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Jess Spencer

March 29th, 2018

HL440 Opinion Piece

Should Recreational Marijuana be legalized in the U.S.?

This question has been on many people’s minds in recent years. Many conservatives in

office are still opposed to the idea, but are coming around since its medicinal benefits have

been proven. Since legalizing the medical use of marijuana, people are finding out that it’s

really not what they have always thought it to be… an addictive gateway drug, or “the devil’s

lettuce”.

At the end of the day, this is a plant organically grown from the ground we are talking

about. It’s not some artificially made drug cooked up in the kitchen with elements like battery

acid thrown in. Yet it is considered a schedule 1 drug alongside heroin and cocaine. It should

not be penalized the same. This also causes many researchers and scientists to not be able to as

many studies with cannabis. It blows my mind that it’s a schedule 1 drug, since we’re finding all

of these benefits, like preventing Alzheimer’s (Loria, 2018) and lowering the risk for some

cancers (Kaufman, 2006). Schedule 1 drugs are said to have no medicinal value, so why is

cannabis on this list? Ronald Paulus, MD, MBA, President and CEO of Mission Health, stated the

following in a July 2, 2017 news release- "The most absurd aspect of current marijuana policy is

its DEA classification as a Schedule 1 drug, defined as having no accepted medical use and a

high potential for abuse. Other Schedule 1 drugs include LSD and heroin. I believe that drugs

should be classified based upon science, not emotion. Schedule 1 classification significantly
impairs the ability to do rigorous research, which prevents the true pros and cons of marijuana

from being discerned." (Should Marijuana, 2017). I believe the government is against the

legalization of weed because big pharmaceutical companies would take a huge hit. And many

people in these higher political positions are sponsored by big corporations to say certain

things/ push false propaganda. (Prince Ea, 2016)

Also, alcohol is proven to be more addictive, more likely to cause medical problems and

promote aggressive/violent behavior, yet it is WIDELY accepted, sometimes ENCOURAGED and

LEGAL. (Marijuana is Safer, 2018) When was the last time people were gathered around just

smoking and wanted to start a fight? Or when was the last time someone died because of a

cannabis overdose? Oh yeah it’s because it’s literally impossible to die from overdosing on

cannabis. According to the National Cancer Institute, it's impossible- “Because cannabinoid

receptors, unlike opioid receptors, are not located in the brainstem areas controlling

respiration, lethal overdoses from Cannabis and cannabinoids do not occur." (Can You

Overdose, 2017) Sure if you smoke too much you can have unwanted side effects like paranoia

and nausea but at least you know your lungs will still be able to breath and your heart able to

pump.

Also, there is more public support for marijuana law reform than ever before. New polls

show that more than half of the country is in favor of legalizing marijuana. The Drug Policy

Alliance (DPA) believes marijuana should be removed from the criminal justice system and be

regulated just like alcohol and tobacco. Below is a Map of states that have already legalized the

adult use of recreational of cannabis. The DPA believes all states should be shaded red, and so

do I! (Marijuana Legalization, 2018)


I think in the next ten or so years it will be legalized everywhere. If it is legalized it is also

safer for the consumer, since it is being regulated and checked for parasites and funguses

(Should Recreational, 2018), and will boost the economy, since government will be able to tax

cannabis and it will be creating jobs for people. (Marijuana Legalization, 2018) Overall, weed

should be legalized it’s not as harmful as the legal drugs that are out on the market today. It’s

time to accept it for what it is, a healing plant naturally from Mother Nature herself. 
References:

Can You Overdose on Marijuana? (2017, October 17). Retrieved from


https://www.leafscience.com/2017/10/17/overdose-marijuana/.

Hoaken, Peter N.S. Stewart, Sherry H. (2003). Drugs of abuse and the elicitation of human

aggressive behavior. Retrieved from http://www.ukcia.org/research/AgressiveBehavior.pdf.

Jacques, Renee. (2017, December 6). This Is Why Marijuana Should Be Legal Everywhere. Retrieved from
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/24/marijuana-legalization_n_4151423.html.

Kaufman, Marc. (2006, May 26). Study Finds No Cancer-Marijuana Connection. Retrieved from
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2006/05/25/AR2006052501729.html.

Loria, Kevin. (2018, March 7). 23 health benefits of marijuana. Retrieved from
http://www.businessinsider.com/health-benefits-of-medical-marijuana-2014-4.

Marijuana is Safer than Alcohol: It’s Time to treat it That Way. (2018). Retrieved from
https://www.mpp.org/marijuana-is-safer/.

Marijuana Legalization and Regulation. (2018, January). Retrieved from


http://www.easybib.com/reference/guide/apa/website.

Prince, Ea. (2016, June 27). WHY WEED SHOULD BE LEGAL ft Barack Obama. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YWe5kjG35M&t=29s.

Should Marijuana Be Reclassified as a Schedule II or III Drug? (2017, July 10). Retrieved from
https://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000330.

Should Recreational Marijuana be Legal? (2018, February 15). Retrieved from


https://marijuana.procon.org/.

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