Marijuana Research Paper

Dove 1
Matt Dove
Mr. Gilkey
English 9B
29 March 2009
Pot Smoking Power
About 72% say that for possessing small amounts of marijuana people should not be arrested, but simply fined. This basically defines the word “decriminalization” (Nadelmann 1). The Constitution doesn’t let Washington regulate rules on marijuana prohibition so those rights are up to the states, and the citizens included (Murdock 2). The government should legalize marijuana for several reasons including that the dangers are exaggerated, a lot of people do it, and it will help the economy.
Opponents to legalizing marijuana say that marijuana is too dangerous to be legal. For example, commenting on Ethan Nadelmann’s article, “And End to Marijuana Prohibition,” John Walter says, “The truth is there are laws against marijuana because marijuana is harmful”(41). Nadelmann replies in another article, “The Future of Illusion”, “Does he mean to imply that anything that is harmful-- or as harmful as marijuana-- should be prohibited? The list would be endless given relative safety margins of marijuana compared with thousands of legal drugs, sports, etcetera”(1). Living in fear of marijuana because it is as dangerous as most daily things not to mention all the insane entertainment such as skydiving or bungee jumping is just absurd. It is true that marijuana can be dangerous, but here are three reasons why it should be legalized.
The dangers are totally exaggerated. Unlike more illicit drugs like heroin, cocaine,
Dove 2
or LSD, marijuana it is virtually impossible to die as a result of smoking to much marijuana (Ruschmann 37-38). A lot of people die from aspirin even though America says that it is safe enough to sell over the counter. It is also said that most people who try marijuana never progress beyond moderate use, and therefore never expose themselves to a high risk of serious social or psychological problems (Ruschmann 38). Most importantly, nearly everybody who tries marijuana, at one...