Opposing views

     Although legalizing marijuana for recreational use is an ethically logical idea, many people still oppose such a thing. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, "Research clearly demonstrates that marijuana has the potential to cause problems in daily life or make a person's existing problems worse" (NIDA 7). However, one can make the same argument for the already legal alcohol which is clearly far more dangerous and much worse than marijuana. Heidi Stevenson states that "researchers did brain scans on adolescents before and after an 18-month period during which they used alcohol or marijuana, abstained, or consumed them minimally. Those who drank five or more alcoholic drinks two or more times per week lost white matter brain tissue, which is required for memory, attention, and decision-making". She then goes on to explain that "no changes in brain scans could be found in teens who used marijuana as much as nine times a week. Not even the heaviest users suffered any brain damage" (Stevenson 6). This is significant. If a substance (alcohol) can impair a person in such a way and still remain legal while marijuana which is far less harmful remains illegal, then what exactly is meant by the word legal?

     Marijuana users are treated as criminals while alcohol users are considered socially acceptable. According to Stephen Webster ,"755,000 people were arrested in 2011 for marijuana possession" (Webster 2). Now these people who were arrested have unnecessary blemishes on the record. In my personal life, many of my friends have been arrested for marijuana use and/or possession. They will now have a harder time getting quality jobs and getting into certain schools. If marijuana were legal these kind of insignificant things would not tremendously affect one's life.

     Prohibition was tried on alcohol (1920-1933) and failed miserably. The citizens did not agree with the government's decision on keeping alcohol illegal. The citizens had/have a demand for alcohol and the government respected it, the same needs to happen for marijuana. Marijuana needs to be made legal for recreational use so that the law enforcement can focus more attention to actual criminal acts that threaten society in America.

"DrugFacts: Marijuana." drugabuse.gov. National Institute on Drug Abuse, Dec. 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2013. http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana

 

Stevenson, Heidi. "Alcohol Kills Brain Cells, But Marijuana Doesn’t." gaia-health.com. N.p., 27 Dec. 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2013. http://gaia-health.com/gaia-blog/2012-12-27/marijuana-does-not-harm-brains-but-alcohol-does/

 

Webster, Stephen C. ""America’s 2011 drug war tally: One marijuana arrest every 42 seconds."." The Raw Story (2012). Web. 14 Apr. 2013. http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/10/29/americas-2011-drug-war-tally-one-marijuana-arrest-every-42-seconds

Debunking the falsehoods of doobies

    As it was stated before, "Despite more than 70 years of federal marijuana prohibition, Americans’ consumption of and demand for cannabis is here to stay. It is time for state lawmakers to acknowledge this reality" (Armentano). America has a clear and present demand for marijuana, to deny this fact one would have to be in a state of denial. The American government has been giving marijuana the cold-shoulder for decades based on the myths that marijuana is a gateway drug and the myth that it kills brain cells.

    In 1974, the Heath/Tulane study claimed to pump 30 marijuana joints a day into the lungs of monkeys. After 90 days the monkeys began to die. Brain damage was determined after counting the dead brain cells of the monkeys that have been subjected to marijuana and monkeys that were not. They claimed marijuana killed the monkey's brain cells. However, it was later discovered that the test was not administered in the manner in was supposed to be given in. Dr. Heath and Dr. Tulane were actually pumping 63 marijuana joints into the monkeys for 5 minute intervals for 3 months. Inturn it was found that the monkeys were being suffocated and were losing brain cells from suffocation, not marijuana smoke. Poor monkeys.

     "because underage smoking and alcohol use typically precede marijuana use, marijuana is not the most common, and is rarely the first, “gateway” to illicit drug use. There is no conclusive evidence that the drug effects of marijuana are causally linked to the subsequent abuse of other illicit drugs" (Szalavitz7), marijuana strangely developed this "gateway drug" myth. Alcohol and tobacco tremendously effect the human body in very negative ways. So much so that one can die from excessive or prolonged use of the two substances (alcohol and tobacco).

     The United States will not implode when marijuana is made legal for citizens to use with caution and responsibility. The saying that "only time will tell" runs positive on the side of marijuana. I have shown facts that debunk the myths associated with marijuana that have been grinded and conditioned into our psyche as true facts. Hate it or love it, marijuana is not nearly as bad or insidious as the government and certain interest groups would like to have you think.

 

Armentano, Paul, NORML Deputy Director Maryland, Lawmakers To Debate Marijuana Legalization Bill Tomorrow March 18, 2013

Gieringer, Ph.D, Dale. "Marijuana Health Mythology." norml.org. N.p., June 1994. Web. 9 Apr. 2013. http://norml.org/library/health-reports/item/norml-s-marijuana-health-mythology#12

 

 The Truth About The Study That Says Marijuana Kills Brain Cells http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g66BYWeufFc

Szalavitz, Maia. "Marijuana as a Gateway Drug: The Myth That Will Not Die." time.com. N.p., 29 Oct. 2010. Web. 9 Apr. 2013. http://healthland.time.com/2010/10/29/marijuna-as-a-gateway-drug-the-myth-that-will-not-die/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ethical view

     From the ethical and standpoint marijuana should not be as big of a concern as it is. In the United States, The states of Washingto and Colorado have made marijuana for recreational use and/or medical use legal. A reporter from the Canadian press reports that "people are kind of getting over the social stigma of it, and they're jumping into it" (Drews 6), however, the issues between the federal government and state government are still apparent. "The ballot initiatives behind the business boom were approved in Washington State and Colorado Nov. 6, 2012, and allow adults over the age of 21 to posses up to 28 grams of marijuana" (Drews8), the citizens have voted for the legalization of marijuana in those two states, so it needs to be respected by the people in government. There is a plethora of other things for the government to worry about such as war, diseases, and violence, marijuana does not belong in the same category as these. Marijuana will have a big impact on the economy as well, for in Washington Garden stores such as Pacific Northwest Garden Supply and Green Planet Wholesale Ltd., claim that the stores have quadrupled sales since the legalization of marijuana. It creates businesses which inturn will generate numerous job opportunities.

    The citizens have a demand for marijuana as clear as day and in our so called "government of the people, by the people, for the people"(Lincoln 3), the people are the true decision makers in the United States and there votes need to be respected by the government. The governments big nose keeps nudging its way into the liberties and freedoms of American citizens from the Patriot Act to the NDAA and it just keeps on trumping through into issues that it does not need to be involved in, such as gay marriage and marijuana use. Lincoln also felt very strongly that "A house divided against itself cannot stand" (Lincoln 6), the government must not forget that citizens have a voice in the United States and that voice, once heard, needs to be respected.

     It is completely unethical for the federal government to pretend itself more important and more inclined to know what is best for the individual citizen than the citizens themselves. Citizens do their duties, pay taxes, and follow the laws, so it is imperative that they are acknowledged and respected for their hard work and dedication to their roles as United States citizens. Citizens are the soldiers in war, the police, the fire fighters, the doctors, the teachers, and the students. Marijuana is an issue blown out of proportion that does not need to be as demonized as it is. Citizens demand marijuana and have voted for its legalization, so give it to them.

 

Drews., Kevin "Business booms thanks to marijuana legalization in two U.S. states." Globe & Mail [Toronto, Canada] 2 Apr. 2013: A8. Global Issues In Context. Web. 4 Apr. 2013.

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Lincoln, Abraham. "The Gettysburg Address." http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org. Ed. Roy P. Basler. Abraham Lincoln Association., 19 Nov. 1863. Web. 6 Apr. 2013. http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm

Lincoln, Abraham. "House Divided Speech." http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org. Ed. Roy P. Basler. Abraham Lincoln Association., 16 June 1858. Web. 6 Apr. 2013. http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/house.htm