FREE ESSAY ON LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA

LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA

The purpose of this paper is to discuss marijuana and compare both
sides of the issue of legalizing marijuana. We have two factions fighting each other ;
one
those who are pro marijuana and those who are anti marijuana. These two factions have
been
fighting on this issue on the halls of justice for years.
Pro marijuana legalization groups such as the Physician's Association for AIDS
Care, National Lymphoma Foundation argue that marijuana should be legalized in order to
treat terminally ill patients. Among them are AIDS victims who find that marijuana
stimulates their appetites so they can fight off dangerous emaciation; glaucoma sufferers
who
have used marijuana said it has prevented them from going blind, and cancer patients for
whom it alleviates the severe nausea that is often accompanies chemotherapy and
sometimes
makes lifesaving treatment impossible.
Due to all these lobbying groups which show substantial evidence that
marijuana can be used as a prescribed drug. Also many advocates who are pro marijuana
complain that morphine and cocaine are legal and are very dangerous drugs, that brings
up
the question why not legalize marijuana as medical drug which is proven to be less
dangerous than cocaine and morphine. Lobbying groups in a San Diego, California ,
council
committee unanimously voted to urge president Bill Clinton and congress to end federal
restrictions against the use of marijuana for  legitiment medical use. City council
women
Christine kehoe said she wanted the city of San Diego to go on the record we support the
medical use marijuana.; marijuana can be a drug of necessity in the treatment of AIDS,
glaucoma, cancer and multiple sclerosis. ''
Many agencies which are anti marijuana such as Drug Enforcement Agency
and police departments argue that marijuana shouldn't be legalized. These agencies
believe
that marijuana shouldn't be legalized because if marijuana is to become legal then
thousands
more patients using marijuana. Then people will raise the question why marijuana illegal
at all if its a medicine.
The main reason why the Drug Enforcement Agency doesn't want marijuana
to be legal is because their is no hard core evidence that proves that marijuana is a
effective
drug as a medicine. In twenty years of research have produced no reliable scientific
proof
that marijuana has medical value. The American Cancer Society , American Glaucoma
Society,the
National Multiple Sclerosis, the American Academy of Ophthalmology , or the American
Medical Association , say that their is no evidence that marijuana is a medicine.
The agencies also argues that no other drug prescribed is smoked
and that knew findings show that marijuana is acutely harmful to AIDS, Cancer patients
because the active ingredient in marijuana acutely reduces the the bodies white blood
cells
which fight off infection. The Drug Enforcement Agency along with police departments all
over the United States believe, with the legalization of drugs crime will increase due to
a
higher increase of pot users which will eventually become addicts and will still or kill
in order
to get their drugs.
These are the main points and reasons why the Drug named marijuana shouldn't be
legalized
in the United States of America.
Seeing booth sides of the issue I come to a conclusion that marijuana
should be legalized in order to help people suffering from terminal diseases such as
AIDS,
Cancer
and Glaucoma. Prohibition of marijuana over the past decades hasn't deminshed the demand
of the drug in the United States. The use of marijuana has acutely went up due to the
mass
attention given to marijuana by rappers such as Cypress Hill who promote the use of
marijuana as a social drug. But I believe that marijuana is here to stay in our society
and is
only going through the stages that alcohol had during the prohibition era.
Marijuana will become legal due to the knew administration which is liberal and
who's leader , president Bill Clinton who had acutely used marijuana during the nineteen
sixties. Due to all these factors marijuana will become more widely accepted by the
American people who will pressure congress to rewrite the laws on the drug marijuana.
Now
its only a matter of time before lobbying groups pressure the legislature to legalize it.
Due to
legalization many states will be able to grow marijuana as a cash crop, and the United
States
government will be able to tax marijuana and make revenue off it. The revenue made from
marijuana will be in the millions which can be used for drug rehabs and anti drug
programs
targeted at elementary children. Still by seeing both sides of the issue I'm still
one hundred percent pro marijuana because I use it socially and I believe its less
harmful than
beer or liquor because with marijuana you can't overdose.
THE
LEGALIZATION
OF
MARIJUANA
FOR AND AGAINST
POL SCI 150