MARIJUANA:ILLEGAL DRUG OR MEDICAL MARVEL? Argument Synthesis paper...includes works cited page

Essay by imsodizzyUniversity, Bachelor'sA, April 2005

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Legalization of Marijuana, also known as cannabis sativa, is highly logical in a day where alcohol and tobacco products, (although restricted by age) are available to millions of people every day. Marijuana is being used illegally by many Americans today of all ages. Before the 1960s, many Americans had never heard of marijuana, but today it is the most used illegal drug in the country. Marijuana legalization groups such as the Physician's Association for AIDS Care and National Lymphoma Foundation argue that marijuana should be legalized in order to treat terminally ill patients. Among them are AIDS victims who find that marijuana stimulates their appetites so they can fight off dangerous emaciation. Glaucoma sufferers who have used marijuana said it has prevented them from going blind, and cancer patients claim that it alleviates the severe nausea that often accompanies chemotherapy.

Many advocates who are pro marijuana complain that morphine and cocaine are legal and are very dangerous drugs, which brings up the question: Why not legalize marijuana as a medical drug?

More reasons for the legalization of marijuana are fighting crime and boosting the economy.

"Today, government surveys estimate the number of regular marijuana users at about 11.8 million. The cost of pursuing and punishing 11.8 million marijuana users, if that is all there are, would be enormous, both financially and societally." McVay, Douglas. Marijuana Legalization: The Time Is Now. 1991

Legalizing marijuana would indeed free up time and money on the criminal side, since it would no longer be a crime. Also, one could imagine the benefits to the government and economy with the creation of jobs for harvesting and packaging and the tax revenue it would create.

Despite all of these 'benefits' to legalizing marijuana, I still believe this drug should stay illegal. Saying that no one...