Debate continues as to whether or not marijuana should be legalized for medical and recreational purposes. But, as with all legislation there is some resistance.

According to the NORML website (norml.org), marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug. Some 20 million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year, and more than 11 million people use it regularly.

In a survey taken of 100 students at RHS, 20 admitted to smoking marijuana. Out of those 100, 23 were for legalization of marijuana.

NORML stated in a recent statistic by the federal government, that almost 80 million Americans admit having smoked marijuana, and of these, 20 million Americans smoked marijuana this past year.

So, if so many people are smoking marijuana, why is it illegal?

According to The Controversy (www.duke.edu), marijuana is said to be connected to crime and other drugs. Marijuana is usually seen as a drug that is used by criminals, when in fact it can be used by normal, hardworking people.

If a person was able to buy marijuana, it would be taxed affirmed The Controversy. It would increase fed. Revenue with the sales and distributions of marijuana.

The government could also regulate the substance by checking its purity. If the substance was being abused, the same precautions would be used as if it were alcohol or tobacco. The taxation would be an advantage for the struggling economy.

In addition to helping the economy, marijuana legalization would be also helpful towards medical uses. The Test Country website (www.testcountry.org), states marijuana can be used as a restorative drug for cancer and AIDS patients.

Test Country stated cancer patients are convinced from personal experience that marijuana is the only effective treatment for them. It is used as an effective pain killer and nausea reducer for chemotherapy patients.

Marijuana legalization could relieve cancer patients and aid the economy. Urging legislators to introduce a medical marijuana bill can be a step to marijuana legalization.

Legality Will Harm, Become Accessible

By Lindsey Cheetham

A rising concern as to whether or not marijuana should be legalized has become a hotly disputable topic. But advocates seem to feel marijuana should be legalized without realizing the negative effects that it causes.

The Balanced Politics website (www.balancedpolotics.org) states that 41 percent Americans feels that marijuana should be legalized. The other 59 percent are still concerned about health damage and other affects.

Out of 100 students surveyed from RHS, 23 feel that marijuana should be legalized. Out of these 100, 30 have tried alcohol, and 20 have smoked marijuana.

A reason for this statistic could be that alcohol is illegal and therefore is more widely accessible to more people, even people underage.

Alcohol is blamed for a lot of incidents, but that is because it is legal and widely accessible. The reason Marijuana is not causing a lot of deaths is because of its restriction.

In fact, the Balanced Politics website states there are more cons to marijuana’s legalization than properly recognized, such as marijuana is in fact a stepping-stone drug, leading to extremely addictive and harmful drugs like heroin and cocaine.

The chance of the drug getting into a child’s hand would also become worse. The website also states that physical damage would be done to users that abuse the drug, and a more widespread use would increase dangers of secondhand smoke damage to bystanders.

Short-term effects include memory loss and learning, distorted perception, and loss of motor coordination, as stated on the NIDA website (www.nida.nih.gov).

The NIDA studies show that those who smoke five joints in one day are taking in as many cancer-causing chemicals as if they were smoking an entire pack of cigarettes. The site also states that marijuana users have greater risks of developing lung infections, and studies show that it damages the ability of T-cells in the lungs’ immune system to fight off infections.

After so many facts on how marijuana is damaging to health, education and society, it is naive for people to think it should be legalized.We should continue to fight against this harmful drug.