Persuasive Essay On Legalizing Marijuana

Finally, marijuana should not be legalized because it is a big safety issue for the states. The quote that shows this is, "For instance, low to moderate doses distort perception that is enough to cause traffic accidents. In fact, study shows that weed is one of the most prevalent illegal drugs found in fatally injured and impaired drivers," from NYLN.org(2014). Marijuana is one of the leading causes of crimes, car accidents and other violent behaviors. It[marijuana] contains the chemical, tetrahydrocannabinol(THC), which is responsible for stimulating the CNS(central nervous system).

636). Thus, they argue that the legalization of marijuana, should be similar to those of alcohol and tobacco where there are regulations for the sale to minimize any health related problems it may cause (Joffe & Yancy, 2004, p. 636). Additionally, tobacco and alcohol are among the most abused substances used by adolescents; despite having regulations for their sales through enforcing legal ages for purchase, they still find ways to purchase and consume these substances. Moreover, the legalization of marijuana would assist in pain relief as a less toxic, addictive and essentially safer drug in comparison to what some individuals use for chronic pain such as opiates and alcohol. It has been reported that there has been 25% of a decrease in the deaths related to opiate overdose; essentially, marijuana could contribute to the harm reduction that other substances cause (Mitchell 2016, p. 63)

In the “Marijuana: A Continuing Concern for Pediatricians” article the author points out the fact that marijuana is in fact “an addictive, mind-altering drug capable of inducing dependency” (Marijuana: A Continuing Concern). After some research this statement has been clearly supported. According to the author of “Marijuana: Breaking Down the Buzz” being under the influence of the drug has led to very poor decisions. Some of the poor decisions teenagers make while being under the influence include; people not completing high school, having failing grades if they are still in school, and doing reckless things while behind the wheel of a vehicle.

This subject is still quite controversial despite the inevitable result of legalization; not everyone is for it, and this means that people still need to see the positive influences marijuana can have - not just the negative consequences. At the beginning of the article, Keller begins by stating an opinion of his own, "You don't have to be a prohibitionist to recognize that pot, especially in adolescents and very heavy users, can seriously mess with your brain." (Keller, 2013). This statement evokes a strong reaction from his readers as it is biased and not an actual

The use of Marijuana affects the learning ability of the user even after weeks of consumption. This leaves the user in a distraught\ dream-like state. Elyn Saks, Fellow schizophrenic and Professor of law and psychology at USC said “ The schizophrenic mind is not so much split as shattered. I like to say schizophrenia is like a waking nightmare.” ( “A tale of mental illness -- from the inside”)

Over many years, the legality of marijuana has been widely debated. Supporters of laws that seek to legalize marijuana argue that it is a drug that is safe and that criminal sanctions against personal use indicate harsh and unwarranted penalties. The proponents also point out that the mortality, economic cost and may more negative impacts associated with alcohol and tobacco are much more grave compared to those associated with marijuana. On the other hand, the opponents of liberalization of current legal status of marijuana counter that marijuana is not mild, especially considering the new psychopharmacologic information indicating that it shares many characteristics with any other illegal drugs.

Marijuana has also been linked to alcohol and other drugs. Students tend to overestimate the use of alcohol and other drugs by their peers, they increase their own use so it adheres to the misperceived norms. (Perceived Norms and Marijuana Use at Historically Black

One of the most well designed studies on marijuana and intelligence, released in 2012, found that persistent, heavy use of marijuana by adolescents reduces IQ by as much as eight points, when tested well into adulthood. Other studies have found that marijuana use is linked with dropping out of school, and subsequent unemployment, social welfare dependence, and a lower self-reported quality of life than non-marijuana abusing people. According to the U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health, youth with poor academic results were more than four times as likely to have used marijuana in the past year as youth with an average of higher grades. This is consistent with an exhaustive meta-analysis examining forty-eight different studies by Macleod and colleagues, published by Lancet, who found that marijuana use is consistently associated with reduced grades and a reduced chance of graduating from school. In addition, studies have linked employee marijuana use with “increased absences, tardiness, accidents, workers’ compensation claims, and job turnover.”

Teenagers who smoke weed are more likely to move on to harder drugs, and it prevents their mind from developing properly. In a study by Lancet Psychiatry, it was reported that teenagers who smoked marijuana daily were 60 percent less likely to graduate from high school than students who did not use. In

You have probably once asked yourself, seen or heard of this repetitive debate. What is worse alcohol or marijuana? These are often pitted against each other with the goal of determining which would be a healthier choice. There are various themes when it comes to this dialogue like, overdose and mortality rate, the effects on pregnancies, along with side effects on the brain related to memory and learning. There are alcoholics that would tell a stoner that smoking weed is bad for you; marijuana smokers would probably be quick to cite smokers sustain fewer deaths than alcohol consumers.

At last, the addicted person could become a thief to support his/her smoking addiction. It wouldn’t be a good idea to legalize marijuana knowing the negative effects of it. One might argue that there is not enough information about the dangers of marijuana but it doesn’t mean

Health risks appear to be in those who start using as teenagers or young adults while their brains are still developing. (Armand). Another concern is marijuana becoming a gateway drug for avid users. Marijuana users have disputed that it is not as addictive as other street drugs, such as heroin and cocaine. A common belief is marijuana is less harmful and more acceptable to use than “harder” drugs,

Marijuana effect on college student’s academic performance 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Background of Study The use of drugs is often associated with College and University students, approximately 80 percent of U.S college students have abused alcohol and 28 percent of college students smoke tobacco, once in every 22 college students uses marijuana daily or near daily. Drugs abuse has always been a common topic to study and investigate as student’s academic performance were highly influence by drugs. Students who are associated with drugs usually face academic performance problems like lack of concentration, skipping classes, and delay enrollment.

Students who smoke weed are inapt to getting lower grades and less likely to graduate. Workers who smoke are more likely to experience a variety of absences, problems, tardies, accidents, etc.compared to workers who don 't. Marijuana is an addictive and dangerous drug. Sources Used: Margolis, Robert. " Legalizing Marijuana Would Harm Teens." Legalizing Drugs, edited by Stuart A. Kallen, Greenhaven Press, 2006.

Cannabis use weakens the relationships between pain and depression with pain and anxiety causing a decreased self-efficacy in cannabis users.2 A low self- efficacy has been proven to put individuals in a higher risk group for higher symptom burdens and increased substance use, such as opioids.2 While there are multiple negative results from studies on cannabis there are also many researchers and physicians that believe cannabis has many positive contributions to offer to the biological make up of the human body. Frequent cannabis users have a heightened levels of openness to experience which in return allows them to demonstrate a more enhanced creativity compared to someone who isn’t a user of cannabis.7 This heightened sense is typically a positive thing7, however, this enhanced level of creativity or openness to new experiences is what can cause the willingness to take a more intense drugs, like opioids.2 It is becoming a concern that cannabis shouldn't be taken so lightly as it recently has