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Hailey Cunningham

Mrs. Parker

English 12

14 March 2018

Legalization of Marijuana

“Cannabis is the most versatile herbal remedy, and the most useful plant on Earth. No

other single plant contains as wide a range of medically active herbal constitutes.” - Dr. Ethan

Russo, Cannabinoid Research Institute. Marijuana is one of the most debated topics this nation

has ever seen. For years we have been fighting to legalize it but there are always the dissenting

voices. Marijuana has been around since the ancient Chinese philosophers were smoking it for

their knowledge of God. It has been found to have medical benefits, but people have noticed the

effects, both negative and positive, it has had on society since then.​ Society as a whole is

separated on the topic of legalizing marijuana, and in order to come to an agreement, everyone

will need to be educated on the positive and negative sides of the legalization and rethink

preconceived viewpoints.

In ancient Chinese culture, around the year 500 BC, marijuana was used for herbal

medicine (​History.com Staff​). “​While the primary applications of cannabis in Chinese medicine

center around the use of the achenes, ancient indications for the female inflorescence, and other

plant parts include conditions such as pain and mental illness that are the subject of current

research into cannabinoids such as cannabidiol and Δ​9​-tetrahydrocannabinol,” (​Brand​).

Marijuana has been used as medicine for centuries without question, and now there are actual

medical documents involving marijuana and its herbal properties. ​Hashish (a purified form of
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cannabis smoked with a pipe) was widely used throughout the Middle East and parts of Asia

after about 800 AD. Its rise in popularity corresponded with the spread of ​Islam​ in the region.

The Quran forbade the use of alcohol and some other intoxicating substances, but it did not

specifically prohibit cannabis (​History.com Staff​).

Throughout history, peoples’ views on marijuana have changed drastically. “As part of

the ‘​War on Drugs​,’ the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, signed into law by President

Richard Nixon​, repealed the Marijuana Tax Act and listed marijuana as a Schedule I

drug—along with ​heroin​, ​LSD​ and ​ecstasy​—with no medical uses and a high potential for

abuse,” (​History.com Staff​). Nixon wanted us to realize that all of the illegal immigrants were

causing the drug crisis to worsen. He thought that they were bringing drugs over the border and

causing them to get into the hands of the children and loved ones.

A total of nine billion dollars in taxes has been collected to keep marijuana law violators

in jail. In the illustration below, there is a man holding a joint and a prison side by side. This

represents the difference between the “joints.” The legalization of marijuana would open up jail

space for criminals who actually should be there -- those who have committed a crime worse

than smoking a plant. ​www.sitnews.us/Dupuy/102714_tina_dupuy.html

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The Cannabinol is known to have deep relaxing properties, so when people smoke

marijuana before bed they get a better quality of sleep and a more relaxed sleep. The hemp plant

itself is beneficial to the body. Hemp seeds are an excellent source of fats, good for digestive

health, and help relieve inflammation, dryness and redness (​“The Science of Cannabinoids”​).

Marijuana is less deadly than both cigarettes and alcohol. It has not killed anyone ever recorded,

but cigarettes and alcohol kill hundreds of thousands of people in just one year.

wondergressive.com/federal-judge-urges-legalization-of-marijuana/.

The idea behind the picture above illustrates how alcohol, cigarettes, and pills are advertised.

They are proven to be highly addictive and cause many health issues that marijuana alleviates.

The government and police focus so hard on marijuana when they should be focusing on bigger

harm from these legal substances.

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However, marijuana is known to have addictive tendencies because of the sensations that

comes from the drug. It causes drivers to be impaired and slows down their reaction time by 30%

(Doe)​. Because the reaction time slows down while one is under the influence, marijuana can

cause serious accidents and cause damage to those not intoxicated. It does not distort the image

one sees, but it does make it harder to react quickly. “Studies show even casual marijuana use

causes abnormalities in the density, volume and shape of the brain,” (​“Voting down Pot”​). The

casual use of marijuana, especially in adolescents, causes the brain activity to decrease and can

also cause health issues later in life. Marijuana may have medical uses, but so do opioids, and we

won't legalize heroin (​“Voting down Pot”​). Marijuana is going to cause people to get sicker

because it shuts down the immune system and causes the brain to develop differently. When the

brain develops differently, because of the use of marijuana, short-term memory loss could

develop and even cause users to forget parts of their life (​Stimson​). Many researchers have been

wondering if marijuana is an addictive substance. “​First, marijuana is far more likely to cause

addiction. Second, it is usually consumed to the point of intoxication. Third, it has no known

general healthful properties, though it may have some palliative effects. Fourth, it is toxic and

deleterious to health,” (​Stimson​).

Another reason marijuana is becoming more addictive is because of the raised THC level.

THC is the​ chemical that stimulates cells in the brain to release dopamine, creating euphoria

(​collin023​). “​Legalization of marijuana would increase demand for the drug and almost certainly

exacerbate drug-related crime, as well as cause a myriad of unintended but predictable

consequences,” (​Stimson​). The fear of people under the influence acting badly and causing

serious issues is very relevant. Marijuana does distort how you perceive the world, so many
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believe it is linked with crimes. Even though there are many benefits to marijuana itself, the

negatives are very present, which causes legalization to still be a topic of discussion.

Marijuana will always be a back and forth topic, but one day we will come to a

conclusion. Each side will always fight to legalize it or to ban it. Finding peace between these

two sides would help the United States unite over this intriguing topic. Marijuana has more

benefits than just getting high. The hemp rope is one of the strongest in the world, and the plant

is great for clothing, too. Before we decide what to do with marijuana, we need to focus on what

else the plant can do for us other than just the recreational aspect of the legalization. Once we

better understand both sides of the argument over the legalization of marijuana, we will be able

to come to a balance that will make both sides content with marijuana.
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Works Cited

Brand, E. Joseph, and Zhongzhen Zhao. ​Frontiers in Pharmacology​, Frontiers Media S.A., 2017,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5345167/.

collin032. “Persuasive Speech- Against Marijuana Legalization.” ​YouTube​, YouTube, 14 Mar.

2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfvzXaaGilo.

Doe, Jane. Interview. Choice Dispensary. March 4, 2018.

History.com Staff. “Marijuana.” ​History.com​, A&E Television Networks, 2017,

www.history.com/topics/history-of-marijuana.

“The Science of Cannabinoids.” ​Mary's Medicinals​,

www.marysmedicinals.com/the-science-of-cannabinoids/.

Stimson, Charles. “Legalizing Marijuana: Why Citizens Should Just Say No.” ​The Heritage

Foundation​,

www.heritage.org/crime-and-justice/report/legalizing-marijuana-why-citizens-should-just-

say-no.

“Voting down Pot.” ​The Washington Times​, The Washington Times, 1 Aug. 2016,

www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/aug/1/a-case-against-legalizing-marijuana/.

Wueraear, M. “Federal Judge Urges Legalization of Marijuana.” ​Wondergressive​, 15 June 2013,

wondergressive.com/federal-judge-urges-legalization-of-marijuana/.

Zygus, Adam. “SitNews: Column - Decriminalize Poverty; End the War on Drugs By TINA

DUPUY.” ​SitNews - Stories in the News - Ketchikan, Alaska​, 2012,

www.sitnews.us/Dupuy/102714_tina_dupuy.html.