Legalizing Marijuana
Kimberly Denise Teague
Argosy University Online
ENG102 Composition II

The first thing you have to realize is that marijuana is here to stay. There is enough reliable information about marijuana and the effects that it has on people. The outlook of marijuana should be based evidence, facts and basic common sense. There are claims that heavy users of marijuana can be harmful, but it’s not what people would think. There is enough information presented that marijuana is good for many things, and no matter the massive efforts to stop the use of marijuana with the war on drugs, it has failed. Though the use, sale, and cultivation of cannabis in the US continue to occupy a legal grey area, controlled legalization is a better option for a number of reasons. By legalizing marijuana, it could potentially bring in more money for the US, by taxing it. It would lower the crime rates throughout, while doing so; it will put the focus to more serious crimes such as rapes, murders, and drunk drivers. Not to mention, it has many medical benefits.
The main concern involving marijuana usage is that it is addictive, without the correct dosage amount, it would be harmful. Legalizing marijuana however, would create so many positive things. Vomiting, nausea, treatment for appetite loss, even seizures. Thus far, marijuana has proven to have no health risks, and looking into it, it’s far less dangerous then alcohol, smoking, and caffeine for that matter.
As you know, legalizing the substance known as marijuana and its medicinal and recreational use has been major debated over many years. Throughout time, the government has been involved in the personal lives of people who smoke the substance. The main concern here is that marijuana is a drug; therefore, it should be illegal like every other drug. However, if you think about it, what is a drug? According to Webster’s dictionary, a drug is a medicine or other substance that has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body.
With that being said, why isn't alcohol illegal? Not only is alcohol a "drug" so are narcotics.
When you go to a doctor for an injury, if its severe enough, that doctor will give you a prescription for the pain. That prescription has mind boggling affects. Narcotics are drugs, but they are still legal, because the help you. Marijuana on the other hand is still illegal, and has been for quite some time.
Some of the benefits of legalizing marijuana would create a larger job market, as well as provide massive blows to drug cartels and even bring in billions in taxes. Potentially it would even save the law enforcement thousands if not millions. By legalizing, it would impact health risks by reducing costs to provide treatment to the sick. Not to mention there are many other medical benefits. Some of the things that marijuana would be used to cure include; appetite controlment, even dizziness and glaucoma. Not only that, but marijuana would be used to control muscle spasms as well as pressure within the eye that is caused by frequent headaches. If you don't have an appetite it would help with that as well as control any nausea or vomiting which are the most common effects of people that are on chemo treatment. For those that suffer from seizures, it would help control them, as well as arthritis, restless leg syndrome, headaches, even menstrual cramps in women. If you have common stomach aches, it will help control those also. Of course the substance takes to everybody differently; it could potentially treat mood disorders as well as depression. One of the major heated arguments with legalizing marijuana is that it could do potentential harm to people. You could argue that its unhealthy, and that would be why it is still illegal, but then the explanation of why tobacco and alcohol are still legal.
Eighty-thousand people die each year related to alcohol poisoning. Tobacco smoking can cause