Music: Afroman - Because I Got High
(The song represents society's image of marijuana, while the slides show the reality of it's progress)
Marijuana has been spoken ill of for over a century in America. This “drug” is associated with negativity, and its street names are wide and many: grass, hash, hemp, bud, pot, herb, chronic, dope, weed, mary jane, and cannabis. Even those who are against it cannot deny its popularity; TIME reports that 42% of surveyed American adults reported have tried it. What many don’t understand is that humans have positively interacted with marijuana since the beginning of recorded history. The depth of marijuana’s practical uses, both medicinally and recreationally, is lost in the battle of undeserved rep it’s generated. Despite the legalization of marijuana in Washington and Colorado in November 2012, the government may soon impose federal law and overrule the states’ decisions. I strongly believe that the legalization of marijuana is a groundbreaking stepping stone to positive economic and health benefits, and it’s important that the public learn to debunk its negative image.
Marijuana has always had a significant place in history, first brought to the New World in the 15th century by the Spanish (CannibisNow). There are over 30,000 uses for hemp, and it’s environmentally responsible with biodegradable properties. It’s a durable plant used to produce seed, pulp, and medicine. Historically it’s been used as food, in textiles, and for medical use in 2737 BC by the Chinese for labor pains (CannibisNow). It was a principal crop at Mount Vernon, where George Washington lived, and at Monticello, Jefferson’s plantation. Most famously, humans have used it for paper and fuel. It was once estimated that if hemp were legal, it would replace over 65% of all wood paper products. Conspiracy theorists maintain that it is the heads of the paper industry that support against its decriminalization.
Marijuana is not particularly addictive, and acts as a boundary rather than the harmful, so-called gateway drug many believe it to be. In fact, most marijuana users never use any other illegal drug and most users only smoke infrequently. According to a Federal Institute of Medicine study published in 1999, less than 10% of marijuana users ever meet the clinical criteria for an addict. Tobacco and alcohol, both legal in America, showed 32% and 15% of dependent users. There are numerous cases of death from alcohol poisoning and nicotine overdose. The National Institute of Drug Abuse states that “cigarette smoking kills an estimated 440,000 US citizens each year,” more than alcohol, illegal drug use, homicide, suicide, car accident, and AIDS combined. It can damage almost every organ in the body and cause many forms of cancer, including the common lung cancer. A regular smoker can chain smoke through a pack of cigarettes a day, but a regular cannabis consumer can remain medicated for hours from lighting up only once. Only weed’s illegality makes users more vulnerable to the influence of other, more dangerous drugs. As reported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 64.3% of illegal drug users used only marijuana in the past month. The other 35.7% gain exposure to other drugs through illegal purchases, as an opportunity for the dealer to push their products. According to Brown University, it’s also virtually impossible to overdose from marijuana.
The most controversial use has been marijuana’s medical treatment. It has been proven to effectively treat AIDS, rheumatism, glaucoma, arthritis, and other conditions including cancer. By legalizing it, marijuana will be even safer to consume through federal regulation. Marijuana is commonly used by cancer patients to reduce nausea as a pain reliever, as a sleep aid, an antidepressant, and to create an appetite. Recently, marijuana made headlines when a team of Spanish scientists proved that THC significantly reduced tumor cell proliferation in brain-cancer patients. Harvard University scientists reported that THC slows lung tumor growth and prevents it from spreading. Like a “heat seeking missile, THC selectively targets and destroys tumor cells while leaving healthy cells unscathed” (Daily Beast).
Marijuana has not clinically been proven to increase the risk of cancer, but positive results continue to show. Several studies have proven that long term smoking with weed will not lead to any elevated cancers of lung, breast, or prostate. It was actually shown to have reduced the risk of head and neck cancer in a 2009 population based case control study (Reuters). While short term memory is clearly affected by marijuana, people under the influence have no trouble when sober; the impairment lasts as long as the intoxication. No scientific evidence exists that long term users negatively suffer from loss of long term memory or other cognitive functions. CNN recently released a field report on the effects of marijuana on driving, motor performance, and perception. Unlike alcohol, which tends to drastically increase dangerous driving practices, drivers are often more cautious. Most of the problems were related to slow driving or frequent hesitation. Volunteers in the field report tested “escalating levels of stupor against the new baseline legal limits in Colorado and Washington.” (CNN) The finding was startling: users had to go five times over the legal limit before their driving became impaired.
Legal marijuana is estimated by Easton, an economist, to be a $45–100 billion dollar industry (Huffington Post) that can economically benefit our society. TIME reports that weed growers account for $14 billion in sales a year, making marijuana California’s most valuable cash crop. This is all untaxed profits for the illegal producers and “pushers.” Marijuana prohibition costs taxpayers $41.8 billion dollars a year. The government should be using potential tax money to lower our debt crisis or to support ailing public school districts. Through permits, Mendocino County raised $500,000 in 2011 for the Sheriff’s department. Oakland raised $1.3 million in tax revenue (Huffington Post). As of July 2011, there were more medical dispensaries in Denver than Starbucks franchises. Legalization will open up the door to a wide variety of other economic benefits such as farming, transportation, clinics, and vendors. There is so much unrealized revenue going to waste at the hands of illegal drug dealers.
Illegal marijuana is a $36 billion a year industry where the penalty for possession is abnormally high. According to the FBI, police prosecuted 858,408 persons for marijuana violations in 2009 alone. Marijuana arrest account for more than half of all domestic drug arrests, and marijuana inmates cost prisons $1 billion a year (Alternet). There are already overflow problems in our nation’s cells, and tax dollars should be used arresting and punishing criminals who have committed a more serious breach of law. More legal vendors would lead to a lower crime rate. According to some studies, the crime rate within a certain radius decreased after a legal vendor opened up shop. In the areas where vendors closed down, the crime rate went up.
Marijuana has been around for a very long time, and it’s not going anywhere. It has helped humanity in the medicine world and continues to break new barriers every day, such as reducing the risk of cancer. Although many still impose the idea of its legalization, they cannot deny the fact that it can benefit us therapeutically and financially. Colorado and Washington has taken the first step towards its recreational use, but it’s still up to us to help the rest of society realize that marijuana has always had a place in our world.
Works Cited
Bradford, Harry. "4/20: 16 Ways Marijuana Affects The Economy." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 19 Apr. 2012. Web. 05 Mar. 2013.
"Could Smoking Pot Cut Risk of Head, Neck Cancer?" N.p., n.d. Web.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/08/25/us-smoking-pot-idUSTRE57O5DC20090825
"DrugFacts: Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products." Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2013.
"History of Marijuana in America: The Early Years." Cannabis Now Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2013.
“Institute of Medicine Report on Medical Marijuana Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary Next Week.” NORML Working to Reform Mariijuana Laws. 12 March 2009.http://norml.org/news/2009/03/12/institute-of-medicine-report-on-medical-marijuana-celebrates-10-year-anniversary-next-week
KVOA.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2013. “VIDEO: KIRO-TV report tests driving skills while stoned” http://www.kvoa.com/news/video-kiro-tv-report-tests-driving-skills-while-stoned/
Lee, Martin A. "Marijuana Fights Cancer and Helps Manage Side Effects, Researchers Find." The Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, 06 Sept. 2012. Web. 05 Mar. 2013.
Lynch, Sarah N. “An American Pastime: Smoking Pot.” Time Health & Family. 11, July 2008. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1821697,00.html
"Marijuana Legalization: Driving High Tested By CNN, Found to Be Safer Than You'd Think." PolicyMic. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2013.
"Marijuana." Welcome. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2013.
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