Marijuana: Is It Right to Legalize?

Many people believe that the only use of the marijuana plant is to get high, this is simply not true. The marijuana plant is one of the oldest psychoactive plants known to society. Its history dates back as far as 6000 B.C , when cannabis seeds were used in many Chinese traditions. The way society sees marijuana use is that it is an illegal drug that leads to an increase in crime rate, obesity, and slowing or even killing off brain cells in the user. Many people fail to realize that marijuana has a history of more than 8000 years, and it has been illegal for a short period of time. False myths have disfavored the use of marijuana for a long time. Marijuana legalization supporters say that it can provide benefits in the field of medicine, and it can also help our economy improve and save billions of tax dollars that the government could use to make up the deficit in the economy. Is this really what America needs?

Many people claim that marijuana is not a danger. According to the National Institute on Drug Awareness “… Nearly 98 million Americans over the age of 12 have tried marijuana at least once.” (NIDA) different types of people use this drug. Though, typically marijuana user (58%) are in the under 30 age grouping.(Hager) One of the most common untrue facts about marijuana is death. There has never ever been one case of death due to the direct use of marijuana. However, there have been numerous deaths that can indirectly be caused by being under the influence of marijuana. According to the NIDA, “autopsies reveal that 75 people per year are "high" when they cease to live” (NIDA).

There have been reports that have shown children under the age of 18 are the greatest users of marijuana making up of over 60 percent of its users. Legalizing it to “adults” to buy will just make it

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easier for drug dealers to sell to our youth. This is number is especially highest in middle school age children, typically between the ages of 12-15,the most...