FREE ESSAY ON LEGALLIZATION OF MARIJUANA (ANTI)

LEGALLIZATION OF MARIJUANA (ANTI)

Drug use is becoming more common today than in recent years. Almost anywhere we look, we
can find some relation to drugs or drug paraphernalia. In fact, 63% of you stated in my
survey that you had smoked marijuana in the past. That number is scary, since 81% of you
are under 25 years of age and have your whole lives ahead of you. Some of you may be
thinking So What Bill Clinton has admitted smoking marijuana, and he is President. Well,
that surely is not a good attitude to have considering the damage that marijuana may
cause to your body.
Sure, many of you may not change your lifestyle after today, but I hope to make you think
of what you may be getting yourself in to. This afternoon I will give you both sides of
the issue. I will try to persuade you to stay away from marijuana in turning you against
this dangerous drug.
Many supporters of marijuana claim that hemp can be a very resourceful plant. Hemp is
considered to contain less than one percent tetrahydrocannabinols (THC) (Pluff 1). THC is
the psychoactive chemical found in marijuana. Hemp can be confused with marijuana and
considered the same, but do not let this fool you. Marijuana comes from the flowers or
buds of the hemp plant. These buds are what contains the THC and gives the user the high
effect (Pluff 1). Other nations such as Europe have registered varieties of hemp seeds
that contain less than .03 percent of THC including the buds (Pluff 1).
Now that you know what hemp is, lets look at its uses. Hemp fiber can be turned in to
rope, canvas, and paper, and this is only a few of the uses. The rope that is made with
hemp is said to be resistant to both fresh water and salt water. It is also considered
better than most conventional rope by its strength and holding power. Another product
that can be made from hemp is canvas. This canvas is very useful in making tents, sails,
and even the covers on early settlers' wagons. Like the rope, the canvas also stands up
well against water, and ninety percent of ship's sails were made of hemp canvas before
the nineteenth century. The last product I am going to talk about is hemp paper. This
paper is much softer than conventional paper, and it is stated that, one acre of hemp can
replace four acres of forest (Pluff 2). This paper also does not yellow or crumble with
age, a common complaint with conventional paper (Pluff 1).
You may be wondering why such a useful plant is illegal, well let me tell you the other
side of the story. Marijuana is said to be useful in the medical field as a cure for some
disease. It is also an argument that smoking marijuana does not cause any side affects. I
will prove this to be untrue, and a myth of society.
The first claim by the supporters of marijuana is for medical reasons. Through much
research doctors have found that marijuana may be a treatment for such illnesses as
glaucoma, cancer, and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). In fact, Proposition
215 just passed in California and Arizona giving citizens the right to smoke marijuana
for medical reasons (Medical 1). One thing that is overlooked with this is that marijuana
is not a cure, but a relief from the pain suffered by these citizens. If it is a relief
from pain the sufferer is looking for, there are many other options to consider before
choosing something as dangerous as marijuana. It only takes a little common sense to
figure that something that is considered illegal by the Federal Government could not be
used as a cure for any illness. Wisconsin lists marijuana under Schedule I of the
Uniformed Controlled Substance Act. This means that any drugs under Schedule I, including
marijuana, are not useful in curing any known illness. Schedule I is also where all the
most serious drugs are listed. This puts marijuana in the same class with heroin and
cocaine. 
Another problem with marijuana is the affects on the male and female body. One way
frequent marijuana use affects males is by Gynecomastia. Gynecomastia is the enlargement
of the male breast tissue (Jones 51). This disease is not well known to the general
public. This may be because males who get the disease usually keep the symptoms to
themselves and not risk embarrassment. The next problem with males and marijuana is the
reduction of their sperm count. Sperm counts in males were measured, and after a month of
heavy smoking the sperm count was reduced by as much as 70 percent (Jones 62). Along with
the reduction of the sperm count, the male has a reduction of testosterone. Testosterone
is the principal male hormone and responsible for the growth of the male reproductive
system. This drop in the sperm count and reduction of testosterone may not seem too
important now but like I mentioned before, 81 percent of you are under age 25 and this
may affect your lives dramatically in the future. 
Marijuana affects females by disrupting nerve pathways in the brain which may lead to
infertility. A study done on monkeys at the University of California at Davis, showed
that when the female monkeys were given increased amounts of THC they were more likely to
neglect their offspring (Jones 71). A problem with marijuana use by pregnant females is
the possibility that the baby may me born with deformities or even stillborn (Jones 72).
Females have also shown an increase in testosterone levels which is the opposite of the
male user. 
An affect that takes no side in users of marijuana is short term memory loss. (Ray 435).
In everyday use, the marijuana user has a hard time recalling information that they may
have just learned minutes before. The frequent user may also experience loss in time
sense. With this the marijuana user feels that more time has passed than actually has
elapsed. The final thing usually affected is tracking behavior. This may lead to crashing
a motor vehicle because the impaired driver could not keep their attention on the road in
which they were driving.
To sum it all up, marijuana use is increasing among individuals. Almost everywhere we
look there is support for this drug. This does not make sense in a society that is hung
up on looking good and living a full life. Everyday we are making improvements to our
society and making America a better place to live. I feel that with the legalization of
marijuana we will begin to take a step backwards. One can only wonder, if marijuana was
legalized what would drug supporters pick next. And remember that when the commercial
says This buds is for you do not believe them, just say no! 
Works Cited
Jones, and Lovinger, Paul W. The Marijuana Question. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company,
1985.
Levin, Peter A. Contemporary Problems of Drug Abuse. Massachusetts: Publishing Sciences 
Group, Inc,1974
Medical Marijuana Initiative Proposition 215 home page. Intro. to Medical Marijuana &
Prop. 215
http://www.prop215.org
Nowlis, Helen. Drugs demystified. Paris: The Unesco Press, 1975.
Ray, Oakly Stern. Drugs, Society, & Human Behavior. Missouri: Mosby, 1983.
Bibliography
Works Cited
Jones, and Lovinger, Paul W. The Marijuana Question. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company,
1985.
Levin, Peter A. Contemporary Problems of Drug Abuse. Massachusetts: Publishing Sciences 
Group, Inc,1974
Medical Marijuana Initiative Proposition 215 home page. Intro. to Medical Marijuana &
Prop. 215
http://www.prop215.org
Nowlis, Helen. Drugs demystified. Paris: The Unesco Press, 1975.
Ray, Oakly Stern. Drugs, Society, & Human Behavior. Missouri: Mosby, 1983.