Should Marijuana Be Legalized - 895 Words

Should marijuana be legalized? In the eyes of some American s, marijuana is one of the biggest enemies in today’s society. Since alcohol and tobacco, both a life threatening substances are legal, it is only right to question, why marijuana is illegal. When speaking of the legalization of marijuana, it is important to identify which facts pertaining to marijuana use are stereotypes, truths, and egregious slander. Many people that have never been exposed to the plant have preconceived notions of marijuana being closely related to delinquency while others, both knowledgeable and naive of the plant, strive to expose the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana. Marijuana should be legalized on the grounds that the reputation it has†¦show more content†¦Even though these truths are slowly coming out, they are still under heavy criticism, due to the stereotypical view of what the government is portraying the drug to be. Using marijuana for medicinal purposes is not a recent di scovery. In fact, the fore father of America, George Washington, used to grow cannabis for medicinal purposes. As Gerber states, George Washington used the cannabis... for medicinal purpose (Gerber 72). Gerber continues, In England, like some of her subjects, Queen Victoria took marijuana for medical problems recurred to persistent menstrual cramps. (Gerber 63). Today, thousands of patients are using marijuana as an effective method to treat their ailments. Modern research suggests that cannabis is valuable in helping a list of sickness. It helps with the reduction of pain, nausea, glaucoma, which increases pressure in the eyeball, damaging the optic nerve and causing loss of vision, and movement disorders. It is also a powerful medicine used to increase the appetite of AIDs patients. â€Å"There are at least two active chemicals in marijuana that researchers think medicinal applications. Those are cannabinol(CBD) – which seems to impact the brain without a high – and tetrahydrocannabinol(THC) – which is pain relieving (and other) properties.†(Loria. 2014). â€Å"Researchers looking for risk factors of heart disease tested the lung function of 5,115 young adults over the course of 20 years. Tobacco smokers lost lung