Marihuana should no be legalized

Thesis statement

The application of legalizing drugs has entered the mainstream of public debate in recent years, mostly focusing on marijuana. This brings about the following essay centered on the main question is should marijuana be legalized?

Introduction

Cannabis sativa is one of the most widely used drugs. It is more commonly known by its Spanish name, marijuana. Marijuana has a long history of being considered legal and a relatively short history of being illegal. Mankind has known ways of using marijuana for various applications thousands of years.

In the 1960s, cannabis exploded. It found its way into developing hippie and psychedelic movements, student life, and homes of otherwise quite non rebellious and non-deviant people. In 1961 in response to the uproar, the Narcotics Control Act raised the maximum penalties for the distribution of marijuana from fourteen years to life imprisonment. The British government commissioned Baroness Wotton to head an investigation. Her report of 1968 concluded, "...the long-term consumption of cannabis in moderation has no harmful effects." She also found no evidence to suggest that cannabis leads to experimenting with more dangerous drugs. Despite its carefully argued style, the report was ignored. Since this time arguments for and against legalization of marijuana have become very familiar. As explained above marijuana has been incorporated in societies for thousands of years and it became illegal due to false information and evaluation of its effects.

Discussion

Some people believe that marijuana is illegal due to its serious physical and mental health consequences but analyzing current legal drugs, alcohol and tobacco, and comparing their effects to that of marijuana will prove that this assessment is incorrect. The drugs that have the highest fatality rate are the legal ones. Those who operate these distribution schemes for legal drugs are typically described as captains of commerce rather than drug dealers. In reality, it is the legal drugs that are pushed upon the consumer.

The differences among alcohol, tobacco and marijuana are obvious. Unlike alcohol and tobacco, marijuana has not been scientifically linked to cancer or heart disease. No sound empirical evidence supports the claims that marijuana impairs the immune system that it leads to chromosome damage, or brain damage. The physical consequences of withdrawal are virtually non-existence, and it is not as potent as alcohol or tobacco.

Marijuana's major risk is associated with the ingestion of smoke. There are no filters on marijuana cigarettes and the smoke is usually held in the lungs longer than tobacco smoke though research indicates that the average marijuana smoker will smoke three to five cigarettes per week, in contrast to the tobacco smoker's two hundred cigarettes. This is evidence that the cardiopulmonary risks of marijuana are slight in comparison.

As things stand at present, the truth is that none of the available scientific data has revealed any evidence that moderate use of cannabis does any harm. Therefore, alcohol and tobacco cause much more serious health problems-including death.

Arguments for change in the law do not in the least reflect a lack of concern about ...