Antilegalization Of Marijuana Essay Research Paper Dear

Antilegalization Of Marijuana Essay, Research Paper

Dear Congressman, I am honored to be writing to you on such a significant

topic of national concern. Average citizens are annoyed and just plain fatigued

with the drugs and crime problems in America. These upright citizens, that

contribute to the growth of American society, are being told that legalization is

a reasonable alternative to dealing with these problems in their communities.

Legalization of any drug is not a positive way to fight crime. In fact, there is no

legitimate reason to legalize drugs. The Legalization of marijuana is the starting

point of the pro-legalization of drugs movement. The issue of legalizing

marijuana is truly a controversial one, and certainly one that requires a plethora

of considerations at the top levels of the legislative branch. When considering

the possibility of legalizing marijuana as a recreational drug, there are a number

of concerns that come to mind. Is marijuana physically harmful to the user. Is

marijuana an addictive drug. Does the use of marijuana lead to dependency

situations. Does it act as “gateway” to more hazardous drugs. Does the notion

of legalizing marijuana send an immoral, wrong message to the youth of

America. Mr. Congressman, the answer to all these questions is YES.

According to the DEA (1998), the supreme ruler of drug knowledge in

America, there are over 10,000 scientific studies that prove marijuana is a

harmful and addictive drug. Yet there is no reliable study that proves marijuana

has any medical value. Marijuana is an unstable mixture of over 425 chemicals,

which when smoked are converted to over thousands. Most of these are toxic,

psychoactive chemicals which are unstudied and appear in uncontrolled

strengths. Marijuana leads to many different consequences depending on the

personality and general characteristics of the individual using the drug. These

may include, but are not limited to: premature cancer, addiction, coordination

and perception impairment, mental disorders, hostility and increased

aggressiveness, general unconcern of life, memory loss, reproductive

disabilities, and impairment to the immune system. Marijuana is currently up to

25 times more potent than it was in the 1960’s, which makes the drug even

more addictive. In 1994, a U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that marijuana should

remain a Schedule I drug: highly addictive with no medical usefulness.

Marijuana is a harmful substance. The use of marijuana for the purposes of

intoxication leads to a number of serious health risks. Research has proven that

marijuana damages short term memory, distorts perceptions, impairs complex

motor skills, alters the heart rate, can lead to severe anxiety, and can cause

paranoia and lethargy. A condition called Amotivational syndrome take places

after chronic use. It is defined by Dr. Harry Avis (1996), professor of

psychology as, “a condition characterized by a lack of ambition or desire to

succeed, presumed to be the result of smoking marijuana.” As reported in The

Medical Journal of Australia, “Marijuana causes birth defects, fetal damage,

lung cancer, long-term impairment of memory, schizophrenia, suppression of

the immune system, and even leukemia in the children of marijuana-smoking

mothers” (Nahas & Latour, 1992). The National Institute on Drug Abuse

(1996) reported that the chemicals found in marijuana smoke suppresses the

neurons in the information-processing system of the hippocampus. This is the

part of the brain that is crucial for learning, memory, and the integration of

sensory experiences with emotions and motivation. Marijuana, should it be

legalized, would ruin many Americans’ abilities to learn, and would abruptly

decay the development and progress of the American Society. Marijuana is

dangerous, and it is more dangerous than it ever has been. The federal Drug

Abuse Warning Network, or DAWN, claims that recent statistics show

increases in the number of patients mentioning marijuana in hospital emergency

rooms (”The Marijuana Debate Goes On”, 1998). Inexperienced users may

suffer acute anxiety the first time they use it. This could be a direct result of

the increase in potency of marijuana. Growers have access to the latest

agricultural technologies and scientific methods which enable them to grow

more powerful marijuana. “Growers have become extremely sophisticated

about developing varieties of marijuana with high concentrations of THC” (”Is

Marijuana Dangerous. Is It Addictive.”, 1995). THC, or

Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol is one of the 400 chemicals in marijuana. It

accounts for most of marijuana’s psychoactive, or mind-altering, effects (”Facts

About Marijuana and Marijuana Abuse”, 1996). The levels of THC found in the

modern drug markets’ marijuana are much higher than they have ever been.

The concentration of THC will keep incre

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