The Benefits Of Maruijana And Why People Disagree On Legalizing It: The Blunt Truth
Imagine consuming a substance that makes the nerves in the body jump or settles down. Picture the sense of it entering the human’s body and passing the lungs into the bloodstream. Once it travels and drops in the right spot, it bursts open and contaminates the body. The body takes in this fantastic feeling, but the side effects can be good or bad. It depends on how the body reacts to marijuana. Marijuana is a controversial topic because many people use it. Marijuana is likely to be labeled as a schedule I drug.
Growing up, my family will tell me if I see marijuana run for my life! They said it could kill you! You’ll be high for days! You can become addicted to it like crack! Don’t do it, please, I beg you! I heard all the little stories about why I shouldn’t smoke it. Or why I shouldn’t consider it to be legal. I think it’s one of the safest substances I ever heard. My cousin always told me, “It’s natural, it’s from the earth, and it’s a plant, so why not smoke it. I realize marijuana was a safe drug when I smoked it after breaking my arm at eighteen. Also, it’s very beneficial to everyone in the world.
One rainy night I decided to steal my sister’s skateboard, and she told me not to touch it. I wanted to ride it so bad because it looked cool, but I can’t ride a skateboard until this day. So, when my sister went to sleep, I went downstairs and snuck her skateboard out of the house. Me not thinking it’s extra wet outside because of the rain I might fall off. But then I thought it would be better for me to manage if it’s damp and slippery. I placed my foot on the skateboard and began to ride it down the street before riding it for at least ten seconds. I fell off, hit the ground hard, and landed on my right side of my body, mainly my arm. I broke my arm, and I had to wear a cast for two and a half months.
My family and I took a trip, and my arm was still in a cast. My cousin accidentally closed my broken arm in the door, and I was in so much pain. So, while we were on our trip, my cousins and I walked into a store that sells marijuana.
I brought it and started to smoke it. Marijuana really eased my pain. I was happy that they had a store that sells it because it helped with the pain. I consistently kept going back without a doubt. Until I came out of the cast, I stopped because I was healed. It was a journey with marijuana for them for two months, but it helped. It helped me with that bit of pain and the minor problem. I can only imagine how it can help someone with cancer. That is why I put in a vote for New Jersey to legalize, and I will be supporting other states.
Marijuana is essential in people’s lives, and mines it helped me with my pain. Legalizing marijuana is good for pain, but other things like it create better jobs, reduce stress, offer natural solutions for health issues, is a safe drug, and boost states’ revenue. Everyone should realize that legalizing can help your family member with health issues or other issues that they face. Or maybe marijuana could be a replacement for crack that’s even better. But marijuana is much better than any other drug you can think about right now. I mean other than Advil or Tylenol.
Marijuana should be globally legalized and manufactured to benefit the world extensively. It’s beneficial to the world for the human body, helps the criminal justice system, prevents racial profiling, reduces crime rates, and boosts the economy. However, legalizing marijuana has serval disadvantages for people. It has more advantages that are beneficial to people. In that case, the advantages out beat the disadvantages. For example, it helps cancer patients, prevents African Americans from racially profiling, and the list goes on. Imagine opening up a store selling marijuana and being able to support schools. Imagine more people that suffer from illnesses have access to a substance that would ease their pain. People’s lives would be more peaceful. Imagine more minor crimes in the world. This substance creates a better living in people’s lives. Legalizing marijuana is essential because it’s beneficial to everyone in the world.
Marijuana is illegal in some states because of the type of scheduled drug it is. It is a class I drug, meaning it has a very high potential of being abused by the user (NIDA 1). Many different injection methods like rolled in a cigarette- joint, brewed in tea, and water pipe-bong (NIDA 2).
Once the user takes the drug, they experience the “high.” The “high” is THC, and it can come in different forms like oil and wax. THC stands for tetrahydrocannabinol, and it’s a chemical compound in marijuana that gives off a high feeling. When used, it’s either through ingestion or inhalation; it binds to specific receptors in the brain called cannabinoid receptors. These receptors make you feel high (NIDA 3). It is all in your brain, and that is how you get this feeling. THC rapidly passes from the lungs into the bloodstream, which carries the chemical to the brain and other organs throughout the body. Therefore, many people use it because they like the high feeling or helps their bodies if they have a sickness. Marijuana has hit the internet, where people have their own opinion and point of view.
Marijuana legalization has been a controversial topic of discussion on the news, in social media, and different states. Over 100 million people have used marijuana for recreational or medical use. For instance, The New York Post released a news article about passing the law on legalizing marijuana. The government legalized it in New Jersey on election day. New Jersey residents realized many people consumed it, and they estimated that marijuana would rise in state taxes over $210 million. New Jersey is the 12th state that legalizes marijuana. Many people in New Jersey think marijuana should be legal; that is why they fought so hard to change that (Eustachewich 1–2). New Jersey agrees marijuana has several advantages.
The disadvantages of legalizing marijuana are its addictive nature, an increase in “stoned” driving, and youth having access to this drug. Also, marijuana can damage the brain and lungs. Moreover, people are at risk of getting heart and developing mental health problems. Marijuana is a class I drug, meaning it has the exact addictive nature as heroin and cocaine. Just like alcohol, marijuana alters the way our body works. Also, many alcohol users are driving under the influence, and marijuana users do the same. Driving under the influence is dangerous, and it causes accidents. Marijuana has some chance of falling into the hands of a child as tobacco and other serious drugs. Once a young person consumes marijuana, most likely, it will affect their brain. Children’s brains are not fully developed, and consuming marijuana can cause brain abnormalities (Wright 2–7). Marijuana causes damage to other parts of a person’s body as well.
Damage to the brain is very likely to happen when you smoke marijuana. For instance, when a user consumes marijuana, they inhibit short-term memory formation. In addition, when marijuana enters the user’s body, the person’s heart rate goes up, and this lasts up to three hours. It has a strong effect on the body because it increases arrhythmia, heart attacks, and heart palpitations. Tobacco causes our lungs to be black, but marijuana doubles the damage due to marijuana smokers inhaling more deeply than cigarette smokers. To get high from marijuana, they have to inhale the joint more than a person smoking cigarettes (NIDA 1–3). Lastly, marijuana plays a significant role in mental health. Most doctors questioned if mental health patients that used marijuana developed these mental illnesses after consuming the substance.
The advantages of legalizing marijuana are that it creates better jobs, reduces stress, offers natural solutions for health issues, it’s a safe drug, and boosts states’ revenue. Legalizing marijuana creates more jobs because stores are allowed to grow and sell it. For example, Mexicans started growing it in their gardens, and they hired people to work with them by picking, packing, and marketing. Also, legalizing marijuana can help the economy. It reduces stress by altering a person’s body and settling it. For example, many stores sell hemp body cream, which is marijuana lotion. It is helpful for those that have body aches and back pain. Once the body cream is applied to the body, it will instantly relax the muscles and take the pain away (NIDA 4–8). Just like it relaxes a person’s body, it can help with illnesses.
Marijuana is believed to help with many health issues, including PTSD, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, cancer, and heart disease (Thompson 2). Then, it is considered a safe drug if it’s legalized. For example, many people sell marijuana on the streets. Those who sell it on the streets are most likely known to put other chemicals in it to make it stronger. When someone buys it off the streets, they are not aware of the other substance placed in marijuana. The government can stop those unaware users from obtaining laced marijuana and have a safer substance (NIDA 6–7). Another advantage is that it boosts the state’s revenue; therefore, new taxes would be applied to marijuana distribution and sales tax. For instance, In Colorado, the state’s tax income raised from five million to twenty-two million dollars (Caputo 4–5).
Legalizing marijuana is a hard decision to make because it has disadvantages and advantages. However, marijuana should be legalized because it has several benefits for the human body and helps the criminal justice system. Also, it prevents racial profiling, reduces crime rates, and it helps the economy.
Cannabis was introduced to doctors when it was tested to relieve pain for cancer patients. In the article “Understanding Medicinal Cannabis in Cancer Care,” the author states cannabis is a natural plant, and it’s not capable of harming the body. Then, doctors used it on cancer patients and discovered it eases the pain.
Therefore, the article mainly points out how marijuana helps cancer patients and people who deal with other illnesses (Pirschel 19–20). THC plays a primary role in cannabis. According to the report, Pirschel states, “THC has also been recognized as a potential medical treatment for pain and cramps in Chinese texts dating back to 3000 BC” (Pirschel 18). He indicates marijuana is essential for cancer patients, and this treatment has been around for a long time. Not only can it help cancer patients, but it can be beneficial for other conditions. For example, the article discussed marijuana could help tumors in people’s bodies by slowing down the growth and size (Pirschel 20). The reason people develop these illnesses because the homeostasis in their bodies becomes unstable.
In the article, the author stated, “Our bodies make our cannabis-like substances, namely A — AG and anandamide, that interact with the ECS receptors — CB1 and CB2 — to help maintain homeostasis throughout the entire body” (Pirschel 19). Referring to the author’s statement, it supports the main idea of marijuana going back into the human body. For instance, our bodies already have substances similar to marijuana. This substance helps the body operate and maintain good health. When the human body is not making enough A — AG, people can develop cancer. Therefore, if marijuana is added back to the human body with cancer, it supports homeostasis.
The advantage of legalizing marijuana helps the human body. Moreover, the substance doesn’t heal people with cancer but eases the pain, slows down growths, and controls the nausea symptoms.
A person that has cancer most likely can live a longer life using marijuana. Just like its benefits to people with illnesses, marijuana helps the criminal justice system.
Prisons are getting crowded because it’s so many people getting arrested by the police. There are a lot of people that sell and use marijuana. These people are getting arrested frequently because it’s against the law. This is causing the prisons to be overcrowded and more money is going towards these facilities. In the article, how marijuana legalization would benefit the criminal justice system, Cody Jorgensen talked about legalizing marijuana will help criminal justice in several ways. Since marijuana is not legalized in some states, police are allowed to arrest users and dealers. If marijuana is legalized, people won’t get in trouble selling it, reducing the crime rate (Jorgensen 2–3). In the past recent years, there has been a lot of arrests related to marijuana.
According to the article, the author stated, “In 2018, there were more than 663,000 marijuana-related arrests made in the United States. More than 608,000 of those arrests were for marijuana possession only. This means that law enforcement is primarily arresting recreational cannabis users, not dealers” (Jorgensen 4). The government and taxpayers are putting most of their money towards the prison. As stated in the article, “Costs range between $30,000-$35,000 per year to house an inmate” (Jorgensen 4). This statement indicates prisons are expensive to operate. It takes away some of the funding towards primary programs like colleges or public schools. Marijuana-related crimes distract the police from engaging in a difficult situation and the community.
There are serious crimes police have to handle — for example, some of the worst crime for police to engage in is murder cases and robberies. Emergency happens in this world every day, and the world needs the police twenty-four seven. Suppose police are frequently responding to only crimes like marijuana possession or marijuana dealers. It takes their focus and time; then, criminals would have an opportunity to get away. For example, stated in the article, “Additionally, the process of making an arrest and taking an offender to jail takes the arresting officer off of the streets for a significant amount of time, typically a couple of hours” (Jorgensen 5). Therefore, the police should be spending more time on significant crimes than minor crimes. Also, stated in the article, “In recent years, drug arrests in general and marijuana possession arrests in particular, have been increasing while at the same time the rates of serious crimes have been decreasing” (Jorgensen 7). Furthermore, in communities with high crime rates, police are supposed to monitor the areas at all times. Attending a marijuana crime will distract them from an important job. Another way marijuana helps the criminal justice system is by stopping users or sellers from getting a criminal record.
Anytime a person gets arrested and incarcerated, they will receive a criminal record. In the article, the author stated, “This mark of a criminal record can negatively affect people in numerous ways. For example, college students can lose their federal aid for tuition, and employees can get fired from from their jobs due to a single marijuana-related offense. Having such a record also makes it significantly more difficult to get a job, a loan, or rent an apartment” (Jorgensen 5). He indicates that a simple crime could have been prevented by legalizing marijuana. Legalizing marijuana can make people’s lives easier. Criminal records are not easy to deal with, and it becomes stressful when people are not allowed to do certain things. For example, having a criminal record can stop a person from getting a loan. It’s frustrating for a person dealing with a non-violent record to be compared to a violent record. Especially if the person doesn’t have any other charges but marijuana-related offense; lastly, legalizing marijuana can prevent African Americans from being racially profiled, reducing the crime rate.
Marijuana is used everywhere, even though it’s not legalized in some states. In the black community, young men are known for selling marijuana on the streets. But other races sell and use marijuana, and the law looks past them. As stated in the article, “Marijuana use is fairly equally distributed across social strata. Whites, blacks, Hispanics, the affluent, and the poor use marijuana at the same rate” (Jorgensen 6). The law doesn’t think other races are not capable of having possession of marijuana. Also, they are not fair with the arrest of marijuana-related offensive. For example, “Nationally African American are about four times more likely than whites to be arrested for cannabis” (Jorgensen 6). The law is racially biased and uses the stop-and-frisk procedure to solve crimes. Therefore, innocent young men are the targets. This system is firmly set up in New York City. For example, a young black man walking down the street most likely would get stopped by the cops because they look suspicious. Therefore, legalizing marijuana can prevent racially biased. Also, marijuana is beneficial for the economy.
States that made marijuana legal collected a lot of money and created new jobs each year. Also, once stores are allowed to sell marijuana, the government can tax. In an article called Opinion poll: San Diegans think marijuana helps society, the economy, human health by Gary Robbins talked about how marijuana is good for the world’s economy. Then, conducted a survey asking people is marijuana good for society? The result is, more people feel that marijuana is good for society. For instance, in the article, the author recorded, “Almost half of the 600 poll participants said that legalization has been good for society, and 43 percent said that cannabis is generally good for a person’s health” (Robbins 1). Legalizing marijuana can raise the tax revenue.
Legalized marijuana allows stores to sell marijuana. The government will tax how much the industry brings in. This tax revenue alone would supply the government with billions of dollars per year. Then, the government would have an opportunity to invest in school buildings and rehabilitation (Caputo 4–5). In the article, the author mentioned California’s economy has been good ever since legalizing marijuana. Many people purchase marijuana in stores. This allows the tax revenue to grow and business to flourish. Also, this creates more jobs for people as well. In the newspaper, the author states a survey that was conducted in California. In the text, he notes, “the survey found that 57 percent believe that legalization has been good for the California economy, 20 percent said it has made no difference, 14 percent are not sure, and 9 percent said it has been bad” (Robbins 1). The results from the survey indicate that more people agree marijuana boosts the economy in California.
I wonder how many more states they would legalize because it not all of them for a fact. You ever sit back and think about what might change in 2025; things change so much that all the states can be legalized. It’s this new drug that just came out on the line, and it’s something like marijuana, but it’s not. It’s called 2K2 synthetic marijuana; it’s on the dangerous side, and many people passed out from it and died. The drug supposes to feel like marijuana but makes your urine clean. So, when you go to take a drug test, it won’t be in your system. It’s new things that come out. I wonder would a new drug comes out that would be better than marijuana? How long would it take for that to happen? Would they change the form of it? Also, marijuana is a feeling, so would this new drug be a taste or something different. Maybe it can absorb in your skin. Legalizing marijuana probably won’t exist anymore. Marijuana could just disappear, and a new drug would come out. It could be a piece of fruit, food, snack, water, or maybe cream. What if it’s another way to ease pain or perhaps even heal a person. Maybe this new drug can bring someone back to life you never know. Remember this date 2025! unexpected things, releases, and changes.
Work Cited
Caputo, Michael R., and Brian J. Ostrom. “Potential Tax Revenue From a
Regulated Marijuana Market. A Meaningful Revenue Resource.”
American Journal of Economics & Sociology, vol. 53, no. 4, Oct. 1994,
pp. 475–490. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/j.1536–7150.1994.tb02619.x.
Eustachewich, Lia. “New Jersey Poised to Legalize Marijuana on Election Day.”
New York Post, New York Post, 4 Nov. 2020, nypost.com/2020/11/03/
New-jersey-poised-to-legalize-marijuana-on-election-day/.
Jorgensen, Cody. “How Marijuana Legalization Would Benefit the
Criminal Justice System”, 19 May 2020, www.boisestate.edu/blue
review/how-marijuana- legalization-would-benefit-the-criminal-justice-system/.
NIDA. “Marijuana DrugFacts.” National Institute on Drug Abuse, 24 Dec.
2019, https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana
Accessed 10 Dec. 2020.
PIRSCHEL, CHRIS. “Understanding Medicinal Cannabis in Cancer Care.” Ons
Voice, vol. 33, no. 1, Jan. 2018, pp. 18–22. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost
.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=127072951&site=ehost-live.
Robbins, Gary. “Opinion Poll: San Diegans Think Marijuana Helps Society, the
Economy, Human Heath.” San Diego Union-Tribune, The (CA),
23 Apr. 2018. EPSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=
true&db=n5h&AN=2W62796248650&site=ehost-live.
Thompson, George R., III, and Joseph M. Tuscano. “Adverse Health Effects of
Marijuana Use’: Comment.” The New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 371, no. 9, Aug. 2014, pp.878–879. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1056/NEJMc
1407928.
Wright, Natasha E., et al. “Marijuana Use Is Associated with Behavioral
Approach and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents and Emerging
Adults.” PLoS ONE, vol. 11, no. 11, Nov. 2016, pp. 1–17. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0166995.
Spice/ K2, Synthetic Marijuana. https://www.dea.gov/factsheets/spice-k2-synthetic-marijuana. Accessed 16 May 2021.
