A Stinky Debate For a number of years I have known about marijuana and the effects of the leafy, green plant. Attending a public school definitely contributed to my familiarity with the sight and smell of the substance. Nearly half of my peers sucked in smoke on a daily basis! However, I took no part in this intoxicating experience. Having a doctor as a dad, I knew of some very negative side effects that followed the inhalation of marijuana. I suppose that was a great portion of the reason why I never wanted to go near a joint, bong, or vaporizer. I was entirely against smoking, I vowed never to do it and I’m thankful I never picked up the nasty habit. I decided to narrow my topic to stopping the legalization of marijuana. I have been passionately against the act of smoking and the last thing I want is for it to become legal all over the country. The legalization is a hot topic these days and is under much discussion on whether it should be allowed in certain states. Numerous states have already legalized marijuana and every major news organization has tons of articles with pertinent information on the subject. My initial thoughts on the matter are that this drug could very well take over the United States and change the perception of drugs forever. Marijuana is illegal in most states yet it still being smoked by people in every city. With nationwide legalization, the drug could be used exponentially. Productivity could plummet and lung cancer could reach an all-time high. The reason for my passion is the fact that I have seen cannabis ruin the lives of my friends. I can count many times where a good friend of mine started smoking weed and then ended up with no drive, no job, no future plans and an extra ten pounds of fat from all the snacks they consumed while high. Not only that, but marijuana is extremely unhealthy for your internal organs and a lot of people are unaware of the dangers of smoking. If I had 20 dollars for every time someone told me weed wasn’t unhealthy because it’s “natural”, then I would already have college paid for. Living in the state of Washington gave me an upper hand to hearing about the marijuana debates. For the past few years my home state has been debating