Reasons Why Marijuana Should Be Illegal - Research Paper Example

Reasons Marijuana Should Be Illegal As we face a mounting call as a society to regulate and legalize the sale and use of Marijuana across the s, it is important to understand that the compelling financial reasons for the legalization movement also have compelling arguments in support of the call to keep Marijuana illegal. However, these valid reasons are fast getting drowned out by the lobby groups, special interest sectors, and individuals who insist that there are far more benefits than dangers that exist when it comes to Marijuana sale and use. This paper aims to prove that there is a need for the various states to keep Marijuana illegal. Information about the history of Marijuana in the United States, the reasons behind its listing as a controlled drug, and the political connection to the ban will be discussed in as much detail as possible over the upcoming pages. To begin with, we must acknowledge that Marijuana was not always deemed an illegal substance in the United States. The Hemp plant itself, which is the original form of Marijuana, was widely used in what was then British America as woven fabric, food, incense, and rope. Such was the importance of Marijuana to the development of the country that back in 1619 Jamestown, Virginia declared that all farmers needed to grow Hemp. In fact, the 1850 census of America listed 8, 327 Hemp “plantations” covering a minimum of 2,000 acres meant for industrial and food purposes. But in the 1900s, the Mexicans began to flow into the United States, taking along with them their habit of smoking Marijuana. It was widely believed that the Mexicans were adversely affected by the plant that they smoked, hence the government ban on the same plant in the country. In a way, it was the method by which America decided to control the actions of the illegal immigrants in the country (Guither, Peter “Why is Marijuana Illegal?”). In a way, the ban on Marijuana was seen as a way to get rid of the Mexican laborers that entered the country during the great depression. While other states banned the plant believing that it was the cause of the high crime rate in their area (Block, Alan “Why Marijuana Became Illegal - The Basic Facts). While the aforementioned historical reasons for the ban on Marijuana may have rang true during its era. The reasons as to why Marijuana continues to be banned in the 21st century in some states of America have long shied away from those traditional reasons. These days, the ban is based mostly in scientific and psychological evidence of the prolonged smoking of the plant on the human body. The template of “success” that the proponents of legalized Marijuana often use is the high “success” rate of legalized Marijuana in Amsterdam. The opposite is true however. Amsterdam parents are now worried that their childrens exposure to Marijuana is having an adverse effect on them. Most specially since there is a tendency for students to turn up at school high. The concerns that were raised became so alarming that Mayor Eberhard van der Laan was forced to introduce a law banning students from smoking Marijuana while in school. The crime rate in the country has also seen an increase in number, centering mostly around the stores and areas where Marijuana is legally sold (Webb, Sam “Amsterdam Forced to Ban Smoking Marijuana in Schools Because of Number of Students Turning Up Stoned”). Imagine if the same situation were to exist in the United States where our students already have enough of an attention deficit problem with all the distractions caused by their gadgets and other multi-tasking equipment. Allowing them to use Marijuana legally would only make an already bad learning situation even worse. Considering the fact that Marijuana directly affects the memory of a person, there is an increased reason to ban the use of the substance on a wide scale. Marijuana seems to have a direct effect on the short term and long term memory of the person concerned. According to the Foundation for a Drug Free World: A study of 129 college students found that, among those who smoked the drug at least twenty-seven of the thirty days before being surveyed, critical skills related to attention, memory and learning were seriously diminished. A study of postal workers found that employees who tested positive for marijuana had 55% more accidents, 85% more injuries and a 75% increase in being absent from work (“Behind the Smokescreen”) Marijuana destroys a persons life from the psychological point of view. Once the psyche of a person is harmed by drugs, it is almost impossible to reverse the effects, even after long term and continued treatment. CNN consultant Dr. Drew Pinsky spoke on the long term effects of Marijuana use by explaining that: It would be malpractice to say that cannabis isnt addictive. Anybody whos experienced it, actually been addicted to it, knows how profound that addiction is.... The difficult thing about marijuana addiction is some people, even though theyre addicted can do fine with it for many many years before they start to have difficultly, but eventually the high starts wearing off, people start smoking a lot more to try to get that high back and thats when they descend into difficulties. ...Ive been treating cannabis addiction for 20 years. When people are addicted to cannabis, cocaine and alcohol the drug they have the most difficult time giving up is the cannabis. It is extremely addictive...for some people. I think thats where people get confused. Its not very addictive for many people. Its a small subset of people with a genetic potential for addiction. But for them it is really tough. You only need talk to them, theyll tell you how tough it is (Hawkins, John “5 Reasons Marijuana Should Remain Illegal”). Those who regularly smoke Marijuana say that it is no more harmful than smoking cigarettes. The way they see it, Marijuana does not cause cancer or emphysema, so their health is not at risk. However, in 2007 the American Chemical Society discovered that: ... marijuana smoke contains significantly higher levels of several toxic compounds -- including ammonia and hydrogen cyanide -- than tobacco smoke and may therefore pose similar health risks. The scientists found that ammonia levels were 20 times higher in the marijuana smoke than in the tobacco smoke, while hydrogen cyanide, nitric oxide and certain aromatic amines occurred at levels 3-5 times higher in the marijuana smoke (American Chemical Society “Marijuana Smoke Contains Higher Levels of Certain Toxins than Tobacco Smoke”). As such, it definitely appears that smoking Marijuana is a fast track to death as it has the ability to debilitate the health of its smokers faster than any chain smoking individual ever could. That is why in the case of legalizing Marijuana, it would seem that there is definitely a reason to save people from themselves by continuing to ban the cultivation of the hemp plant and the processing of its byproducts that could result in the sale of Marijuana to the public. The ease of access to Marijuana even on an illegal basis makes it one of the most commonly abused drugs in the United States. While the positive use of Marijuana in a medicinal aspect cannot be discounted, it cannot erase the fact that legalizing the use of Marijuana would result in greater damage to the non-medicinal using society. Legalizing the use of Marijuana in the the United States would not result in the lowering of Marijuana related incidents and problem behaviors in society. It would only serve to enhance the problem because the law would then declare that they cannot be held liable for the negative results of their actions upon their person. The only benefit from legalizing the sale of Marijuana would have to be the income that the government would then be able to collect from the sale of the product. The law legalizing Marijuana would simply serve to aid in the addiction of people. Reports indicate that: Marijuana is currently the leading cause of substance dependence other than alcohol in the U.S. In 2008, marijuana use accounted for 4.2 million of the 7 million people aged 12 or older classified with dependence on or abuse of an illicit drug. This means that about two thirds of Americans suffering from any substance use disorder are suffering from marijuana abuse or marijuana dependence (“Why We Should Not Legalize Marijuana”). Therefore, it can be said that legalizing Marijuana would increase the number of users of the drug. This would then result in a higher rate of addiction to the substance and an increase in the drug related problems in society. There are just too many negative aspects in relation to the legalization of Marijuana. Based upon the already existing evidence relating to this debate, it is my opinion that the drug should remain illegal. Works Cited American Chemical Society. “Marijuana Smoke Contains Higher Levels of Certain Toxins Than Tobacco Smoke”. Science Daily. sciencedaily.com. 18 Dec. 2013. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. Block, Alan. “Why Marijuana Became Illegal - The Basic Facts”. brucealanblock.com. brucealanblock.com. n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. CNBC. “Why We Should Not Legalize Marijuana”. cnbc.com. cnbc.com. 20 Apr. 2010. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. Foundation For a Drug Free World. “Behind the Smokescreen”. drugfreeworld.org. drugfreeworld.org. n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. Guither, Peter. “Why is Marijuana Illegal?”. Drug WarRant.com. drugwarrant.com. n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. Hawkins, John. “5 Reasons Marijuana Should Remain Illegal”. TownHall.com. townhall.com. 21 Jan. 2014. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. Webb, Sam. “Amsterdam Forced to Ban Smoking Marijuana in Schools Because of Number of Students Turning Up Stoned”. Mail Online. dailymail.co.uk. 12 Dec. 2012. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. Read More