Why Marijuana Should Be Legal

Introduction

Marijuana is the common name of a drug comprising the leaves and flowering tops of the Indian hemp plant called the Cannabis. It is smoked or eaten for its intoxicating effects and is known by a number of slang names, such as, pot, grass reefer, weed and Mary Jane. Although Marijuana has not been proven physically addicting and no physical withdrawal symptoms occur on discontinuation, physiological dependence may develop over a period of time, due to which most of the countries consider Marijuana as an illegal drug.

Discussion

The use of marijuana would have two effects on the users. Initially stimulation includes excitement and dizziness at the same time. This is followed by sedation and pleasant tranquility, also accompanied by altered perception of time and space. Thinking processes become disrupted by incomplete and disconnected ideas and memories. Increased appetite, heightened sensory awareness and feelings of euphoria and ecstasy have also been reported. Negative effects of the abuse of the drug may include confusion, panic, anxiety attack, fear, a sense of hopelessness and dejection, loss of self-control, etc. Marijuana intoxication weakens judgment, comprehension, memory, speech, problem-solving ability, and reaction time. However, there is no confirmation that Marijuana induces or causes brain damage.

Marijuana is also found to be useful in medical treatment. The attribute of the drug to increase the appetite can be used to prevent the weight loss associated with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (aids).It is also found to decrease the eye pressure in people with glaucoma and lessen the nausea caused by cancer chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

In recent years, in the United States and many other countries, a debate has been sparked up on the advantages and benefits of the drug. Many people argue that owing to the medical uses of marijuana, it should legalized and available to the patients. They argue that marijuana provides symptoms relief when other medications fail. Researches and studies are being carried out everyday to come to a conclusion.

In the year 1999, the White House commissioned a report on the context of its medical use. The report openly negated the office's publicly stated view that marijuana had no medical value. At a press conference announcing the findings, John A. Benson, former dean of the Oregon Health Sciences University School of Medicine in Portland, said the panel had uncovered “an explosion of new scientific knowledge about how the active components of marijuana affect the body and in how they might be used in a medical context.” in particular, the team observed the potential value of powerful chemicals in marijuana known as cannabinoids that ease pain and anxiety, stimulate the appetite, and reduce feelings of nausea. As stated earlier, this can effectively treat wasting symptoms of AIDS and reduce the nausea and vomiting that many cancer patients experience while receiving chemotherapy.

A contradiction argument could be that smoking the drug could undercut the benefits of the drug since the smoke is so toxic. The National Organization For The Reform of Marijuana Laws states:

Marijuana's therapeutic uses ...