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.
