Positives to Marijuana Legalization
Composition
March 2, 2013
Legalization of Marijuana
One of the most strongly debated things going on in America today is the debate on whether marijuana should be legalized for recreational use. So far to this date, it has been legalized in Washington and Colorado for recreational use and is being used legally-medically in 16 other states. The thing that bothers me the most about this debate isn’t whether someone agrees or disagrees with my opinions. What does bother me is when they don’t know what they are talking about or are not knowledgeable about it and have very strong opinions for or against it. There are several positives to look at with making recreational use of marijuana legal nationally. I believe that this would have four main positive impacts. I believe that it would improve the economy, lessen the crime rate and allow the government to regulate the marijuana that’s being used, and marijuana isn’t as bad for you as people like to think.
First of all, I would like to put some things in perspective. Some people make it seem like smoking marijuana could kill you and it’s severely dangerous for your body. This is something that is not even close to being true. Daniel J. DeNoon, a senior medical writer for WebMD states, “Marijuana smoking isn't harmless, but at least it won't kill you” (2003, Sept. 18). He also later compares the effects of it similar to smoking a cigarette which is very legal in this country and is done in large numbers. "Although the use of [marijuana] is not harmless, the current knowledge base does not support the assertion that it has any notable adverse public health impact in relation to mortality," (DeNoon, 2003, Sept. 18).
Next, this could allow the US government to regulate the marijuana use in America. Meanwhile according to The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services over 100 million people have smoked marijuana (Armentano, 2009, Sept. 10). For your information, that is over 41% of America! With that many
March 2, 2013
Legalization of Marijuana
One of the most strongly debated things going on in America today is the debate on whether marijuana should be legalized for recreational use. So far to this date, it has been legalized in Washington and Colorado for recreational use and is being used legally-medically in 16 other states. The thing that bothers me the most about this debate isn’t whether someone agrees or disagrees with my opinions. What does bother me is when they don’t know what they are talking about or are not knowledgeable about it and have very strong opinions for or against it. There are several positives to look at with making recreational use of marijuana legal nationally. I believe that this would have four main positive impacts. I believe that it would improve the economy, lessen the crime rate and allow the government to regulate the marijuana that’s being used, and marijuana isn’t as bad for you as people like to think.
First of all, I would like to put some things in perspective. Some people make it seem like smoking marijuana could kill you and it’s severely dangerous for your body. This is something that is not even close to being true. Daniel J. DeNoon, a senior medical writer for WebMD states, “Marijuana smoking isn't harmless, but at least it won't kill you” (2003, Sept. 18). He also later compares the effects of it similar to smoking a cigarette which is very legal in this country and is done in large numbers. "Although the use of [marijuana] is not harmless, the current knowledge base does not support the assertion that it has any notable adverse public health impact in relation to mortality," (DeNoon, 2003, Sept. 18).
Next, this could allow the US government to regulate the marijuana use in America. Meanwhile according to The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services over 100 million people have smoked marijuana (Armentano, 2009, Sept. 10). For your information, that is over 41% of America! With that many