Teacher/Student Memorandum

The paper aims to provide new knowledge and view in the legalization of a harmful substance or drug. The paper’s purpose is to let people understand the sides of argument. The topic caught my interest and I figure that drug abuse is a timeless tale in society that concerns every one of us. Through research on the topic, I was able to learn so much from it and the alarming statistics of marijuana usage.

Writing a paper is not easy. I was having a difficult time trying to arrange the enormous facts I was able to gather and present them in a way that the reader will not be overwhelmed by it. The paper is well-researched and well-written. People will get a lot of insights from the paper. Revision is improving my writing skills and the paper should be subjected first to criticisms before I will revise it.

The paper is about the legalization of marijuana. I did not expound more on the effects of marijuana to humans that might help the reader understand more of the topic. The paper is regarded as an intellectual piece that is full of knowledge and view. It serves my purpose to inform and to impart knowledge on people. I would like people to react on what they think of the data and if they agree or disagree on the proposal of legalizing the drug. I want people to be critical when they read my paper.

Should Marijuana be Legalized?

One of the most persistent problems of society is drug addiction. Drug addiction is a very crucial dilemma in the society. Using illegal drugs poses threats not only on the health of the people but it also creates other dangers to the society. One of the illicit drugs that are commonly used by people is marijuana.

The use of marijuana is the most common in the United States (“NIDA InfoFacts: Marijuana”). There are various reasons why some people attempt to use marijuana. And as such, when the individual has been addicted to it, dependency, withdrawal symptoms and the craving for the drug make it difficult and almost impossible to quit using the drug. The long duration of marijuana intake can lead to people’s addiction on the substance.

They feel the need to use the drug even though it interferes with their school, family and recreational activities. As the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States, statistics show that over 83 million Americans within a particular age bracket have tried to use marijuana at least once.

The use of marijuana is considered illegal according to the current legal system. But there are arguments clamoring for the legalization of the use of marijuana due to the claims of its health benefits in some psychological and mental conditions. But the legalization of the drug posed new problems of drug abuse especially among children and adolescents.

Marijuana (Cannabis Sativa)

Marijuana is the psychoactive product of the plant Cannabis Sativa. The drug is composed of the dried flowers and leaves of the plant. Evidence claimed that marijuana is used since the early times and during the 20th century due to its prevalent use in medicinal, spiritual and recreational purposes. Evidence have proven the existence of marijuana and its relevance in the religious rituals and practices of other countries.

Marijuana is consumed in various ways. Inhaling and oral intake of marijuana are two of the most common ways of using the substance. Over the years, certain devices such as joints and smoking pipes were developed to aid in the intake of marijuana. Each society has a different method in preparing the plant before it can be consumed.

The increasing use of this drug both for legal and illegal purposes became alarming. And as such, the possession, intake and selling of the various psychoactive substances from cannabis became illegal in most countries.  Thus, majority of the countries have already enforced laws prohibiting the proliferation of the drug.

Intake of marijuana is most of the time detrimental to the health of the people dependent on it. A recent study conducted by Canadian researchers found out that the smoke coming from marijuana contains a higher level of toxic substances than normal tobacco smoke. The toxic substances include ammonia and hydrogen cyanide making it a greater risk for health problems (“Marijuana Smoke Contains Higher Levels of Certain Toxins than Tobacco Smoke”).

Legal Status and Decriminalization of Marijuana

Since the start of the 20th century, most countries have already enacted laws prohibiting the possession, cultivation and use of marijuana. The laws created considerable impacts on the legal and non-recreational purposes of the plant. Because of this, there are some regions wherein the handling of cannabis Sativa is considered legal.

There are jurisdictions that lessened the penalties for the possession and use of marijuana in small quantities. The offense is penalized by a fine or confiscation of the substance, instead of imprisonment. The laws focused more on the trafficking of the drug in the black market.

Some jurisdictions, on the other hand, focused on the treatment and rehabilitation of the children and frequent users of marijuana. Other jurisdictions allowed the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Some countries retain the restrictive notion of making drug tests mandatory, particularly in Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. In some countries, simple possession of the drug is punishable by a life sentence or execution.

Although the use of marijuana remains illegal, marijuana possesses a superior safety record as compared with other legal drugs. Misuse of over-the-counter and prescription drugs had caused death to a great number of Americans each year, while marijuana is one of the drugs with the lowest cause of fatality.

There has not yet been a known case of over-dosage for marijuana causing death (Gerber & Sperling 84). Despite the instituted laws that prohibit possessing, cultivating, using, and selling of marijuana, many people are opposing the enacted law and claim for the decriminalization of the handling of marijuana.

The claims are based on the health benefits and non-drug purposes served by the plant. One of the non-drug purposes of marijuana is its function in the industry. The common name of marijuana is hemp and a cultivation license may be acquired from the European Union for the industrial purposes of marijuana. Fiber and fuel are the main products of industrial hemp cultivation.