, legalizing weed may promote healthier lifestyles (if used correctly). Of course there will be those who abuse it, but everything is abused. I know lowlifes from my neighborhood who crush and snort tylenol. The bottom line is everything gets used for the wrong reasons. Condemning marijuana because of the few who abuse it is wrong. Also, the legal age to buy and use marijuana in Amsterdam is 18 so it’s not like school children can walk around blowing dutches. Regardless of laws, minors will get their hands on any drugs. It happens everyday in America with cigarettes and alcohol, which are much more detrimental to health. I know these reasons don’t justify it happening but if I were you I’d take a look at the benefits of marijuana legalization and let me know if you’re stance has changed.
Leona, it is illegal in Amsterdam for students to attend classes while high. However, it is difficult to enforce, especially when marijuana is so readily available for children. Legalization has made it much easier for children to gain easy access to marijuana.
While you are correct that pretty much anything can have negative health consequences when abused, not all of them are created equal. Marijuana is particularly harmful and can be addictive, especially to children.
Does the fact that harmful drugs such as caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol are legal mean we should legalize everything that is slightly less harmful? If anything, we should be making laws to promote health. Comparing marijuana and alcohol is irrelevant, and has little to do with the topic at hand. One wrong does not make another okay.
Honestly, I completely see where you’re coming from but honestly if you do enough of anything it can cause health problems. For example, using a phone has been linked to increasing risks of cancer. Does that mean my phone should be illegal? That would be silly. Everything in this world in this day and age has some sort of negative health effect and I believe it should be left up to personal preference what someone does to his/her own body. Also, things like cigarettes and alcohol have similar negative health effects and those aren’t illegal. What makes marijuana worse than the others? It’s in the same category as alcohol and both make someone not sober (for lack of a better term). In addition, the problem in Amsterdam isn’t about the legalization of the substance. I believe the problem is that they have the wrong restrictions set in place. If they are worried about teens going to classes high then they should make it illegal for students to attend classes high. That would lessen the problem.
While it can be argued that marijuana should be legalized for a wide variety of reasons, I cannot help but agree that the legalization of it will inevitably bring about negative consequences. For starters, since teenagers already think it is okay to use it frequently, the legalization of it will cause even more young adults to start smoking it. The more a teenager uses marijuana, the more likely they are to lose focus with their academics. Smoking weed is not an activity that occurs in the matter of a short time. The process of getting high and enjoying that high consumes precious time that could be spent more productively. In addition, since marijuana is known to relieve stress, more people will directly resort to it when they are feeling stressed rather than relieving their stress in other, healthier ways such as exercising. An interesting article I found revealed that marijuana can actually ruin a person’s sex life. Men who regularly smoke weed can experience impotence and infertility. In addition, some studies have found a link between the use of marijuana and a form of testicular cancer in men.
http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/42432-5-reasons-why-legalizing-marijuana-stinks
Dana, does the fact that we have other harmful substances that are legal mean we should legalize one more? As evidenced by the legalization case in Amsterdam, legalization makes it easier for children to get their hands on it. Marijuana has been proven to be extremely harmful to brain development, especially in children. Why make it easier for them to get something that can stunt their growth as much as marijuana can?
My argument is that marijuana should not be legalized because it is bad for one’s health. That is my reason for why it should not be legalized. We should be making laws to help people be healthier, not the exact opposite.
All of these points are valid, however they would be issues regardless of whether or not it is legalized. The idea that it is addictive is not an argument for not allowing it to be legalized since other substances such as alcohol, cigarettes and caffeine are very legal and widely used in todays society despite the fact they are highly addictive. These are good points, but I would recognize this post as why marijuana is bad for you, instead the reasons it shouldn’t be legalized.
Actually, Alex, a marijuana cigarette is just another term for a joint. There is no tobacco or nicotine in a joint.
Read the first sentence here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_(cannabis)
You referenced Lady Gaga and her addiction to marijuana CIGARETTES. Cigarettes are addictive due to the tobacco aspect of them, however when you smoke only marijuana out of out a class piece that has never touched cigarettes there is no addictive aspect.
http://betobaccofree.hhs.gov/health-effects/nicotine-health/
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-teenage-mind/201012/is-marijuana-addictive