Cannabis also commonly known as marijuana is the poster boy for being a gateway drug. However, 25 states have decided legalized marijuana in some form whereas 4 states (Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska) have legalized the recreational use of marijuana. Although the legalization of marijuana has long been a polictical platform, I believe cannabis use should be in the discretion of the individual rather than a legal issue.
Cannabis has long been an afterthought to those who strictly believe it to be a gateway drug to runining the lives. However, the medicinal properities of Cannabis are undeniable. An article from Business Insider lists 23 medicinal, health benefits of smoking marijuana with properties such as stoping the spread of cancer, decreasing anxiety, and spuring creativity in an individaul.
If I told you that a drug that is the world leading killer of people ages 17-25 and impairs you to the point of puking and at times memory loss is completly legal to purchase after the age of 21, how can lawmakers demand that marijuana stay illegal? The answer to that is MODERATION. Why not give people the option to take marijuana in moderation and at their own discretion when we have done so with agruably a more dangerous drug in alcohol for all of these years.
I know some will now assume that I am a Wiz Khalifa stoner that never goes to classes and will fail out of Penn State in 3 semesters. But these are simply the stigmas associated with smoking marijuana and I believe that the funcitonality of marijuana have been diluted due to the constant scrutinity and polictical focus of the plant.
Thanks for reading!
Sammy Lee
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I would have to agree 100% with everything that you have to regarding the legalization of Marijuana. I think people automatically tag Marijuana with a bad reputation just because it is categorized as a drug. But barely anyone realizes that matter of fact it can benefit you in different ways. Using marijuana in small moderations won’t have major negative impact on you, especially because there have never been any reported cases of someone overdosing because of it. If its legalized, if definitely should be sold in moderation in order to keep it under control. But in addition, I really like the point that you bring up about alcohol. How come an thing that kills so many people per year is still legal, but something that doesn’t remains illegal. These are all questions that I feel like we need to take a harder look at in the future.
Attached is a link about how you can’t overdose on marijuana, but the affects of using too much:
http://www.leafscience.com/2014/08/26/can-you-overdose-on-marijuana/
People do seem to be keen on demonizing users of Marijuana. Personally, I do not see Marijuana as being harmful in moderation as you say, but I’d be curious to see statistics on school performance in states where it is legalized. Not High School statistics, but figures from college students. My guess would be that there would be some correlation between lower test scores and Marijuana consumption. Whether or not that hypothesis is causal, I do not know, that’s what researchers are for.