Madeleine Hayes

Ms. Henderson
English 3 AP-7
24 March 2015
The Problem with Legalization of Drugs
In the United States drug legalization has become a very controversial topic. Many argue
that the solution to the war on drugs is to simply legalize them. Legalization will not change
the fact that drugs have dangerous effects on both the mind and body.COME BACK TO
Perhaps the most obvious reason for drugs to remain illegal is their negative impact
peoples mental health. The chemicals found in drugs (such as THC in marijuana,) alter the
brains chemistry by targeting the brain and causing it to release dopamine, which causes feelings
of pleasure. Eventually the brain relies solely on the drug to trigger the release of dopamine, and
without the drug painful withdrawals set in. The alterations caused can lead to long-term effects
such as hallucinations, anxiety, paranoia, delusions, and depression. Not only that, but drugs such
as marijuana contain THC, tetrahydrocannabinol, which can damage short-term memory and
impair both judgement and motor skills.
Illegal drugs not only negatively impact mental health, they also impact peoples physical
health. Drug addicts often experience physical withdrawals that involve vomiting, muscle
spasms, sweats, and nausea. Drugs that are smoked can cause respiratory diseases such as lung
cancer. Drugs such as heroin that are injected through a needle spread blood-borne infections
such as HIV and hepatitis, weaken veins, and bring about an increased risk of overdose. Drugs
like marijuana affect the heart, arteries, lungs, and central nervous system. The worst effect by
far that illegal drugs can bring about is death, either by overdose or infection.

Annotated Bibliography
Gottfried, Ted. Should Drugs Be Legalized?. Brookfield, XT: Twenty-First Century Books,
2000. Pages 11-100. Print.
This book is about whether or not drugs that are currently illegal in the United States
should be made legal. Gottfried, who is against the legalization of drugs, talks about
marijuana, heroin, tobacco, meth, speed, and hallucinogens and their consequences in
Should Drugs Be Legalized?. Gottfried talks about addiction and dependency and their
differences and the various forms in which they occur. Gottfried also discusses different
drug policy reforms across the world and how beneficial they have been to their
respective countries.
Kleber, Herbert, and Joseph A. Califano Jr. Legalization: Panacea or Pandoras Box?. World
& I. Jan. 2006: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.
This article summarizes why drug legalization is ultimately not the best choice for
American society. Kleber and Califano are against legalization and argue that the benefits
of drug legalization are far weaker than the costs that legalization would bring with it.
They say that illegal drugs are dangerous not because they are illegal, but that these drugs
are illegal because they are dangerous. Overall, Kleber and Califano say that legalization

would have an extremely harmful effect on our nation. This article could benefit my
essay as it is very comprehensive and provides plenty of information from researches and
studies about the effects of drug use on teenagers and the amount of current illegal drug
users.
Lane, Charles. The Hype For Legal Drugs. Washington Post. 20 Feb. 2014: A. 17. SIRS Issues
Researcher. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.
In this article, Charles Lane questions whether or not drug legalization is the solution to
our nations war on drugs. Lane points out that drug prohibition has in fact been doing
its job: lowering illegal drug use. Lane provides statistics that give proof of decreasing
drug use over the years since these substances were made illegal. The article concludes
that legalization is not the solution to substance abuse, unlike what many pro-legalization
arguments may say. The article could easily be used as a source for my research paper as
it provides several statistics and solid arguments against drug legalization.
Masline, Shelagh Ryan. Drug Abuse and Teens: A Hot Issue. Hot Issues. Berkeley Heights, NJ:
Enslow Publishers, 2000. Pages 11-53. Print.
In Drug Abuse and Teens: A Hot Issue, Masline discusses several different types of legal
and illegal drugs, while primarily focusing on marijuana, tobacco, and heroin. Masline
describes the negative side effects of these drugs and the risks involved when taking
them. Masline also provides information about reasons why people turn to illegal drugs
and how to help those who are addicted. This can be used in my paper to help see why
some people turn to drugs despite their negative effects and illegality.
Rosenthal, Mitchell S. Legalizing Pot Wont Make It Any Safer. Wall Street Journal. 17
January 2013: A.15. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.

In this article, Mitchell S. Rosenthal argues that while pot may be slowly becoming
legalized, it still is a hazard to young people. Rosenthal states that legalization poses a
threat to kids as pot is not harmless, and it is becoming easier and easier for young people
to get ahold of it. Rosenthal argues that pot smoking puts people at risk for psychosis,
changes in the anatomy of the brain, and damage to the heart and lungs. Pot can impair
learning, memory, and judgement, all which according to Rosenthal are no small matters
during the adolescent years.