Legalization of Marijuana

The legalization of marijuana has been a hot topic for the fast few decades. Some feel it should be legalized to help people suffering with medical illnesses; others disagree and feel it presents a bad message to today’s youth. One article presents the idea that the benefits from smoking marijuana for someone who is undergoing chemotherapy can be very significant. The drug has been known to reduce nausea and common pain experienced with chemotherapy. However, another article states that chronic users of marijuana have an increased chance of developing anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia. Also, marijuana has the same respiratory problems that come with smoking tobacco cigarettes. I am on the fence of both arguments. I do agree that it presents the wrong message to young people, especially adolescents, who are at a critical part of development. However, the positive outcomes of legalizing marijuana are considerable. If marijuana was legal, there would less crime because the profit from selling the drug would be low. If it is sold in gas stations or convenient stores like cigarettes, there would not be a demand for it on the streets. Secondly, if it helps someone overcome the pain that comes with battling cancer, then it seems like a good decision to legalize it. The only problem I have with this argument is that many who claim they are supporting the legalization of marijuana for medical use are actually supporting it for selfish reasons. They want the drug legal for themselves and by using the excuse, “for medical purposes,” is how they will obtain it.

Livin' in a Green World

Marijuana has been a hot topic since even before the infamous 60s and 70s era, when fear of the foreign drug was diminished and use became more lenient. Nowadays, however, it seems as though our prisons are being filled with people who wish to be relieved of their everyday stresses. When considering legalizing marijuana, there are many economic, health, and social issues we must analyze. According to About.com: Economics, http://economics.about.com/od/incometaxestaxcuts/a/marijuana.htm, legalizing marijuana would be almost nothing but beneficial and provide a way to solve many of the issues that we find in our society. Prisons would empty, our taxes would be spent toward more legitimate, worthwhile causes than keeping users held up, and marijuana would be taxed and controlled. Many argue that alcohol and tobacco are ten times more harmful than marijuana and that it should be a case for legalization. On the other hand, an article by Shaeffer Bannigan on the Daily Nexus, http://www.dailynexus.com/article.php?a=18822, says that legalizing marijuana would not solve the war on drugs and tobacco companies would abuse the legality to make the product more harmful. According to these critics, the cost is far worse than the potential monetary benefits.

As far as my opinion goes, I don’t think that legalization would work in the grand scheme of things. It seems like a good idea, but it ends there. I do agree that it is hypocritical that marijuana isn’t legal while substances such as alcohol and tobacco obviously cause more immediate dangers to a person’s health and the safety of others. I do not believe that it is a harmful substance, neither that people should be locked away in jails and prisons for choosing to be involved with the drug. Money is the main issue though, the amount of money spent to hold these “criminals”, could be spent elsewhere and toward more productive causes. Although I am for the legalization for a variety of reasons, I am hesitant as well. I feel as though if marijuana were legalized, the harmlessness of the drug would be diminished and businesses would create ways to make sure the product was more addictive than it is. It’s a topic that hasn’t been resolved for decades to come, and I would be surprised to see it come full circle in the next few as well, although I am hopeful.

Technology is really lame sometimes...

Well, Professor McCay, I have some pretty strong feelings regarding blackboard and the use of other electronic means in order to turn in assignments. To begin, I will start off by saying that the use of electronic devices is unreliable and fails to hold individuals truly responsible for their actions. Not only have there been, and will continue to be, problems with technology, but these problems are an easily used excuse for incomplete assignments. I, among many others, have at one time used technology as excuse for an incomplete assignment. In contrast, however, it is not fair to rely on technology because many people will and have truly experienced difficulties.

To be more specific, I will cite some of my own troubles with the technology we have been using.

Blackboard:

-Some of the links have been missing or not working, including the streaming video.

Internet:

-The internet connection at this school is, for the most part, extremely slow and, at times, unable to be used. While attempting to watch streaming videos, I have had to pause and allow the movie to buffer for minutes at a time. This adds up to an hour onto my movie-watching time.

Webmail:

-Sometimes, emails do not send for whatever reason, so relying on that to turn assignments in on time is not a good way of doing things.

So what would I suggest? Well, for the streaming video, I would say that is our problem. For assignments, however, I would suggest that you have us turn everything into you as a hard copy on the day of class. And to save you some trouble, just don’t allow us to turn in late work.

LEGALIZE THIS BEAUTY

SUPER LEMON HAZE, Winner of the 2009 Cannabis Cup

I have heard many arguments for and against the legalization of medical marijuana. I would like to start off, however, by citing the arguments against the legalization of marijuana, then countering them. The first and most common argument that I came across is that marijuana is a gateway drug. The Gateway Theory, as it is most commonly known, states that the use of soft drugs such as marijuana lead to the use of hard drugs. This is not necessarily true, but I think that it is the most reasonable of the arguments against the legalization of marijuana because, for some people, getting high off of one drug only leads them to desire a greater high. Speaking from experience, however, I have never known anyone with whom this is the case. In contrast to that argument, the weakest argument I have heard is that marijuana use is dangerous and it affects not only the user, but all those around the user. It has been scientifically proven, however, that marijuana has less harmful effects than tobacco, and it does not lead to lung cancer.

I, personally, think that medical marijuana should be legalized. I feel as though marijuana is a non-harmful, herbal remedy for a varying number of medical and psychological problems. In addition, our economy would benefit greatly from the legalization of marijuana. Something like 80% of the people in jail are non-violent drug users. We could save a lot of money by at least de-criminalizing the use of marijuana. Most importantly though, our society would be an overall more relaxed and contented place if medicinal marijuana were legalized.

Mary Jane

The first website that I looked at outlined the reasons why marijuana should be legalized. The three main points are freedom, economics, and the past failures of prohibition. Marijuana should be legalized because people deserve the right to make the decision to use it or not. We live in America, where all people should have the freedom to make these choices for themselves. It should also be legal because of the ridiculous expenses used to keep it illegal. If marijuana were legal, it could be taxed and the money could be used for much more important problems. Last of all, alcohol prohibition failed and therefore, so will the prohibition of marijuana. Marijuana is easy for younger people to access and in addition, most dealers don't care if customers are over 21. In addition to these arguments, the website mentions the medicinal and even religious uses of marijuana, and the agricultural and industrial uses of hemp.
The second website that I read through provided an argument against the legalization of marijuana. If marijuana is legalized, it will send a message to children that drug use is acceptable. A state should and cannot be involved with a substance that a large portion of the population is against. There is the Gateway Theory, which says that the use of marijuana will lead to the use of harder drugs. The new availability that would follow legalization will just create more consumers, instead of improving the problem of addiction. Finally, there is supposed violence associated with drugs, and drug use in general is dangerous to people other than just the user.
Personally, I believe that legalizing marijuana is a great idea and I am for it. While I admit there would be some drawbacks, I believe that the amount of money that would be saved or used for better purposes is well worth it. Not only could the government tax marijuana, but there would be so much money available from all the prisons, arrests, and officials that it is no longer going to. This money could make huge progress in education, rehabilitation programs, and health care. In addition, I have a strong belief that medical marijuana experimentation could lead to a cure, or at least a better treatment for cancer.

I love the news sometimes

This isn't related to an assignment or anything but I came across these two articles today and had mini doses of joy. It was only a matter of time.

Leaked documents reveal GOP plan to use scare tactics to raise money

California State Senator Roy Ashburn [historically anti-Gay rights] was Arrested for Allegedly Driving Drunk from a Gay Bar

The Fight for Euphoria

It is only human nature to seek pleasure; however, when humans do find pleasure, there is always an enemy to discourage it whether it is sex, alcohol, and in this case drugs. Prohibitions have always been the popular method of rebelling this quest for pleasure. But, are drugs really as terrible as those opposed make it out to be? From balancedpolitics.org, I found the perfect resource to observe both sides of the issue.

To begin, let's browse the arguments for the legalization of marijuana. They [some] list as: marijuana is not any more [if even less] harmful than tobacco or alcohol, it could be taxed as additional income for the heavily in-debt government, the FDA could regulate the safety and control of drugs, and law enforcement could focus on more offensive crimes. When reviewing the arguments against the legalization of marijuana, the most important list as: marijuana is a "stepping-stone" drug that leads to more harmful drugs, some consider the act to be morally wrong, "stoned" driving risks would increase, and physical damage would be done to the abusers

Because I support the legalization of marijuana, I will address the arguments made by those who oppose legalization. To call marijuana a stepping-stone is nothing short of calling anything entertaining or pleasing a stepping-stone. In this mind-set, television and music becomes a stepping-stone of promiscuous sexual activity. If a parent is that worried about her child using harder drugs than marijuana, he or she may simply control this as some parents do not let their children watch television [a legal aspect of society]. Also, why are violent video games such as Grand Theft Auto and Gears of War not made illegal as they could clearly be "stepping stones" to actual violence. There are those who consider marijuana morally incorrect. This argument clearly holds no strength because of the separation of church and state. Jurisdiction in faith differs from jurisdiction of a country. If marijuana is legalized, people suspect stoned driving will increase and become a risk. Many accidents and deaths are results of drunk driving, however alcohol is not an illegal substance. Also, more accidents have been caused by cellphone use while driving; however, the use of cellphones does not infringe on law. Possible danger does not call for criminalization. As far as physical damage to abusers, according to DAWN (Drug Abuse Warning Network), use of marijuana does not result in death. However, the annual death rate of alcohol (excluding accidents and homicides) is over 35,000 people a year and tobacco annually claims 4 million lives worldwide.

For a substance which causes no harm to others and actually proves to help cancer patients medicinally, it's strange to think America feels safer with their children able to obtain something like guns rather than marijuana.