Essay Sample on the Legalization of Marijuana

Marijuana is arguably one of the most controversial plants in the world (Svrakic, et al. 90). The plant has brought about mixed reactions from people with a substantial population in support of its legalization while many others are in opposing side. Marijuana is believed to originate in Asia and many people refer to it as an Asian herb (Svrakic, et al. 90). The herb comes from a wide class of plants known as hemp. The plant was initially introduced as a medicinal drug, however; due to the abuse and the after effects, many countries have classified it as hard drug and subsequently banned it from use by their citizens. Currently, many lobby and advocacy groups have emerged with the aim of advocating for the legalization of the Marijuana (Svrakic, et al. 91). However, in my opinion, Marijuana should not be legalized at all. Therefore, this paper will strive to discuss and support the illegal status of Marijuana and provide reasons Marijuana should not be legalized.

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To many supporters of legalization of Marijuana, the herb provides numerous benefits to the human beings. Many of the advocates of the legalization of Marijuana indicate that the herb if administered as a prescription drug, it would help in curing numerous diseases. The validity of the claim has never been sufficiently proved and the matter is critically debatable. Other advocates of the legalization of Marijuana are religious sectors such as the Rastafarians who consider the plant as a holy herb. In their claim, they indicate that Marijuana is important in developing their faith and enhancing their religious beliefs. However, many of the claims put forward by the supporters of the legalization of Marijuana are open to debates. None of their explanations can sufficiently be proven to be true (Svrakic, et al. 93).

On the other aspect, the negative effects of Marijuana can substantially be proven. Many scientific studies have shown that Marijuana has a negative impact on human being both in terms of physical aspect, the social aspect, as well as mental aspect (Cheng 32). The arguments in support of the claim that Marijuana is an important drug in enhancing the health of the humans and in the treatment of some ailments does not do enough in countering the negative effects brought about by the use of the herb. The use of Marijuana has shown to affect the physical and mental aspect of the users (Cheng 32).

The physical harm caused by the use of Marijuana includes various effects on the functionality of different organs in the human body. The first physical effect that can be noted when using Marijuana is the redness of the eyes. The red coloration of the eyes is classified as the short-term effect of Marijuana use. The red eyes affect the sight ability which affects the efficiency of an individual. The majority of the Marijuana users take the herb by means of smoking. Just like tobacco, Marijuana has negative effects on the lungs (Cheng 36). The clogging of smoke in the lungs causes breathing problems and interferes with the normal functioning of the lungs. Some of the scientific research has shown a slight contribution of Marijuana in lung cancer. A majority of the reason is that most of the Marijuana users also use other forms of drugs such as tobacco. The other effect of Marijuana is that it causes failure of the salivary gland which leaves the users of the herb with an annoying dry mouth (Cheng 37).

Research on Marijuana has also shown that it contributes to increased crime rate. The main concept that has led to the conclusion on the contribution of Marijuana in crime rate is the fact that most criminals who are arrested tend to test positive for Marijuana use. Many of the criminologists have suggested that the correlation of Marijuana and crime is due to other factors. However, they indicated that there is a high possibility that when these individuals cease from using Marijuana there is the likelihood they would not engage in criminal activities (Cheng 41).

The psychological or mental effects of the use of Marijuana are thought to be the main cause of concern (Richter and Sharon 399). The basic mental disorder that has been found to be caused by Marijuana is dizziness. According to the study conducted in1992, 60% of the participants who were the users of Marijuana reported that they experienced mild to severe cases of dizziness (Cheng 41). Another mental effect caused by the use of Marijuana is the increased appetite. The users of Marijuana have shown to exhibit a high level of appetite which according to researchers is attributed to altering of the functional part of the brain that controls the feeling of hunger (Richter and Sharon 399). The users of Marijuana tend to increase their food intake to almost double their normal ration. That means when an individual takes more than enough food on a continuous basis, it creates room for other physical effects such as obesity and economic effects where the user will utilize his or her resources more on food. Marijuana use has also shown that it causes series of memory impairment and confusion. This affects the users in a variety of ways such as they tend to forget the activities they did while some even commit obscene activities without fear. Loss of motivation has also shown to be caused by Marijuana among the users (Richter and Sharon 399).

Various studies have shown that young people who tend to take Marijuana at a tender age would likely drop out of school due to the lack of motivation. The lack of motivation is contributed by increased depression which is caused by the consistent Marijuana need by the body which makes the mind of the individual to get occupied by when to take the herb and where to get the herb. Marijuana has also been known to cause paranoia and hallucinations where the individuals think and visualize non-existence figures which instill fear in them (Richter and Sharon 399). Marijuana is among the highest addictive substances in the world. Therefore, the users have the highest possibility of getting addicted which interferes with their quality of life as well as their daily activities (Richter and Sharon 399).

In the concept of Marijuana legalization, the negative effects of the drugs outweigh the alleged benefits of the plant. It has been shown that the users of Marijuana tend to get more negative effects than the perceived benefits that the advocates of Marijuana insinuate. Despite the claim that a prescription would allow for the proper use of the drug, it is most likely for the users of the drug to abuse it. The lack of proper monitoring structures and high level of technology will make it difficult for the concept of prescription to work. Therefore, legalizing Marijuana would be a gateway of encouraging the drug abuse and hence Marijuana should never be legalized.

Work Cited

Cheng, Ying. "Are drug prevention efforts fulfilling the informational needs of college students? A survey of engagement with information about topics related to marijuana and amphetamines from media, medical and interpersonal sources." 142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15-November 19, 2014). APHA, 2014.

Richter, Kimber P., and Sharon Levy. "Big marijuana - lessons from big tobacco." The New England journal of medicine 371.5 (2014): 399.

Svrakic, Dragan M., et al. "Legalization, decriminalization and medicinal use of cannabis." Missouri medicine 109.2 (2011): 90-98.