Marijuana

The use of marijuana in human civilization dates back to 6000 B. C. In this era, China found that cannabis seeds are edible and later discovered a greater use as textiles. From that time period, humanity has made significant advancement, and has discovered further uses for the marijuana plant. Today, marijuana can be used as medical cannabis to treat ailments that other medication cannot possibly treat. Although medical cannabis has some great benefits, in the many countries it is still illegal to possess and/or use.Thus the legalization of marijuana should be legalized through its promising and beneficial results. Contrary to belief, medical cannabis has very few health risks compared to propaganda suggested to most people in mainstream media. Throughout the years many random and bogus facts of marijuana have circulated, many of these disputes however, have been debunk through actual scientific study done today. The monkey marijuana experiment in 1973 for example was a huge hoax. In the case study, the monkeys were exposed to marijuana smoke everyday and died after ninety days.The autopsy report ruled that hey died to a dead brain through great loss in brain cells. Therefore, the conclusion of the study was that marijuana kills brain cells, but the experiment failed to report the monkeys were being suffocated for five minutes on a daily schedule for three months. The process of asphyxiation or suffocation causes lack of oxygen to the brain, which leads to death of brain cells. Soon after, many more theories have been tested and most of the so-called health risks were nothing more than hokum.Marijuana has fairly less harmful effects, unlike other legal drugs such as: alcohol, tobacco, cetaminophen, amphetamine, OxyContin, Xanax, sleeping pills, and many other legal drugs. Adversely, compared to other drugs and the drugs listed prior, marijuana has very few health risks. Since there are very few scientifically proven health risks, they are much more minimal in h armful effects than other recreational drugs. Alcohol and tobacco for instance, have higher risk in use than marijuana.The Center of Disease Control and Prevention states that: There are approximately 80,000 deaths attributable to excessive alcohol use each year in the United States. l This makes xcessive alcohol use the 3r d leading lifestyle-related cause of death for the nation. 2 Excessive alcohol use is responsible for 2. 3 million years of potential life lost (YPLL) annually, or an average of about 30 years of potential life lost for each death. l In 2006, there were more than 1. 2 million emergency room visits and 2. 7 million physician office visits due to excessive drinking. The economic costs of excessive alcohol consumption in 2006 were estimated at $223. 5 billion. 3 Compared to the average marijuana smokers, tobacco smokers frequently smoke more as stated in Mikaela Conleys ABC News article, â€Å"Among the study participants, the average pot smoker lit up two to three times per month. The average tobacco user smoked eight cigarettes per day. † Due to the greater amount of frequency in lighting a cigarette the average tobacco smoke causes much more air pollution as well as second hand smoke.In summation, the negative output of marijuana is miniscule compared to the negative output of most legal drugs/over the counter drugs. The medical uses of prescribed a mysterious herb as tea. This tea was marijuana and was used to treat, everything from pain relief to earache to childbirth. Doctors also warned against overuse of marijuana, believing that too much consumption caused impotence, blindness and â€Å"seeing devils. (Stack& Suddath)† Ever since then the uses of medical cannabis has varied from nausea to cancer and even to pain relief.According to â€Å"Disabled World†, Few herbs offer a wide variety of therapeutic applications like these: Relief of muscle spasms, relief of chronic pain reduction in interlobular pressure inside t he eye, suppression of nausea, weight loss – increase and restore etabolism, AIDS – Marijuana can reduce the nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting from the condition itself and the medications as well. Today, medical cannabis remains one of the most controversial social issues around the world.Although many people disagree with the drug, for one boy it proved valuable results. Jayden David of California suffers from a, â€Å"debilitating form of epilepsy, which causes him to experience frequent seizures – some lasting up to 90 minutes. (Fox40)† This only treatment for his epilepsy prior to medical marijuana was twenty types of medication hat he must take everyday in order to control his epilepsy. Once Jayden was on CDB (cannabidol), â€Å"Jayden's seizures are down approximately 80 percent. Jayden is functioning now,' David, of Modesto, Calif. told Fox 40. ‘The doctors told me Jayden would never walk or talk. ‘ (Fox40)† This is Just one of the stories of many lives that medical cannabis has managed to improve, including: cancer, chemotherapy, anorexia, bulimia, and many other ill patients. Due to its already besmirched image, the process in which obtaining medicinal marijuana has become such a hurdle that it is much harder to obtain than it should. Along with its beneficial results as medical cannabis, marijuana could have a substantially great impact on economy.With the drug being legal, less police force is needed to enforce the law, thus saving a substantial amount of taxpayer's money from the â€Å"get-go'. The Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition in the United States reveals that, â€Å"The report estimates that legalizing marijuana would save $7. 7 billion per year in government expenditure on enforcement of prohibition. $5. 3 billion of this savings would accrue to state and local governments, while $2. 4 billion ould accrue to the federal government. This is Just from deprivation of reduced polic e force, TBIMP states that, â€Å"50% of possession arrests are due solely to marijuana possession rather than being incidental to some other crime. † Declaring the arrest rate of 50% of all arrests are marijuana possession shows and reinforces the idea of how much the United States can save with reduced arrests and enforcements. In addition to the legalization of the drug, it could be taxed and distributed as a product worldwide for increase GDP in not only the United States, but also many other countries. However in the U. S. he estimated report says it would yield is, â€Å"$2. 4 billion annually if marijuana were taxed like all other goods and $6. 2 billion annually if marijuana were taxed at rates comparable to those on alcohol and tobacco. † Increase of new product in the market allows more economic growth worldwide. If the enormous revenue of legalization of marijuana is so great, it imposes the question of the legitimacy of illegalization of a drug in the first place, and to answer that question frankly it should! morality of it (which is the only answer to the question imposed prior to this entence).Most people against marijuana say that it is a drug and it is bad, but hold no other credible evidence of it truly being â€Å"bad†. In 1920 the United States imposed an alcohol prohibition because of their morale of it being â€Å"bad†. Just like marijuana alcohol is a drug, and has many pros and cons, such as medical uses like a disinfectant as well as a recreational drug. The hypocrisy came when the government imposed the prohibition when the motto has been â€Å"for the people by the people†. This lack of representation of the people caused one of the greatest failures in law reation since slavery.Not only did prohibition fail in stopping people from drinking alcohol, it also increased the amount of people drinking as well as crime rate. The distillation process of making alcohol became a homemade Job, but due to the lack of proper equipment and sanitation this beverage was much more hazardous to drink. It was estimated at least ten thousand people died during the enforcement of the 1920 to 1933 Prohibition. During this time the profit of making alcohol skyrocketed, which made it more tempting to break the law.Along with the increase crime rate, it as also reported that vandalism and public disturbances increased. This example is currently like the prohibition of marijuana, not only is it making crime more profitable, but it is also increasing the negligence of the people consuming and the law enforcement. However, due to a greater understanding of responsibility and information of recreational drugs, modern day society has allowed awareness in safety of alcohol consumption. This awareness could also be used for marijuana, Just as it has been done for tobacco and other drugs.In summation, the use of marijuana medically and recreationally has been around ince the beginning of civilization, and sh ould still be continued today; Just as Bert Lance once said, â€Å"If it ain't broke, don't fix it. † In addition, the legalization of marijuana should Just be reinstated prior to it's ban through its promising medical uses for all sick and ill patients, its beneficial economic results for everybody, and its use as a reminder that public opinion are still held accountable; even with the modern political Jargon going around today.So, for the sake of the ill who needs the drugs, to us, the people who could benefit from the drug, we should keep in mind that the ecision is more than Just a basis of morality, but also the basis of something for all. â€Å"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one. Marijuana Even the Persian founder of Suffix, who struggled with depression until discovering the plant, requested in his death, ‘to be buried amid cannabis leaves so his spirit may walk in the shade Of the plant that eve him much joy in his lifetime† (Medical-Marijuana-Mentor. Com). However, if marijuana has been embraced by diverse faiths and civilizations, why is marijuana such a controversial subject now? In America's inception marijuana was used to generate vast government money by our founding fathers; George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both grew hemp on Mount Vernon.But in 1932, the Confirm State Narcotic Act gave legislative control of marijuana from the federal government to the states, thus prohibiting the use of marijuana (The Free Dictionary). Nevertheless, numerous studies have shown the benefits of marijuana outweigh its negative effects. Therefore, the stigma should be lifted so that the people of the Lignite States can enjoy the benefits of marijuana. The legali zation of marijuana in the U. S. Would lower crime, stimulate the economy, and provide medical relief.First of all, the legalization of marijuana would lower the crime rate in the United States by creating a safe environment for its users. If marijuana is taken off the street, and out of the hands of the dealers, the crimes associated with these types of dealings would also be taken off the street. It would put marijuana into a legal market where it could be controlled by the proper authorities. â€Å"By providing legal supplies of currently illegal drugs the price will fall, leading to a collapse in the illegal drug industry, and a reduction in crimes committed by both drug suppliers and users† (Legalization of Marijuana).To illustrate this, just three months after the state of Colorado legalized marijuana, crime decreased 14. 6% and in Denver from the same time last year†¦ Violent crime also went down 2. 4% (Natural Society). Another disconcerting problem with marijuan a being sold on the street is its accessibility to minors. Drug dealers do not discriminate and do not care whether the buyer is a minor or not; their interest is solely in their own profits. High school students have reported that illegal drugs are easier to access than alcohol and tobacco.This would obviously explain why the percentage of teens using weed is drastically on the rise. On the other hand, if marijuana was legalized and sold as cigarettes, the buyer or consumer would have to produce a valid identification before purchasing it, and a vendor cannot legally sell alcohol and tobacco to minors. As a result, legalizing Arizona would establish more of control of its distribution, and would also reduce the usage of it among minors. With the economy in the United States in shambles, legalizing marijuana would allow it to be a taxable item and would produce millions of dollars into the system. The new measure is expected to bring†¦ [in] $550 million combined, with more than 300 economists previously estimating that legalizing pot could save the U. S. Up to $14 billion a year† (Huff Post Business). We should not allow drug dealers the ability to control the market and benefit on a product that has the potential to ring in high profits into our much-needed empty confers. With marijuana being sold on the black market drug dealers charge exuberant prices because they have the monopoly on the market; keeping pot illegal is inadvertently enriching greedy drug dealers.On a similar note, by legalizing marijuana the demand will rise for more farms and dispensaries. With this comes more jobs because establishments like this would be hiring farmers, growers, and employees would be needed to run the new dispensaries, thus creating a new and large job market. By legalizing Marijuana it can be something the American people can profit from as a whole, as well as the U . S. Government, instead of a small group of criminals who's only priority is to enrich thems elves. Lastly, and most importantly marijuana can treat diverse mental and physical illnesses.Medical marijuana or cannabis has already been legalized in 20 of the 52 states in the U. S. Marijuana can treat cancer patients suffering from the affects of chemo and radiation by dehydrogenation's (TECH) -? which has pain-relieving properties. It can also be used to prevent the spread of cancer cells. â€Å"CB (one of the components n cannabis) represents the first nontoxic exogenous agent that can significantly decrease old-l expression in metastasis breast cancer cells leading to the down-regulation of tumor aggressiveness† (National Library of Medicine).Furthermore, marijuana can be used to treat and prevent eye disease such as glaucoma. It has also been know to treat mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. In addition, some independent studies have shown Marijuana to prevent suicide in those who use it for medical purposes. Marijuana is, at present, successfully treat ing people suffering from the effects of illnesses, but only in the states that have legalized it. However, everyone should have access to the medicinal properties found in cannabis and the ability to use them legally.Therefore it should be legally available to those whose health can benefit from it. In closing, it is safe to say there are many beneficial uses to this controversial drug known as marijuana. Prohibiting the use of marijuana does not prevent it from being used, but rather gives a small and dangerous group a large portion of control and power. If we are to learn anything from the history of prohibition in the hearties in relation to alcohol is that it did the opposite of what it was intended, â€Å"Alcohol became more dangerous to consume; organized crime blossomed; courts and prisons systems became overloaded† (1 920-30. Mom). Such is the case of the country today in regards to marijuana. The legalization of marijuana would not raise but rather lower crime, and would allow marijuana to be more controlled by the governing authorities. It would produce billions of dollars into an economy frocked with debt and create jobs in a time where unemployment is at record highs. It would allow those offering from the horrors of illnesses to find a means to ease their pain, and in some cases actually treat the illness itself.