Marijuana Legalization Essay Research Paper Marijuana Debate

Marijuana Legalization Essay, Research Paper

Marijuana Debate Brief

1. Introduction

How many people in this room have a hot cup of coffee in the morning or smoke a cigarette on break. How would you feel if one day the government decided to take away your right to drink that cup of coffee or smoke that cigarette because they were considered to be too harmful. There have been many studies proving the medicinal benefits of marijuana, but there are also many social and recreational benefits that are not as heavily documented. We believe there are many significant reasons for legalizing marijuana. We know that smoking marijuana has minimal health effects, especially compared to existing legal substances, such as alcohol and tobacco. We also believe that prohibition is an ineffective strategy and, if anything, is just a waste of taxpayers’ money. Keeping marijuana against the law is taking away our freedom of choice. In fact, the 4th Amendment gives us the right to smoke in the privacy of our own homes, as long as no one is harmed and there is no suspicious behavior to give reason to believe illegal activities are occurring.

2. Three Touchstone Points with Evidence:

a. Smoking Marijuana has minimal unhealthy side effects

Alcohol is a physically addictive depressant. It is the oldest most widely used and abused drug. Consumption under the age of 21 is illegal in most states, but underage use is widespread, driving under influence and public drunkenness are crimes. Excessive drinking impairs senses, speech, reflexes and coordination. Problem drinking or addiction intensifies emotional problems and causes liver and cardiovascular diseases. Some pharmaceutical treatments, but self-help therapy programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous more common. Alcoholics who do not seek treatment and fail to practice lifetime abstinence usually relapse into addictive use.

The National Institute of Drug Abuse pamphlet For Parents Only: What you Need to Know About Marijuana states, Marijuana does not directly cause mental problems. But like many other drugs, it appears to bring to the surface emotional problems and can even trigger more severe disorders.

No evidence exists that anyone has ever died of a marijuana overdose.

Marijuana law enforcement is more of a threat to the health of marijuana users than the herb itself. In 1994, at least 25 marijuana users were killed by police officers or died while in their custody as the direct result of the enforcement of marijuana laws.

Marijuana s only clear health risk is respiratory damage form smoking, and this risk is confined to long-term, heavy marijuana smokers. Claims of other biological harms like brain damage, infertility and immune system impairment are based on animal and cellular studies using doses of marijuana up to 1,000 times the psychoactive dose in humans.

b. Prohibition of marijuana has not been successful

Since marijuana prohibition started in 1937 the estimated number of marijuana users has skyrocketed from 55,000 in 1937 to 45-65 million.

Marijuana enforcement accounts for more than 10% of the total police resources nationwide.

Many officers recognize that marijuana is a benign attraction and that enforcement generates hostility from otherwise law-abiding users.

Too much money is spent each year on incarcerating non-violent and otherwise law-abiding citizens. Each year the DEA spends $1.3 billion a year fighting marijuana.

Overall, federal anti-marijuana efforts have cost taxpayers $30 billion, which has resulted in $2 billion worth of cannabis being seized and destroyed, 4 million people being arrested, and 250 thousand individuals being jailed for more than one year, but there has been no basic change in usage patterns.

Former San Jose, California, police chief Joseph McNamara compares waging war on the drugs supply to throwing sand against the tide. A growing number of his peers agree. Some 60 percent of police chiefs polled in a March 1996 nationwide survey believe that current antidrug efforts have been ineffective. Said retired chief detective Ralph Salerno after forty-two years in law enforcement, police officers and all other Americans are being lied to by political leaders. As someone who has been on the front lines of the war on drugs, I know it will never work.

c. Smoking marijuana is not a crime.

Recent medical research has suggested that genetic markers and differences in the chemical makeup of some people s brains lead them to dependence on mood-altering substances, whether alcohol or drugs.

For the vast majority of people who use pot, the use of a restricted substance is the only conscious illegal act they commit.

Marijuana is not as debilitating as alcohol or many prescription medications.

Most members of society who smoke marijuana are productive members of society, the imprisonment of these members leads to breakdown of families.

3. 5 Other Main points with Evidence:

a. Marijuana is socially accepted in the United States.

There has been an increasing amount of available media that glorifies the use of marijuana.

For example movies: Half Baked, Dazed and Confused, Homegrown.

For example music: I wanna get high by Cypress hill. etc….

b. Legalization of marijuana could

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