Julian McDaniel
English 100_38
Professor Jones
7/22/12

Legalize Marijuana

The topic of making marijuana legal has been debated for the last several years.Marijuana has been given a bad rap because of the gangs associated with illegal drug sales. Many people would say that it is harmful and negative, but in actuality, marijuana is safer than tobacco and alcohol.There are many benefits to marijuana, which is why it should be legalized and regulated.
To begin, making marijuana legal would drastically reduce the crime rate. Marijuana is the most common drug found drug at the time of arrest. It is illegal for anybody to grow, posses, or distribute marijuana in any way.Possession alone can get a person up to five years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine (cga.ct.gov). Illegal marijuana sales have also lead to many deaths. If marijuana was to be legalized, the amount of death associated with gangs and illegal drug sales would go down.
Marijuana also has several medicinal benefits. It is a known fact that marijuana relieves symptoms of certain illnesses. For example, marijuana can help cancer patients in numerous ways. Patients who undergo chemotherapy often vomit and feel nauseated. These are the two most noticeable benefits of medicinal marijuana. It is also said with the depression of having cancer. Marijuana also helps cancer patients by increasing their appetites. Patients who go through chemotherapy usually lose weight. In the last few years, studies have shown that the chemicals in marijuana actually fight cancer cells. It has also been proven that marijuana stops the growth of various forms of cancer like brain, melanoma, and breast cancer completely. There is even evidence that marijuana even causes the tumor to go away. Marijuana is also used to treat glaucoma. Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve that can result in vision loss and blindness. A major contributor to glaucoma is the buildup of the level if intraocular pressure (IOP). The most effective way to treat the disease is to lower the intraocular pressure. The most common ways to lower the IOP is medications, laser surgery, and operation but operations are expensive and not everybody can afford them. One of the most discussed alternatives to lowering the intraocular is marijuana. Studies have proven that marijuana lowers the IOP.Marijuana can also help people with epilepsy. Epilepsy is a disease in which brain cells causes