1. Nick Greco
12/17/09
English P5
The Legalization of Marijuana
You may know it as pot or grass, weed or Mary Jane, or even the esoteric names of yesca, griffo,
or krippy. But whatever you call it, marijuana is a common drug that, for some reason, also happens to
be illegal. One of the most widely available illegal drugs, marijuana was used by 14.8 million Americans
in 2006. Why then, do so many people denounce this substance and become involved in a “war on
drugs”? This issue probably affects your life. Many people (although they don’t disclose it) have used or
been offered marijuana before. It is easily obtained and innocuous compared to substances such as
cocaine and PCP. The problem, however, is that marijuana is illegal and has been made out to be
extremely unsafe and deadly. Possession of any amount of marijuana is punishable by up to a year in jail
and a $1000 fine in Maryland. This unfair view of marijuana is clearly repudiated by the facts, which will
later be discussed in more detail. This issue is significant because a change needs to be made. People’s
lives are being ruined for minute amounts of the drug, and people are being killed over drug disputes
and trafficking. This unjust prejudice against an essentially harmless drug has to end. You might be
wondering, “What exactly is marijuana?” Before you can make a judgment about marijuana, you must
learn the basics. Marijuana is a mix of the flowers, stems, and seeds of the Cannabis Sativa plant. When
smoked or ingested, it releases a chemical that creates the “high,” which I will describe later. Marijuana
is a Schedule 1 drug, meaning it is in the most restrictive category of controlled substances. Any amount
of this drug is illegal. These are the points both sides of this issue agree on, which is more than I can say
about what is to come!
The main reason marijuana should be legalized is that it does less damage to your body then
many other legal drugs. Marijuana makes people high because of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, also
known as THC. This is a chemical that finds neurons in the brain with special receptors. It attaches onto
these cannabinoid receptors and stays inside the fat that surrounds every neuron. It then releases
dopamine, which makes the user experience pleasant feelings, intensifies sounds and colors, and makes
time seem to slow down. It is thought that THC widens the gap between neurons, thus impairing
balance and judgment in the cerebellum, and memory in the hippocampus. It is important to note,
however, that this is still a theory and not necessarily true. For instance, it was found in a study that a
marijuana-like substance actually helped the memory by reducing the chronic inflammations believed to
cause Alzheimer’s disease! The drug, called WIN-55212-2, is believed to activate at least three receptors
in the brain. Those receptors are proteins within the brain's endocannabinoid system, which deals with
memory and physiological tasks. This means marijuana may not be detrimental to your brain functions.
Furthermore, about 50,000 people lose their lives every year as a direct result of alcohol poisoning. No
less tragic, an estimated 40,000 deaths per year are attributed to tobacco use. Marijuana cannot cause
death by overdose. This means that not one single person dies every year as a direct result of using
marijuana. There are readily available drugs like cough medicine and Nyquil that can kill people of
overdose, yet marijuana, a drug that could not kill you no matter how much of it you ingested, is
deplored and feared in society? After a two-year review, investigators at the National Academy of
Sciences concluded that “Except for the harms associated with smoking, the adverse effects of
marijuana use are within the range tolerated for other medications." Drivers using marijuana have been
proven to be more careful on the road than those who were drunk because they are aware that their

2. thought processes are hindered. This does not mean I think people should drive drugged. It just shows
that, when high, marijuana users are still aware of their surroundings and impairments. What would you
say if I told you that there was a substance that is addictive, causes 87% of lung cancer cases, and over
90% of laryngeal cancers, gives pregnant women twice the chance that their babies will die of SIDS, and
destroys people’s lungs so that they must live tethered to a breathing machine as they slowly suffocate
and die? What if I told you that substance was legal? What if I told you that substance was called
tobacco? Nevertheless, here we are fighting a war against a drug that has proven medical uses, makes
its user have “pleasant feelings” and slightly, if at all, impairs memory.
Another benefit of legalizing marijuana is that law enforcement and the court system would
have more resources to prevent crime and prosecute actual criminals. For example, in 2008, there were
an estimated 20,000 people victimized by violent crime. Violent crime includes things such as rape,
robbery, aggravated and simple assault, and homicide. In the same year, over 847,000 people were
arrested for marijuana offenses. This means there were lots and lots of people arrested for marijuana,
but while this was going on, people were being hurt. Thousands of people were raped, assaulted, and
even killed because our law enforcement was busy arresting harmless marijuana users, many of them
relaxing on the couch at home. This will not change unless marijuana is legalized. Opponents of
marijuana say that it acts as a “gateway drug” meaning buying and using it will increase one’s likelihood
of using more dangerous drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine. This is asinine! The only reason
people are susceptible to trying more dangerous drugs is because they are out on the streets buying
from drug dealers who will try to get them to buy other drugs. If marijuana were legal, its sale could be
regulated and users would not have to risk buying from dangerous dealers. Also, cocaine and
methamphetamine are clearly more dangerous drugs, but they are in Schedule 2, while marijuana is
Schedule 1. As the DEA would have us believe, it is safer to have people use cocaine or meth than
marijuana! Furthermore, the fact that marijuana is illegal does not affect whether people choose to use
it. From 2001—2007, over 40% of Americans over age 18 have admitted to using it. This means that just
because marijuana is illegal, people are not discouraged from using it. Notice that I said “over 18”in my
example because I do not support legalization for minors. Marijuana, an addictive substance, is still not a
completely safe drug, and should only be used by those who have the willpower and responsibility to
use it in moderation and at appropriate times.
Finally, marijuana should be demoted into the category of Schedule 2 substances. There are
many factors that are considered when scheduling a drug. For example, a drug is Schedule 1 if it has no
currently accepted medical use in the U.S. To say marijuana has not a single use in medicine seems, to
me, to be downright incorrect. The aforementioned study of WIN and many other tests have confirmed
that marijuana could have medical use. In fact, Maine, Michigan, Vermont, Washington, and many other
states have legalized medical marijuana! This obviously refutes the claim that marijuana has no
accepted medical use in the U.S. Furthermore, a drug is Schedule 1 if it has a high potential for abuse.
This is a completely unreasonable standard to set. In my opinion, a drug cannot have a high or low
potential for abuse. A substance either can or cannot be abused. Drugs such as PCP, cocaine, and
methamphetamine are actually in a lower Schedule than marijuana? These are dangerous hallucinogens
with effects far worse than those of marijuana and should be Schedule 1. Adversaries of marijuana say

3. marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70 % more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke. In my
opinion, this does not matter. Tobacco still causes cancer, but people choose to use it. Alcohol can cause
death by poisoning, but it is still legal. Marijuana should simply be used in moderation and with the
knowledge that it, just like some other legal drugs, can hurt one’s body. This is why marijuana should be
demoted into Schedule 2. We cannot simply illegalize and slander a substance just because it can be
abused. Even things such as nutmeg can be abused! It is a deliriant that can produce psychoactive
effects similar to a high. What a travesty the day we found out that even our favorite nutty, sweet spice
could damage our brains, erasing any memory of why that carton of eggnog was on the counter! Does
this mean we should start asking for a 21+ ID when people buy nutmeg? Of course we will not do that.
The point is that almost anything can be abused. Will you use a knife to make stir-fry or stab someone in
a fight? Will you use your knowledge of nuclear power to build a clean power plant or bomb Pakistan?
The most potent thing is the person. We need to focus on educating people about marijuana and how to
use it safely. This is the only way it can be used responsibly by adults and regulated by the government.
To summarize, marijuana is a relatively safe drug that should be decriminalized and demoted to
Schedule 2. Marijuana has been shown to do far less damage than drugs already in Schedule 2 such as
methamphetamine and cocaine. It has also been proven that it has medical value and has even been
accepted in many states. I think marijuana should be legal in amounts up to 1 ounce for personal use.
This could be cultivation or possession. I do not think marijuana should be legal for anyone under the
age of 18. Just like alcohol and tobacco, marijuana is and addictive and somewhat dangerous drug that
should not be used by minors. The solution is not to completely legalize it, because drug trafficking
should not happen in the U.S. This solution will help stop people’s lives from being ruined by arrests for
small amounts of marijuana and let law enforcement be able to catch real criminals. It is time for society
to shed its blindfold of fear and ignorance and see marijuana for what it really is. This change has to
happen so that the war on drugs will stop and drug trafficking will end. Responsible adults with free will
should be allowed to use marijuana if they so choose.