... available on the effects of long-term use" (Hochman 44). According to a recent study by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, ten chronic marijuana users were evaluated as test subjects to see if marijuana had any effect on the cognitive functioning of the human body. The results concluded that none of the ten subjects suffered any impairment of their mental ... has increased from the 1960's to the present day. If you look at this issue a little more closely, you will see that there isn't any hard evidence to support that marijuana will lead to harder drugs. According...

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... be the only ones not doing it. However this casual use among teens often turns into a heavy use of the drug and addiction. The use of marijuana has been directly linked to crime among teens. Between 1990 and 1995, the number of juveniles charged with narcotic related crimes in the United States has more ... the heavy use and abuse by the teen. Many times the teen will get the false notion that it is okay or not a big deal to smoke marijuana. Marijuana abuse by teens has also been linked to specific family stresses such as divorce, separation, and deaths.(Schleichert 73) "Family members d...

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... for many, many years and has been proven to be safe for medical uses. Despite its useful medical effects for relieving pain and nausea, marijuana is a psychedelic drug that will be looked down upon because of false claims about it. The value of helping the medical world would far ... out weight its potential to be abused. Even though marijuana was illegal, its use continued in the United States. Ernest L. Abel, author of the book Marihuana states, "In 1972, the National Commission ... be the plant that could save the world but we would never know it because the first thing people think ...

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... is not harmful to health. It would be reasonable to judge cannabis as less of a threat than alcohol or tobacco." NORML explains the medical advantages of marijuana with fifteen examples. Modern research has proved marijuana aids in the treatment of many ailments. These include pain relief from neuropathic pain, nausea, glaucoma, and certain movement disorders. It also stimulates the appetite, ... and helps patients with HIV, or dementia. New research even suggests that marijuana may protect the body from certain types of malignant tumors, and are neuroprotective. There are more than 60 ...

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... safest and most effective medicine that can be used for terminally ill patients. They consider the U.S. to be heartless to refuse to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes. Those people argue that the legalization of the drug would not make matters worse because it will be restricted to be ... used for medicinal purposes only. First of all, there are medicines better than marijuana. For example, there are safer and more effective medicines for people who need it as a treatment for chemotherapy-induced nausea. According to oncologist Daniel ... for the treatment of chemotherapy-induce...

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... alcohol habit to be $15 billion a year (www.ndsn.com); it has steadily increased since then. When comparing tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana, there is strong evidence that marijuana has the least addictive power (www.peretto.com). However, this does not hide the fact that all three can have a strong impact ... of all inmates are in prison for drug offenses-the result of a 1,100% increase in drug arrests between 1980 and 1992, even though marijuana use dropped from 35% to 13% during the same period. The increase in violent offenders incarcerated during that time was only 50%. Of felons .....

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... people disagree with them, their whole motive is to keep the country moving forward instead of stepping back. In his article "We Need to Legalize Marijuana Now,"" Ken MacQueen wrote, "Persons using this narcotic smoke the dried leaves of the plant, which has the effect of driving them completely insane"" ... are just trying to get the things they want and need to survive that they probably would otherwise have if they did not begin using marijuana. Edmund Hartnett, deputy chief and executive officer of the narcotics division in the New York Police Department stated, "Opponents to legali...

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... what the look like, they don't care what happens, they have no desire to work and do not care about bettering themselves. Marijuana also effects short term memory. In athletes it could cause their performance to decrease and cause their timing to be off and they could become uncoordinated ... feed breast milk with THC in the milk had impaired motor development. Many people do not become addicted to marijuana but a few people do become addicted to the desire of the drugs effect. Frequent marijuana users begin to build up a tolerance for the drug and need a larger amount to get the same hi...

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... this drug was harmless, but it has been proven that it can be used for medical uses. There are many slang terms used for marijuana, some of the most popular are pot, weed, cannabis, Mary Jane, hash, dope, bud, green, smoke, just to name a few. There are many ... . I also think some drug crimes and innocent killings would go down an enormous amount. Almost every American in today's society has used marijuana at some point in his/her life. Marijuana use is one of America's largest drug problems today. Our nation has been fighting the war on drugs since the 1960's; however, people ... mai...

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... put into pipes or formed into cigarettes for smoking"(Encyclopedia Britannica). The intoxicating chemical in pot is THC or Tetrahydrocannabinal. The use of marijuana has been practiced for thousands of years. Numerous different cultures have had their own different uses for the drug. Snyder explains, "Marihuana ... in smoke to your body it is causing your lungs to deteriorate. In the article "Facts Parents Need to Know About Marijuana" the author explains, "Marijuana users may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers have, such as chronic bronchitis and inflamed ...

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... reasons that it should not. Through out this essay, I am going to compare and contrast some of the pros and cons of the legalizing of marijuana. Many people think that the legalization of cannabis would lead to health problems, such as, the use of a harsher drug and to psychological and personality ... The government seems to be always looking for new ways to tax people. Instead of spending all the money they spend on arresting people in possession of marijuana, the Government should put it on a shelf at the store and tax it like any other merchandise. Of course, just like acohol and cig...

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... legalized in such European countries as Holland and Belgium. Currently, it is speculated that Germany, Spain, and Portugal are also leaning towards the idea of legalizing marijuana (www.marijuanareform.org ). So why is the legalization of marijuana in the United States such a problem for many people today? Considered to be a gateway drug and the reason for the downfall of our youth today ... ). On March 15, 2002 a recent study was performed which showed teenage drug abuse has dropped slightly in recent years, but still 54 percent of American kids use marijuana before high school graduat...

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... of the safest and oldest therapeutically active substances known to man. However, in today's society it's categorized as an illicit, illegal substance. When people hear the phrase, "legalization of marijuana," they only think of the ones smoking it for recreational purposes, rather than for medical value. Although, some states in the U.S. have made the criminal distinction between people who smoke ... marijuana as a doctor's recommended remedy and recreational users, who just smoke to enjoy the effects. However, the federal government and its drug enforcement agencies claim there is no ...

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... ) By legalizing this relatively social-harmless drug, police officers and judges could spend more time fighting serious crimes rather than having to worry about marijuana dealers. Plus, our already over-jammed courtrooms and jail could use a break and get back to working on creating a safer society for Americans ... much more productive areas such as drug education and drug treatment facilities. Even more important though, the government would have the ability to regulate marijuana. "In 1995 average THC (potency) content ranged from 3.73 percent to 8.61 percent with THC contents greater t...

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... then people have been fighting to try to legalize it. So far we seem to be doing all right they have legalized marijuana for medical use in some states. Marijuana is effective in treating different medical orders such as AIDS , cancer, epilepsy and chronic pain. Some other benifits are relief from ... eating disorders. Many people believe legalization will lead to an increase in crime rate. This how ever cannot be true if they were to legalize marijuana then I believe the crime rate would drop. Think about it think about the costs to keep convicts in jail for a crime as small as ... who s...

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... lots of money. Each year in the United States we currently spend billions of dollars to chase peaceful people who happen to like to get high. When marijuana user and dealer get locked up the taxpayer is left to cover the bill. We the taxpayer has to pay for housing, health care, attorney fees, courts ... costs, and other expenses just to try to keep marijuana off the street, and that is impossible to do. Instead of wasting money trying to lock up the one that are do no harm to no one, ... the government could make billions of dollars and profit from marijuana because they can collect t...

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... for subjects to be completely ignorant about what they are using (Bock 137). The assortment of medicinal uses is widespread; such conditions that can be aided through the use of marijuana include: Anorexia, Pain, Glaucoma, Migraine, Hypertension, Anxiety, Asthma, Peptic Ulcer, Alcoholism, Depression, Insomnia, Inflammation, Nausea, and Cancer (Cohen 36). When the benefits are so grand and the risks are ... in the 1850's. Hypodermic syringes allowing soluble drugs to be injected for instant pain relief. Hemp products are insoluble in water and can not be easily administered through injec...

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... . This puts it in the same category as heroin and cocaine. It is defined by the DEA as being an addictive substance with no medical value. People who support medical marijuana want to change just that. They feel that marijuana has medical potential and should be reclassified as a Schedule 2 drug, allowing people with terminal diseases to acquire it with a doctors prescription. Moreover ... social maturity as some users lose interest in school, job, and social activities. About 100,000 people each year resort to drug abuse treatment programs to end their marijuana addiction. Some people a...

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... , breaking away from the restraints of the normal society and a way to rebel against the government. This was the start of the social beginnings of marijuana. Also a new form of religion was beginning; Rastafarianism used pot as a religious sacrament. Smoking the holy herb was "to help one understand God's ... the upper airways (sinuses and larynx) than tobacco." (TIME.) Yet compared to alcohol and tobacco there has never been a recording of an overdose in marijuana users. Alcohol and tobacco kill thousands of people a year but it is still legal to purchase and consume. I feel that more t...

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... to chemotherapy, elevated eye pressure due to glaucoma, and loss of appetite and nausea in AIDS patients. Grinspoon makes the point that treatment with marijuana is very beneficial, but because it is illegal, patients must either go without treatment or commit a crime to obtain their medication. The clear ... benefits are extremely difficult to prove, and are at best anecdotal. Perhaps the most compelling argument that Grinspoon makes is that criminalization of marijuana use promotes disrespect for the law and is eroding our fundamental civil liberties. Grinspoon states that (in the yea...

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... He often would miss months of school at a time because he was immensely sick. That was before he found marijuana. He now lives a relatively normal life. (Rubenstein, 82) Marijuana had balanced him and allowed him to lead a better quality life. Glaucoma is another dangerous disease that can be ... to allergies to or lack of effect of other drugs. Although the government feels that a person is better off going blind than using the marijuana to delay the disease, they must "protect" people from this drug. Why does the government want to see people in pain and suffering? ... cancer take che...

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... , or alcohol poisoning. Tobacco can lead to lung cancer, or heart disease, which both like alcohol can lead to death. Marijuana, on the other hand, can lead to short term memory loss and there is no known report of anybody dying from "smoking weed". Thus when ... be more reliable than the current legal drugs. In addition to its medical benefits, ending its prohibition on marijuana would stop trafficking of the herb and would lower the rate of violent crimes. When marijuana becomes readily available on the market it will eliminate the needs for a drug dealer. With no sales ... fight or get...

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... it really doesn't exist. Hallucination can be used concerning medical issues. But usually people just use it for sensual pleasure. Is Marijuana good for your health? The answer is no. Marijuana has a long history of medical use, but if you take marijuana just for hallucinations, as many people in our society do, you will start to lose your brain cells, and also it ... alcohol and tobacco. If you use this for sensual pleasure, it will destroy your body and even your spirit. Furthermore, Marijuana leads to harder drugs. Marijuana has for a long time been called the "gateway drug." This me...

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... also can make males to where they can not have children. Also it can decrease the amount of testrone that males have. Young males should read about marijuana before they use the drug so they will know the effects it can have on them. Especially, if they want to have children someday. In females ... it can effect the hormone that determines the menstrual cycle. Women who use marijuana usually a have irregular menstrual cycle and are depressed as well. Also if women smoke and have babies they usually have a weak nervous system. It also can ... long you hold the smoke in. Using this drug c...

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... . An age requirement of twenty-one would be put on those who wish to purchase marijuana. There would be a limit on how much marijuana a single person could have concealed on him/her at one time. If marijuana were legalized the government could then heavily tax the sale of marijuana and use the extra money to improve drug rehabilitation programs for people who have uncontrollable ... their own choices. It would be like signing a peace treaty in the war against drugs. People who are against the legalization of marijuana believe the war on drugs is a never-ending campaign. They seem to thin...

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