Let's Legalize It

Raquel Reisetter

PHI105

9 November 2014

Corey Hunt

Marijuana: Let’s Legalize It

Growing up as a child, everyone was being told “Drugs are bad!” and “Don’t do drugs!” As children, no one had any idea what these drugs were, but stayed away from them because they were bad and dangerous. Each year getting older, there was a certain drug that seemed to always stick out that most, and that drug is Marijuana. Marijuana is a commonly used drug that is around us more than we think it is. But is Marijuana really as bad as society thinks it is? There has been a constant debate in the United States about Marijuana whether or not it has health benefits or if it should be legalized. Based off proven tests and studies, Marijuana should be legalized for medicinal health purposes, to increase our tax revenue for state profit, as well as decrease crime rates.

There are numerous reasons why more people are supporting legalizing marijuana, and one of the reasons is because marijuana has many benefits when it is being used for medicinal purposes. Currently in the United States, there are twenty-three states that have passed medical marijuana laws. Three of those states, Colorado, Washington, and just recently Oregon, include recreational smoking for consumers that are twenty-one and over. Using marijuana as a medicine, it is known to relieve pain as well as other health benefits. Recent trials presented that medical marijuana helps stimulate the appetite combat nausea, act as a sedative, and reduce anxiety (Ault, p.1077). There have also been further studies in its effectiveness in managing symptoms in individuals with HIV/Aids, cancer, hepatitis C, rheumatoid arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease (Bottorff et. Al, p.770). But an argument still arises; consumers will become addicted to the marijuana. Besides painkillers, alcohol, and tobacco, marijuana is not addictive. There is no confirmed evidence that says marijuana is addictive, but that it is simply...