Marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Marijuana - Essay Example This paper discusses legalization of marijuana, as a contemporary issue, with an opinion that the drug should be legalized for its potential benefits to the society and the nation. The paper reviews existing opinions on whether the drug should be legalized or not. One of the major concerns that have led to calls for legalization of marijuana is its diverse potential benefits to the society. Most significant benefit of the drug is its application as medicine following identified adverse effects of chemical based medicines. With increasing rate of depression and diseases such as cancer, and with emergent of adverse effects of the applied drugs for their prevention and treatment, scientists and doctors have appreciated the need for treatment approaches to which patients’ bodies do not adversely react. Natural medicines have as a result become a focus, owing to their less significant side effects as compared to industrial medicines. Chemotherapy and anti-depression pills, as contr ol and treatment methods, have for example exhibited extreme side effects that could even cause people to resort to suicide as a means of getting away from pain and suffering that they live in. However, with better research and newly developed technology, scientists have found that a majority of natural supplements are healthier for treatment of certain illnesses. Medicinal application marijuana, for instance, has many benefits and is currently prescribed to patients with diseases ranging from Alzheimer to HIV, to help with treatments. The drug is also effective in managing stress and depression and therefore makes life a little simpler. Even though marijuana portrays many medicinal benefits, its advantages should not be used as a way to promoting abuse. This means that its use should be regulated like in cases of alcohol and tobacco, whose consumption effects are in some cases worse than marijuana’s. Debates are currently ongoing, both in Congress and all over the world, on whether to legalize marijuana or not. Even though it is still illegal, marijuana’s consumption is widespread and most Americans have at least tried it, or are using it to help them overcome stress. The drug is also an ‘all-natural’ plant that grows anywhere in the world has high demand and supply. The root cause of its contention, however, is the fact that drug lords and marijuana growers started adding chemicals to the commodity. This causes users to become addicted to the modified product and after a while of use, start consuming stronger drugs. That is why marijuana is called a gateway drug. Should Congress pass the bill to legalize marijuana, Food and Drug Administration agency will supervise the product’s sale and consumption. It will be legally available to the public from pharmacies and sold on prescription. Gangs and drug dealers will not sell it on the streets, due to the vast drop in prices from the legalization, and its consequential easy access to the public. Right now, however, if there were no marijuana in the streets, people would be forced to use worse drugs, like cocaine, or crystal meth; those types of drugs that can affect a person’s health physically, mentally, and are highly addictive. Social responsibility, rather than legal restrictions, can better resolve the opposing opinions over legalization of marijuana. In Saudi Arabia for instance, people do not accept drugs socially or