Everyday more and more people are trying the very unhealthy drug, marijuana. People that you think would never use this drug are using it or have used it before.
Actress, Drew Barrymore began abusing marijuana and other drugs at the age of nine. It was not until the age of fourteen when Drew began to battle her addiction (Schleichert 41-42). This goes to show that anyone and everyone can become addicted to marijuana and to other substances. Marijuana is a drug that is very addictive, can alter one’s mind, and long-term use can result in some kinds of cancer and other problems. Many of the cancer causing chemicals that are found in tobacco are also found in marijuana (Marijuana 4). If marijuana is legalized, it will only make matters worse.
It is proven that marijuana effects coordination, balance, and more importantly, driving skills while intoxicated. An hour and a half after randomly choosing a group of marijuana users, a survey was conducted. Ninety-four percent of the users failed a roadside sobriety test (Schleichert 33). Arguments whether legalizing marijuana has been a growing debate for decades. Should marijuana be legal for medicinal purposes? In some states marijuana is already legal for people suffering from diseases such as Cancer, HIV, and AIDS (Assignment 1). Marijuana is proven to help people cope with their side effects associated with these diseases.
However, marijuana is not the only drug that will help decrease these sideSykes 2effects (Argumentative 1). If marijuana is legalized for medicinal purposes people might get the wrong idea and think that it is legal for everyone. Although there might be a few advantages to legalizing marijuana, the disadvantages definitely outweigh them. If marijuana users think that smoking pot is not harmful or addictive, think again. Marijuana is just as addictive as drugs such as alcohol or cocaine.
Users may not think that it is addictive, but the addiction comes from the active ingredient THC (Cimaglio 1). Most marijuana users do not realize how addicted they are until they try to quit (Marijuana Users 1). Besides being addictive, it is a proven fact that marijuana leads to harder drugs. Fackelmann stated that, “Teens who smoke pot are 85 times likelier to use drugs such as cocaine than those who have never done so before” (Assignment 1). With the availability of marijuana comes the increase of users. The increase of users will lead to the increase of users of harder, more addictive drugs.
Another reason marijuana should not be legalized is that it is a mind-altering drug. It has been proven to change one’s thoughts and state of mind. There have been several reports of moodiness and even violent tendencies after using marijuana. We already have enough violence in the United States without the help of marijuana (Assignment 1).
After all, marijuana is clearly unhealthy and has hundreds upon hundred of bad effects. Why should we legalize marijuana and make it even easier to get our hands on? Legalizing marijuana is just like giving everyone a joint and saying “light it up, it will not hurt you.” Marijuana should continue to be illegal for everyone, sick or not, it can only make matters worse.
