Marijuana: Detrimental Or Beneficial?
The debate over the legalization of marijuana is one that has lasted for many years. Politicians and citizens alike have had their share of this issue in deciding whether it should be made legal because of its medicinal properties or whether it should be banned because of its tendency to make its victims "addicted." Though the debate is still in full force over whether or not to legalize this drug, one thing is certain and that is that there is both a positive and negative point of view to both sides of the story. In this paper I will analyze the contrasting views of two major organizations that play a major role in presenting the issues as to whether or not marijuana should be legalized for medical applications. These two groups are The Marijuana Policy Project, who believes that marijuana should be legalized for mostly medical purposes, and The National Institute on Drug Abuse, who believes that more research should be done before legalizing this drug.
Before I get into depth about this issue, it is necessary to answer the question: What is marijuana? In a technical sense, marijuana is any form of drug derived from the dried or shredded leaves of the hemp plant. All marijuana contains THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the main active ingredient of the drug along with about 400 other chemicals. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the amount of THC found in marijuana has been increasing since the 70s.There are also stronger forms of this drug such as sensemilla and hashish. Marijuana also goes by many slang names such as pot, bud, ganga, herb, Mary Jane, weed, hydro, and chronic. With a basic understanding of this drug and it's origins it is much easier to examine political issues that are present due to its existence.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more research should be done before allowing marijuana to be used for medical purposes. They also argue that other uses of marijuana, especially amongst teens,...
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