Legalizing Marijuana

Marijuana is a dry, shredded green/brown mix of flowers, stems, seeds, and leaves of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. It is usually smoked in different forms such as a cigarette, blunt, or bong, and can also be mixed into food or brewed as a tea (NIDA). Many chemicals make up marijuana, but the most common elements found in the drug include 66 cannabinoids. Cannabinoids are chemicals that create a euphoric state of being which causes difficulties with memory and perception. The main active cannabinoid in marijuana is called THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). The membranes

of certain nerve cells in the brain contain protein receptors that bind to THC. Once securely in place, THC kicks off a series of cellular reactions that ultimately lead to the high that users experience when they smoke marijuana (NIDA).

The government does not think that marijuana should be legalized in any way due to the many problems that this decision may bring. Over the past years the government has given the public many different stories on the negative aspects of marijuana. It is true that marijuana can lead to, or cause, problems if it is misused, but most of what the government tells the public is false (BBC News). They do this because they want to do all that they can to keep the public away from this drug. This is understandable because the spread and free use of marijuana across the United States could cause numerous health and public problems. Many people believe that marijuana is addictive and can lead to the use of other more serious and harmful drugs. Through research and testing it has been concluded that this belief is false (BBC News). Marijuana is actually safer than some prescribed drugs, and causes less side effects. Most of the few patients that currently use marijuana for medical uses say that it helps them cope with recovery and side effects from illness. Official tests on the drug have been opposed, but supporters of its medical use argue that it can relieve aches, pains, nausea and the loss of appetite associated with chemotherapy, multiple sclerosis and Aids. Of course with any other medical drug, there will be some cases where marijuana will, or has already, caused negative side effects when used by some patients. A demand for the research on the therapeutic effects of marijuana is a recent topic that has gained people's interest.

The ironic thing about the government being against the legalization of marijuana is that marijuana is actually a crop that helps the U. S. bring in extra money each year. In 1997 marijuana was number four in the top fifty U. S. cash crops (Norml). This means that in some states marijuana is bringing in much money for America. How can this be allowed if marijuana is illegal? The government has to know about the selling and growing of marijuana, because obviously it is contributing to the wealth of the nation. This is like a paradox because the government goes through all this trouble to keep the public away from marijuana but then at the same time it is allowing farmers to grow and sell the crop. So is the government being hypocritical? If thought about, the government is making money both ways through their current process. They are receiving some sort of check from the money that the selling of marijuana brings to the country. At the same time they are making more money