Legalizing Marijuana in the United States - Essay Example

23 November Legalizing Marijuana Marijuana has been used as a recreational drug since early times and has served the cause of humanity to a great extent, allowing people to relax within their comfort zones as well as opening up new horizons of thought process which have led to many developments over a period of time. The usage of Marijuana by humans first developed as a fiber. This fiber was used to construct houses and dwellings for the Chinese people. No one at that time knew the importance of this fiber which had the potential to change a man's perception about life. It is also believed that India was one of the few countries which pioneered the consumption of this plant as a tool for recreation and relaxation. The Sadhus and the Gurus who practiced the art of spiritual elevation found this plant to be extremely useful for their purpose. Ancient Hindu text Soma Veda refers to Marijuana as the “food of the thinking mind.” (ElSohly, Mahmoud) Despite being termed as a life saving drug, there are a number of side effects of this plant because of which the legalization of marijuana has not yet had a concrete stance in the law making process. Marijuana comes from the plant known as Cannabis Sativa. The major psychoactive compound in the plant is known as THC, and this is the element which is responsible for the psychoactive effects in the human mind. The female plant of Cannabis Sativa is consumed by people as it is said to be more potent with THC than the male plant. Marijuana has been used for medicinal as well as recreational purposes. It influences the human body and mind in many different ways and even has the power of changing the mood to the perception of the human mind for a particular object. It enhances hunger when consumed and can lead to weight loss among those who consume it. It relaxes the muscles and also helps the mind calm down after the THC molecules hit the ‘cannabinoid’ receptors which are present in the human mind. In this case, the plant should be legalized as it aims to serve the purpose of helping a man relax and find his comfort zone. For those who have tried and are not prejudiced towards it, it is very simple to explain to them the benefit of legalizing the drug. However, those with a contrary belief say that the law should not enter the domain of Marijuana and the status quo should be maintained for its use. The reason is valid as they understand that no matter what the law says, people will still be able to find means to procure Marijuana and consume it for their relaxation purposes. (Iversen, Leslie) However, they fail to understand that in spite of them consuming the plant in such a fashion, it remains a fact that this is not the legal way and they are going beyond the boundaries of law to procure and use this item. This is where the argument of legalizing Marijuana erupts, as those who want to smoke it and want it to be legalized raise their voice. These are the people who say that the boundaries of law have to be stretched to accommodate those societies which have been living on this plant for centuries now. However, there is strong counter argument from the other camp, as they believe that it is a drug and has extremely volatile effects on the human mind and body, and therefore it should never be legalized. The topic is indeed compelling and timely. The argument of legalizing Marijuana will never run out of time. It has been a debate which has been going on for ages now and the whole process of societies opening up to it and accepting it the way they have accepted alcohol will take a lot of time and effort, from those who want to legalize it and also from those who think it is in the right domain to legalize it and let the people decide for themselves. People from all walks of life have indulged in this ecstasy, be it the rock stars, the founding fathers of USA, or the common average man smoking in his courtyard, or the young students in college ready to take on the mantle of their life. It has been used and consumed by every kind of person out there and therefore it is a timely and a compelling topic to debate on. Even though Marijuana has been consumed for over 10,000 years, it is still illegal to smoke for recreational purposes in most of the developed countries. Apart from the Netherlands almost every country including America, has banned the usage of the drug for recreational and private purposes. Since the beginning of the 20th century, countries all over the world have banned the cultivation, possession or transfer of Marijuana. India, however, allows the Sadhus and Gurus to smoke for religious purposes, and there is a dedicated festival which marks the celebration of consuming Marijuana. On the other hand, in America, the use of the drug is criminal in nature and any person found to possess the substance is subject to jail time. However, Marijuana should be legalized as a substance because alcohol and cigarettes are allowed to be used and therefore are legal in most of the countries around the world. However, the story is not the same for Marijuana because most countries have a negative attached a negative connotation to this substance, and after having been labeled as a “drug”, Marijuana did not have much chance to be legalized in such countries. (Sinai, U.) The long-term use of cannabis, particularly at high intake levels, is associated with several adverse psychosocial features, including lower educational achievement and, in some instances, psychiatric illness. There is little evidence, however, that long-term cannabis use causes permanent cognitive impairment, nor is there is any clear cause and effect relationship to explain the psychosocial associations. There are some physical health risks, particularly the possibility of damage to the airways in cannabis smokers. For these reasons alone, the drug has not yet been legalized in the USA particularly because the government is trying to look out for the health of the people. However, in many medical agencies, it is perfectly legal to be prescribed some marijuana in order to calm one’s nerves down or come out of depression. There are many doctors in the USA itself who are advocators of the usage of marijuana or cannabis during low periods in a person’s life, and if doctors are making use of it even in the USA then why can the drug not be sold in the open market? Instead of people going to buy it on the sly, the government could in fact earn a great amount of capital by adding the drug to the list of government certified and sold products. Marijuana should be legalized as it helps people to calm their minds down and reach a stage of extreme spiritual elevation where the mind reaches the highest stage of thinking, and it keeps on exploring new avenues as the person grows in life. This has had huge advantages for people who have indulged in profession which requires a lot of thinking and analyzing of information. Marijuana has influenced the minds of the great people in science, arts and literature. The great founding fathers of the USA smoked Marijuana and so did the Beatles and the Led Zeppelin. It cannot be denied that it has enormous effects on the mind and only the smart and clever should consume it, but on the other hand there is no evidence of it destroying the mind of the weak. On the other hand, it has helped the weak people overcome their negative inhibitions in life and start a new beginning with a fresh thought process to take on in life. Works Cited Iversen, Leslie. "Long-term Effects of Exposure to Cannabis." Science Direct 5 (2005): 69-72. Elsevier. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. Sinai, U. "Marijuana and Medical Marijuana." The New York Times. N.p., 8 Nov. 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. . ElSohly, Mahmoud A. Marijuana and the Cannabinoids. Totowa, NJ: Humana, 2007. Print. Read More