Article Pro the Legalization of Marijuana

Essay by tattvaUniversity, Master's February 2005

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Have you ever woken up feeling really hung after a heavy night of smoking pot? No, I thought not. How about how you feel after a heavy night of drinking? You wake up feeling like death warmed up. In fact, through heavy drinking you could have died that very night due to alcohol poisoning. Dying because of an overdose of marijuana is impossible. In fact, no death has ever been attributed to the smoking of marijuana, as opposed to the thousands of deaths which have been the cause of alcohol or tobacco related disease.

Why is one drug found in shops and bars and billboards on the side of the road all over, and the other have to be bought hiding away from the world and running the risk of being arrested?

Marijuana does not cause brain damage, genetic damage or damage to the immune system. Unlike alcohol, it does not kill brain cells or induce violent behaviour.

On the other hand, tobacco and alcohol can cause strong addiction, cancer, heart problems, birth defects, emphysema, liver damage and more. So why not legalise marijuana too?

By legalising marijuana the country could greatly reduce the black market and violence associated with the trade of the drug. It could control the sale of marijuana to people over 18, and though of course some under-18s will get hold of it, it will greatly decrease the number of underage users.

Cancer patients find marijuana useful for coping with the nausea they feel after chemotherapy. Doctors recommend smoking pot for people suffering from epilepsy, arthritis, migraines and glaucoma. The "munchies" are invaluable for people suffering from AIDS or anorexia who are too weak to put on weight. The legalisation of marijuana and the controlled sale of it over the counter will mean that the...