Marijuana

    Marijuana is a drug that comes from the plant cannabis sativa. Marijuana is a drug that reduces the amount of reaction time thus prohibiting the use of driving a vehicle or operating machinery. Marijuana is linked to causing lungs problems, bronchitis, and cardiovascular diseases. Research has indicated that marijuana is a gateway drug which means that people that already use marijuana could take harder drugs. Therefore if marijuana is legalized because of the easier access to the drug new users of marijuana would occur. Some scientists say that legalizing marijuana would lead to more crime since most people involved in the drug trade are involved in other crimes.
   There is a benefit to legalizing marijuana however, which is using it for medical purposes. Research says that marijuana is safe and effective to use in the medical use of cancer, aids, sclerosis, pain, glaucoma, and epilepsy. Since 1972, 16 of the 50 states have legalized the medical use of marijuana. US Senator Bill Frist stated “Although I understand many believe marijuana is the most effective drug in combating their medical ailments, I would caution against this assumption due to the lack of consistent, repeatable scientific data available to prove marijuana's medical benefits. Based on current evidence, I believe that marijuana is a dangerous drug. There are less dangerous medicines offering the same relief from pain and other medical symptoms" end quote. Therefore after reading the current research I do not support marijuana to be legalized for recreational or medical purposes.