The Unanswered Question - the Legalization of Marijuana
Uploaded by bigtrina on Oct 16, 2001
One question that has haunted Americans for a long time is: “ Should the use of marijuana be legalized?” Some say, “Yes”, while others say, “No”. Owning marijuana was made a crime in 1937 when Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act. Despite this law the drug was still somewhat commonly used. Here we are years later, still without a satisfactory answer to the question. I think that legalizing the use of marijuana would have many medical benefits, economical benefits, and would decrease the incidence of crime.
There are others who disagree. These people feel that legalization would lead to the formation of other habits and to health problems, such as, the use of a harsher drug and to psychological and personality problems that can come from using marijuana. These individuals feel that the negatives of marijuana use far outweigh the positives, and feel that the use of marijuana should remain illegal.
To some people marijuana is considered a “gateway” drug. Legalizing marijuana would lead to the use of other, much more harsh drugs. From the book Drugs, Teens, and Recovery Lauren a teenager that got mixed up in drugs describes how she got involved with marijuana, then with cocaine. She says, “I was ten, in the fifth grade, the first time I smoked pot. I liked pot a lot better than drinking because it was easier. I loved it. Pot and alcohol, that’s all I needed. I didn’t want to get into anything else”. She continues, “About this time, I started getting obsessed with cocaine and thinking about what the high would be like”. Just like Lauren people can start off with just smoking marijuana but they would get the urge to try something a little bit stronger.
Legalizing marijuana will cause Americans to suffer from psychological and personality problems. According to Elizabeth Scheichert, who is the author of Marijuana, The Drug Library, THC is the active chemical in marijuana that causes the user to feel “high”. This is also the chemical that is most destructive to the user’s body and mind. The THC from smoking one marijuana cigarette can accumulate in the user’s body fat and stay there for weeks at a time. Smoking marijuana causes a lack of motivation, ambition, and creativity. Many user’s lose interest in life and become very lazy. People who use marijuana often find it very difficult to concentrate on anything more challenging than television....