Leagalizing Marijuana

Many millions of people like to use marijuana, whether for therapeutic benefit or pleasure and every objective study on marijuana has concluded that it is far safer than alcohol and cigarettes for the consumer and the surrounding community. Alcohol and tobacco are more toxic, more addictive, and more harmful to the body than marijuana, and alcohol is more likely to result in injuries and lead to interpersonal violence. According to an assessment published in the British Columbia Mental Health and Addictions Journal, health-related costs for alcohol consumers are eight times greater than those for marijuana consumers, and those for tobacco consumers are 40 times greater than those for marijuana consumers. Other benefits of legalising marijuana are: – Lower prices, thus crimes such as theft would be reduced – Street justice relating to drugs would be reduced Police and courts would be freed up for more serious crimes – illegal drug dealers would lose all or most of their business – the fact that is illegal makes it more of a ‘must have’ for young people trying to be ‘cool’. Illegal cannabis is a stepping stone leading to other more hard-core drugs such as ecstasy, heroin, and cocaine. Making it legal may change that the fact it would be much easier to obtain and people would not have to associate with drug dealers, thus not be around other drugs a nd not being tempted by offers for other drugs. Legalizing it would also stop illegal transportation from countries to countries which would cut down the airport arrests. Health risks are also very low, Dr. Paul Homby (who is one of the leading authorities on cannabis research) said that you would have to smoke 15,000 joints in 20 minutes for you to receive a toxic amount of delta 9 terrahdrocannibinol which is a chemical found in pot, this clearly is impossible. Some notable medical conditions that weed has been proven to help are; Epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, arthritis, depression, anxiety, hepatitis C and morning sickness. There is variety of reasons for this which include; – weed calms people down, – helps improve the effectiveness of legal drugs used for the condition – helps chronic pain – reduces and relives the intraocular pressure that causes optic nerve damage It is the contention of this essay that legalizing marijuana would not impact society in a negative way but actually in a more positive one. This is shown by data and research from doctoral studies and the British Columbia Mental Health institute which is also supported by my invalid opinion.