Marijuana

4 Pages 1070 Words

Marijuana…Legalize it?

One question that has haunted Americans for a long time is “Should the use of marijuana be legalized?” Some say, “Yes”, while others say, “No”. Owning marijuana was made a criminal offence in 1937 when Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act. Even with this new law, people continued to use the drug. Here we are years later, still without a satisfactory answer to the question. There are many reasons that marijuana should be made legal, but there are also reasons that it should not. Through out this essay, I am going to compare and contrast some of the pros and cons of the legalizing of marijuana.
Many people think that the legalization of cannabis would lead to health problems, such as, the use of a harsher drug and to psychological and personality problems that can come from using marijuana. These individuals feel that the negatives of marijuana use far outweigh the positives, and feel that the use of marijuana should remain illegal. To some people marijuana is considered a “gateway” drug. Legalizing marijuana may lead to the use of much more harsh drugs. I know someone who is currently sitting in a prison on multiple drug charges. He is sentenced to eight years in a minimum-security prison. When my friends and I think back about how his life got so messed up, it’s weird to think that it started out as simple as smoking pot. Once someone experiences a “high”, they may want to experience it again, and when pot does not do the trick anymore, they may turn to stronger drugs. Many people out there have no idea what it is like to be “high” so to speak. If marijuana were
legalized, those people would try the drug, like it, and then perhaps move on to much more damaging drugs.
Legalizing marijuana could very well cause Americans to suffer from psychological and personality problems. THC is the active chemical in marijuana that causes the user to feel “high”. This chemical is most...