- March 31, 2013
- Posted by: essay
- Category: Term paper writing
We all know that nowadays there are many people who are for marijuana legalization and those who are against. On one hand, if people live in a free society they must be free to choose whether they want to use marijuana or not. The government can only limit those choices when the person’s actions endanger someone else. Besides, according to the latest research, marijuana is not as harmful as tobacco. Nevertheless, on the other hand, people don’t want it to be easily accessible and a number of people think that it must be prohibited as it is a drug. So, what is the right answer?
What is marijuana?
According to Medical Review Board, the National Institute on Drug Abuse considers marijuana to be a green or brown or even gray mixture of dried and shredded leaves, seeds, stems, and flowers of the hemp plant. Besides, marijuana is mind-altering. That means that it changes the work of the brain. In addition, it contains the leading active chemical – THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). Furthermore, marijuana includes more than 400 other chemicals. That’s why marijuana’s effect depends on the strength or quantity of the THC it contains. It is also important to mention that the marijuana’s potency has dramatically increased since the 1970s; however, it has remained the same since the mid-1980s. (Medical Review Board, “What Is Marijuana?”
Why did marijuana become illegal?
There is a popular belief that marijuana became illegal in the US because it was regarded as a dangerous drug. However, this belief is not true. In fact, in the 1930 marijuana was made illegal in the US to control the population of Mexican and Black minorities. During 1910’s-1930 there was a mix of racism, irrational fear and ignorance and as a result, being afraid of the minorities’ overthrow, the white government tried to control these minorities. Finally, after a number of congressional hearings in the 1930’s, marijuana became illegal in 1937. (Pi, “Why Marijuana Should be Legalized”)
Reasons for the legalization
The first reason is that marijuana is a plant and 100% natural and moreover, it is not man-made and it doesn’t belong to anyone.
The second reason is that according to Marijuana.com, it is much less addictive than other drugs. Let’s regard, for example, tobacco and alcohol that are legal substances. These two drugs harm far more than marijuana. Besides, it is easier to quit if someone is hooked on it as there is no physical craving.
The third reason is that marijuana makes people relax, and unlike Alcohol it does not cause any violence. It should be mentioned that the only violence that has ever been caused was because of the criminalization of marijuana.
In addition, Marijuana.com reports that it is almost impossible to become overdosed on marijuana. A person should consume about 40,000 times the amount of THC to intoxicate him or her so that it can lead to death. When comparing with the alcohol, it only needs about 5 to 10 times to intoxicate so that it would be fatal. So, if 3 beers intoxicate you, it needs only 15 to 30 beers to kill you. Nevertheless, to be intoxicated you need 3 “hits” of marijuana, but to kill you it would require 120,000 hits. Hence, it is really impossible to die of an overdose of marijuana.
The other reason for the legalization is the philosophical aspect. When we live in a democratic society we must have the right to choose if we want to use marijuana or not.