War on Marijuana | Teen Ink

War on Marijuana

June 3, 2010
By AndreChocolate BRONZE, Oviedo, Florida
AndreChocolate BRONZE, Oviedo, Florida
2 articles 0 photos 6 comments

People grow it, sell it, buy it, smoke it, and then usually are harmfully affected by it, they even give it fancy names like “weed” and “pot”. If these facts are true then why is marijuana legal in some states? The main reason is because marijuana can be good or bad in some cases. Marijuana itself can kill brain cells and cause memory problems too, but at the same time marijuana has many medical values like providing symptomatic relief to things like nausea and vomiting. Marijuana can also provide relief to migraine headaches(Internet 1) and chronic pains. So overall the legalization of marijuana is a tough argument for both sides, but personally I do not think marijuana should be legal in the United States.

Marijuana can be very harmful in some cases. Marijuana may not be able to kill you unless you take a large dose of it, but it can still cause serious harm your body in many ways. It usually affects the brain in most cases, causes sleepiness, anxiety, distorted (Internet 2) perception, and difficulty concentrating. These are the main reasons why marijuana is illegal in most states. This is why I am against the legalization of marijuana in the United States or any state in particular.

Many people (including me) may think marijuana is bad for you and think it should be illegal, but at the same time there are also people who think marijuana can help in some cases, for example doctors. Doctors can use “medical” marijuana to treat most (Internet 3) conditions and symptoms like chronic pain, nausea, glaucoma, seizure disorders, cancer, diabetes, muscle spasms, and many more. In this case marijuana is favored, that’s why it is legal in some states, and people are debating over the legalization of marijuana in other states, if not all of the 50 states.

The debate of the legalization of marijuana goes on. Currently the president of the United States (President Obama) released his administration’s first National Drug Control Strategy, which sets up five-year goals for reducing drug use and the problems associated with it. This strategy states that “this Administration firmly opposes the legalization of (Internet 4) marijuana or any other illicit drug.” Though this November, Californians get to vote on a ballot initiative that, if passed, would make marijuana legal in that state. Those over 21 will be allowed to possess small amounts of marijuana. This may not seem like a big deal to you, but it just shows you how our nation is starting to give in to marijuana and its good and bad uses. But California is actually the only state that marijuana could be legal in; the other 14 states that it is legal in only allow medical marijuana to be legal. No matter what, I do not approve of legalizing marijuana in any form, any where.

While the war of marijuana rages on, I fight on the con side in this argument. Marijuana may help in some cases, but can always back fire in others too. The nation is starting to change when it comes to legalizing marijuana. Medical marijuana is starting to convince states to legalize marijuana, but luckily some states are smart and are still making marijuana an illegal drug, and if you get caught, well let’s hope you don’t get caught with it in the first place, because you might be facing some tough consequences.


Bibliography

Internet 1: NORML (updated in 2010). Medical Marijuana Reports. 5/16/10, 2010, http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3472

Internet 2: FamilyDoctor.org (2000 updated 2010). Adverse Side Effects. 5/16/10, 2010, http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/addictions/drugs/485.html

Internet 3: Pain Management of America (updated 2010). Medical Marijuana with Pain Management of America. 5/16/10, 2010, http://www.medicalmarijuana.net/


Internet 4: Political Hotsheet (updated 2010). Obama’s New Drug Strategy Opposes Legalizing Pot. 5/16/10, 2010, http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20004702-503544.html?tag=cbsnewsMainColumnArea



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This article has 14 comments.


on Jun. 28 2011 at 1:52 pm
Thoreau420 SILVER, Martinsburg, West Virginia
7 articles 0 photos 39 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Herb is the healing of a nation, alcohol is its destruction." - Bob Marley

Correct, this was the Rhesus Monkey experiment made in the 70s. They took four monkeys, put them in a small glass container, and pumped so much smoke in there they're brains close to shrivled from the lack of oxygen, and died of carbon monoxide poisoning later. And while I completley disagree with you on your view, I do commend you for proposing the advantages of medical marijuana.

on Mar. 9 2011 at 7:54 pm
Make-Love-Not-War SILVER, Anson, Maine
9 articles 0 photos 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Tobbacco is my favorite vegetable" - Frank Zappa

This was a  very well written piece, but marijuana does not kill brain cells. There was a study done with monkeys where they had sixty or so joints pumped into them in a very short period of time. This would cause a huge lack of oxygen, which in turn causes brain cell damage. This is a very twisted around theory that is not true at all.

ChelzH SILVER said...
on Jul. 8 2010 at 8:10 pm
ChelzH SILVER, Ranson, West Virginia
6 articles 1 photo 18 comments

Favorite Quote:
"What is interesting about people is not their ability to do anything, but their perspective on everything and how the nuances of those perspectives correlate between people in similar and completely different situations." - K.H.

I don't know why the comment was reapeated over like that, I didn't type it like that. Sorry!

ChelzH SILVER said...
on Jul. 8 2010 at 8:08 pm
ChelzH SILVER, Ranson, West Virginia
6 articles 1 photo 18 comments

Favorite Quote:
"What is interesting about people is not their ability to do anything, but their perspective on everything and how the nuances of those perspectives correlate between people in similar and completely different situations." - K.H.

-Marijuana doesn't kill brain cells, lack of oxygen does. So if you don't smoke it you don't kill any brain cells.

-Did you know alcohol used to be illegal? Yep, that's right. 

The reason it is illegal in so many states is because it is difficult to tax, when they can't find exactly every single person who sells it and or grows it, that would be impossible.

Did you know there is a pill called Marinol, and it is man-made THC, (THC is what gets you high in Marijuana) it is legal, It is used to treat ADHD, Anxiety, Insomnia, (I'm doing this off the top of my head so, there are probably more uses that I don't remember.) - I do think however that marijuana can be a gateway drug for some people, I think if regulated (Like alcohol is) then Marijuana could be a good thing.

I think you did a good job being matter of fact, I liked the paper because it was like that. 


on Jun. 14 2010 at 2:24 pm
AndreChocolate BRONZE, Oviedo, Florida
2 articles 0 photos 6 comments
point made is that you can overdose you would just have to be completely nuts to do it because it would take a while and you could do it all at once, all im saying is that it is possible but nobody really does it, and it does kill brain cells look it up, thats also why it causes memory problems use one of my bibliography sites,make sure its the right one.

Fuh-rel BRONZE said...
on Jun. 14 2010 at 12:28 pm
Fuh-rel BRONZE, Corinth, Texas
4 articles 0 photos 12 comments
and about the whole pot kills brain cells. It doesn't. Even government and medical officials are coming out saying that it doesn't. They have done a handful of more studies on it and they retried the previous monkey experiment that suffocated the monkeys in a better way and for up to a year of being exposed to daily doses of marijuna there were no dead brain cells are even physical alteration or abnormality. They also etsted people that smoke evry day large amounts and found no abnormalities. 

Fuh-rel BRONZE said...
on Jun. 14 2010 at 12:17 pm
Fuh-rel BRONZE, Corinth, Texas
4 articles 0 photos 12 comments
and I am not trying to change your opinion on the situation

Fuh-rel BRONZE said...
on Jun. 14 2010 at 12:17 pm
Fuh-rel BRONZE, Corinth, Texas
4 articles 0 photos 12 comments
I know you did not talk about cancer i was just stating that I was happy you did not try to link the two together. And it has been proven over and over again that it s virtually impossible for a human to consume 1500 punds of marijuana ALL AT ONCE, which is what you would have to do to OD. Therefore, making it virtually impossible to over dose on marijuana. Point made. 

on Jun. 10 2010 at 6:08 am
AndreChocolate BRONZE, Oviedo, Florida
2 articles 0 photos 6 comments

Thanks!

 


on Jun. 10 2010 at 6:05 am
AndreChocolate BRONZE, Oviedo, Florida
2 articles 0 photos 6 comments
Thats dude i really appreciate what you said.

Gun-Lover said...
on Jun. 9 2010 at 11:24 pm
Gun-Lover, Eathgdgh, California
0 articles 0 photos 9 comments

Favorite Quote:
A gun is a gun weather pistol, rifle, or other automatic or semi a gun is a gun

i mean u do have a point i dont know what it feels like but my friend has tried and saidit was disgusting and after awhile he felt like he was like walkin on clouds

but i hav never felt it cuase ive never tried it but yah excellent article


Gun-Lover said...
on Jun. 9 2010 at 11:22 pm
Gun-Lover, Eathgdgh, California
0 articles 0 photos 9 comments

Favorite Quote:
A gun is a gun weather pistol, rifle, or other automatic or semi a gun is a gun

well then again people choose to smoke it and i dont agree with you on this i think it should be as legal as it is to smoke a ciggerete and if people want to do it they can wether you like it or not pot will always be apart of society even if its legal or illegal

 

im not tryin to chang ur views im just sayin mmine


on Jun. 8 2010 at 7:00 pm
AndreChocolate BRONZE, Oviedo, Florida
2 articles 0 photos 6 comments
and also I do not need to watch any documentaries or research a little more because I never talked about cancer and everything else I said was accurate, and my opinion wont change. Also I never said anyone ever overdosed on marijuana or anything like that. And it is possible to over dose on it, you  have to enhale 1500 pounds of it. So I think your the one who needs to research a little dude

Fuh-rel BRONZE said...
on Jun. 8 2010 at 4:21 pm
Fuh-rel BRONZE, Corinth, Texas
4 articles 0 photos 12 comments
and yet alcohol and tobacco is legal? Acohol and tobacco is one of the leading causes in deaths per year. ZERO deaths have been recorded because of Marijuana. Caffeine kills 10,000 people per year. May want to rethink that cup of coffee when you wake up tomorrow. Marijuana does not kill brain cells it is when you hold your breath that it does. The test that they did to "prove" marijuana kills brain cells is when they put GAS MASKS on monkeys and gave them the amount of thirteen joints for weeks. It was the suffocation of the monkeys that caused the dead brain cells (gas masks filled with marijuana allow no room for oxygen).  Thank god you didnt say anything about marijuana causing cancer. Research a little more. Watch documentaries about marijuana throughly.  Your opinion may change. Oh and your over dose information, no one has over dosed on marijuana. it has been proven that it is impossible to over dose on marijuana because by the time you smoke that much you aren't capable of any more. Look that up too dude.