kGretzky

Attempting to rid the streets of marijuana and its usage have proven to be a failure on many levels. The natural growing plant is utilized to achieve a state of euphoria by heating the herb and releasing the chemical THC. However, the government has strict bans against its usage, including imprisonment or probation for possession. The efforts are costly, even to taxpayers who have never put their hands on the plant. Citizens are completely oblivious to the benefits of the herb because the nation refuses to rightfully inform. There are health advantages and no health risks under its usage. Marijuana should be legalized, and the government should not have the ability to punish for practice as long as it does not harm or endanger others.

All offenses regarding marijuana come with hefty penalties. Possessing, selling, or cultivating marijuana lands a person in jail, generally with a large fine to accompany the sentence. This sentence can range from thirty days to ten years, depending upon how much marijuana is being dealt with in the case. Even selling paraphernalia or supplies will result in punishment decided upon by the judge and the court. The government has put such a strong focus on keeping the harmless plant illegal that money is wasting away as if it were nothing. Billions of dollars are spent each year in order to prosecute, hold, sentence, and incarcerate these criminals. A recent study has shown that the law enforcement needed to fight this so-called marijuana drug war, costs approximately $7.6 billion per year. All this money is going into arresting offenders; however, even though efforts have gone up to stop the drug’s appearance on the streets, the usage rate of marijuana has not decreased at all. The money is being drained for no reason. Worse yet, many of the violators for this plant are forced to go to prison alongside much harsher crimes, such as murder. Each inmate costs about $22,000 alone. The people paying all these costs are the taxpayers. The harmless crime of possessing, growing or selling marijuana is having detrimental effects on the country itself, only because the government has enforced such outlandish laws. If the plant were legalized, the number of inmates in prison would decrease by a monumental amount, saving an immense amount of money. The focus could then be turned on different aspects of the nation or even the justice system itself, where reforms are actually necessary.

Instead of worrying so much about prosecuting a citizen for smoking marijuana, the law enforcement and the government should turn their focuses on more pressing matters. There are murderers walking the streets, but the police are too concerned with booking users of marijuana that the real criminals are going free. The education system is faltering in some areas, but the nation is too preoccupied with putting people in jail and making them pay money than trying to educate the youth. The government states that marijuana is harmful, hence the reason they illegalized it. However, there are prescriptions in states allowing it, for medical marijuana to be utilized in methods of rehabilitation and pain management. The same plant the government preaches is excessively dangerous is used to help cancer patients eat and obtain nutrients while going through chemotherapy. The plant encourages the patients to gain an appetite, preventing malnourishment in a time when their immune systems are at their weakest. The herb also aids in relieving a lot of the other unpleasant symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, pain, spasms, and headaches. Studies are continuously proving that contrary to the statements made by the government, casual marijuana use can actually be beneficial to one’s health. A study completed at the University of California concluded that even smoking one joint per day for years, did not cause any degradation of the lung tissue itself or the function of the organs overall. The general public is not aware than many of these regular marijuana smokers even had improved lung function. They displayed a higher rate of air flow through the lungs, and their lung capacity overall was much greater. The THC, the main cannabis oil in the herb, also has anti-inflammatory characteristics, even going as far as soothing the lungs. The point to be made is that scientists are publishing conclusive results that marijuana is not harmful to a person’s health, and yet the government is still insisting the opposite, literally wasting billions of dollars a year to punish people for using a beneficial substance.

A large part of the problem is that people believe that the euphoric state entered after smoking marijuana makes a person more vulnerable or reckless. The brain is not affected in a way that will cause misjudgment or irresponsible behavior though. When “high”, the autonomic nervous system is enhanced. Both sides of the brain produce higher rates of activity: the left side of the brain recognizes more in the environment from the sensory organs while the right side receives more of this information through the neurons. In reality, marijuana actually makes people more observant, more interested in their surroundings. Aside from simply noticing more, the plant can have relaxing effects. The properties in marijuana make it rather therapeutic. Psychologists utilized the plant prior to its ban to hold sessions because the patients would be able to cycle through their thoughts more easily. It could still be used today in place of some of the harmfully addictive prescription pills that have a long list of hazardous side effects. Those opposing marijuana often compare it to tranquilizers or depressants, which also relax the body. However, unlike the latter, marijuana is not associated with unconscious, rather the opposite, enhance consciousness. There are far worse substances out there that are legal and being sold to millions. For example, alcohol claims thousands of lives each year, but it is impossible to even overdose from marijuana. The government misinforms the public to keep the plant illegal, but they are wasting so much money and even hurting people by keeping marijuana banned. They allow some of the most dangerous substances, but they illegalize one that has no proven harmful effects. The sad part is that the plant has displayed therapeutic and health benefits; whereas, alcohol and other drugs on the market often cause death.

Most users of marijuana are young, teenagers and adults, who have had it beaten into their heads that all drugs are dangerous. However, there are never actual explanations of any dangers, causing the opposite of the desired effect. Lack of education makes people become more curious and more likely to become involved with the drug. In the case of marijuana, officers simply say that it is terrible, but they provide no evidence to support the matter. Therefore, kids go out and explore the unknown. When they are caught, they have to deal with fines and sometimes even jail. If marijuana were legalized, none of this would be a problem. The government if fueling the drug war when it comes to this plant because officials refuse to be honest about the facts. They are too scared that pharmaceutical companies will face financial losses because of the extensive benefits of marijuana. The government is too worried about money that they are willing to sell dangerous prescription pills to everyone in order to simply maintain a pharmaceutical income. Marijuana accomplishes what many of the prescription drugs achieve without the horrible side effects to go along. Being naturally grown, the plant is a better choice from the start because it is not mass manufactured in a plant.

Legalizing marijuana would be one of the best decisions made by the government for a number of reasons. The money spent of trying to book these “criminals” is wasted, when it could be going to other necessary reforms. Innocent and nonviolent people are thrown into a jail cell next to someone who committed a murder, all because they were utilizing a plant that has virtually no cons. This society needs to be educated, and the government needs to realize that it is making the drug situation worse. Marijuana can help millions of people, but the government is too selfish to do the right thing, even though legalizing marijuana would benefit them as well. The usage of marijuana is not destructive; if anything, it makes a person more productive. The efforts put into trying to keep the ban on the plant are wasted, and it would benefit not only the people, but the government if they finally made the decision to legalize marijuana.

Thu, May. 10, 2012 → 1 note

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