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Shateanu’ Bryant

English 101-45 College Writing

Professor Bailey Maple

November 21, 2019

Marijuana Should be Legalized

“Yo, roll ‘dis,” these words immediately brings marijuana to mind. The legalization of

marijuana has become a very controversial subject in our society over this past decadetoday.

People tend to have a bad view of marijuana because of the prejudiceprejudiced assumptions

made by previous generations. For example, when If a Baby Boomer is asked their opinion on

marijuana, some would probably say “it’s bad for the body,” or “it’s not safe. and makes

individuals unaware.” The Internet is full of contentious studies, and we hear frequent claims that

marijuana does more harm than good and shouldn’t be legalized everywhere, or just the opposite.

There are various studies that show that the total legalization of marijuana is not the best choice

for the world overall, but, there are also many reasons why marijuana should be legalized.

According to Australia's leading organization “The Alcohol and Drug Foundation, who is Formatted: Font: Italic

committed to preventing and minimizing the harm caused by alcohol and drugs, and promoting

drug policies grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights, says marijuana should

be legalized only to benefit individuals with medical diseases, people in pain, and to boost the

economy,” (Drug Policy Alliance). Based on marijuana’s economic value and medical benefits,

it has proven to be more appropriate than many opiates that are legal today and alcohol.

Legalizing marijuana as a medicine or treatment for a disease can be beneficial because

of the substance h and having the effect of making something bad symptoms less severe, serious,
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or painful. It can, could improve patients’ standards of living and result in positive responses to

treatment. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has made the following statement:

Research has verified an overwhelming amount of marijuana benefits for patients who

suffer from medical conditions in the United States. It can treat symptoms of epilepsy,

Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut, Alzheimer’s disease, Crohn’s disease, etc. It also

helps with many different chronic pains and lessens stomach pain and vomiting in people

suffering from cholera, and reduces nausea and vomiting associated with cancer

chemotherapy (Felberbaum).

In high school, my best friend's older sister had rheumatoid arthritis severely in her hands.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that refers to the inflammation of the joints and can

affect many different parts of the body. Symptoms typically include swelling and redness around

the joint, reduced range of motion, stiffness, weakness and severe, ongoing pain. It caused her to

be in a lot of pain, resticting and made her unabillitye to work certain jobs and do regular

everyday activities such as exercisinge and eating. She was prescribed began taking medication

for her arthritisi. It, but it never relieved her pain and and gave her some side effects such as a

fever, weight loss, and fatigue. She went back to her doctor where the and her doctor explained

to her that marijuana would help, but it is not legal in the state of North Carolina. She then tried

marijuana instead of her prescription some outside of her doctor's permission and prescription

and noticed that all of her pain went away, and she didn’t experience anymore of the side effects

the legal medication had caused. In a study oninto the efficacy of marijuana, performed by a

trusted society partner, Oxford Academic, who publisheds more than 200 journals on behalf of

learned societies around the world;, noted that as a form of pain relief for rheumatoid arthritis, “a
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significant analgesic effect was observed and disease activity was significantly suppressed” (D.

R. Blake, et al.). This was not specifically said for my friend’s older sister, but that is exactly

what happened.

According to a survey conducted by an authoritative website about medicine, WebMD,

American doctors of 12 different specializations approved the usage of marijuana for

medicinal purposes. During the course of the survey, more than 1,500 doctors from 48

states responded that they would advocate the legalization of medical marijuana to make

it an option for patients who need it (R. Scott Rappold).

Doctors are making it clear that it would only be legalized for medical purposes and prescribed

to only patients who need it. This shows that specialists are well aware that the total legalization

of marijuana might not be the best choice, but there are reasons to believe that in medicine this

drug can be used rather effectively.

Many oppose the legalization of marijuana because of the perceived dangers posed by

itof its supposedly addictive nature. They say that it is addictive and inflicts damage on people

and our society. However, marijuana is not physically addictive like other drugs such as heroin,

meth, or even alcohol. " Alcohol which has always been legal, and a tradition that will put

someone at risk for getting hurt or hurting others. It is a depressant, a drug or beverage that

lowers neurotransmission levels, which reduces arousal or stimulation, in various areas of the

brain reducing functional or nervous activity. It impairs peoples balance, eyesight levels, and has

a negative effect on their behavior by making them much less thoughtful in their actions. It is not

good for the human body and is worse than marijuana. Alcohol has been the leading cause in

killing thousands of drivers in fatal accidents for years (Villa). Suppose one of your loved ones
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where to get into a car crash and die all because an irresponsible adult had too much to drink.

This is an unfortunate scenario that effects thousands of families every year. Alcohol is known as

a depressant, a drug or beverage that lowers neurotransmission levels, which is to depress or

reduce arousal or stimulation, in various areas of the brain reducing functional or nervous

activity (Depressant). It is not good for the human body and is worse than marijuana. It impairs

peoples balance and eyesight levels and affects their behaviors negatively by making them much

less thoughtful in their actions.

Opioid misuse and addiction are a serious public health problem in the U.S as well.

Opioids are still being prescribed althoughnd they are addictive and people are dyingthere are

many people who are more prone to become addicted. Studies have even shown that marijuana

could be an alternative for opiates and painkillers. In fact:The problem with opioid painkillers is

that they can cause addiction, and although they are extremely effective in alleviating pain, there

have been cases of death due to overdose.

As a result of the frequent use of opioids, it has been determined and confirmed by the

CDC that opioids are the highest contributors to drug overdose deaths in America,

causing more than 46,000 individuals to overdose. A study performed in California

involving a total of 65,177 individuals, both male and female aged from 15-49, concluded

that the death rate of marijuana is below 3% (Centers).

Studies proved that the marijuana users after 10 years of smoking marijuana died no earlier than

individuals who did not smoke it; therefore, proving that marijuana is a drug that poses a little to
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nolow threat to individuals. The usage of marijuana as a painkiller could help fix the death rate

this situation in the Unites States and North Carolina situation.

Legalizing medical marijuana can also boost the economy and help save billions of

dollars while creating more direct and indirect jobs.

According to Sean Williams, a graduate from UC San Diego with a B.A. in Economics

and a specialty in the healthcare sector and investment planning said, estimates have

shown that the immediate legalization of cannabis, and its steady growth through 2025,

could lead to the cumulative creation of 1.1 million jobs. We would see immediate

demand from jobs that put workers in direct contact with the cannabis plant: farmers,

processors, distributors, and retailers. We would also see a considerable uptick in

ancillary pot businesses. For example, consulting firms, software developers that cater to

the cannabis industry, financing and lending services, and construction firms tasked with

building retail outlets and greenhouses (Williams).

It will bring one of the nation's largest cash crops under the rule of law. It will also create

economic opportunities in the formal economy instead of the illicit market (Drug Policy

Alliance). Using marijuana is a better choice for some, than overpaying drug companies for

drugs that cost little to make.

Overall, the impact of the drug is moderate, and it can affect consumers in many good

ways. Although the federal government stands firmly on the growth, possession and use of

marijuana as illegal, the evidence of marijuana having a positive influence both economically

and medically has allowed it to become legalized in many states today. It does not seem fair
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logical that a harmless plant is not legalized whenile alcohol and opioids are, and they are are the

ones who are killing thousands of people. Marijuana is not bringing any sign type of danger.

People are using the drug whether it is illegallegal or not anyway. The argument on whether or

not marijuana should be legalized is becoming more contentious because the U.S. Congress is

leaning towards legalizing it everywhere. Investigators seeking to conduct research on marijuana

must navigate a series of review processes that may involve the National Institute on Drug Abuse

(NIDA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Drug Enforcement

Administration (DEA), institutional review boards, offices or departments in state government,

state boards of medical examiners, the researcher's home institution, and potential funders

(National). It is a timely process and congress is taking their time and being precise about the

decision to ensure that they do not make the wrong decisions for the U.S. as a whole. They also

have to make sure they know how everything is going to work if marijuana is legalized. At the

end of the day, the positives outweigh the negatives. America is gradually accepting marijuana,

and I wish that you will to do the same.

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Works Cited

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Opioid Basics” MMWR 2015 Accessed November

28, 2019 https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/opioids/index.html

Depressant. “Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia” Last edited on 26 October 2019. Accessed

November 21, 2019 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depressant

D. R. Blake, P. Robson, M. Ho, R. W. Jubb, C. S. McCabe, Preliminary assessment of the

efficacy, tolerability and safety of a cannabis-based medicine (Sativex) in the treatment

of pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis, Rheumatology, Volume 45, Issue 1, January 2006,

Pages 50–52, Accessed November 21, 2019 https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/kei183

Felberbaum, Michael “FDA approves first drug comprised of an active ingredient derived from

marijuana to treat rare, severe forms of epilepsy”. U.S. Food & Drug Administration June

25, 2018. Accessed November 22, 2019 https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-

announcements/fda-approves-first-drug-comprised-active-ingredient-derived-marijuana-

treat-rare-severe-forms

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (U.S.). Committee on the Health

Effects of Marijuana. The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: The Current

State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research. National Academies Press, 2017.

Accessed October 29, 2019. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK423845/

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R. Scott Rappold, “Legalize Medical Marijuana, Doctors Say in Survey.” WebMD. WebMD, 25

Mar. 2014. Web. Accessed November 19, 2019

https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/news/20140225/webmd-marijuana-survey-

web#1

The Drug Policy Alliance, “Marijuana Legalization and Regulation” Drugpolicy Accessed

October 2019 http://www.drugpolicy.org/issues/marijuana-legalization-and-regulation

Villa, Lauren. “The Great Debate: Alcohol vs Marijuana,” DrugAbuse

https://drugabuse.com/marijuana-vs-alcohol/ Accessed November 19, 2019

Williams, Sean (TMFUltraLong) “5 Economic Reasons to Legalize Marijuana” The Motley

Fool Jun 9, 2018. Accessed November 2019 https://www.fool.com/earnings/call-

transcripts/2019/11/20/cubic-corp-cub-q4-2019-earnings-call-transcript.aspx