The legalization of Marijuana is a very controversial topic that is currently trending in the United States. In 1998 the first legalization of any kind of cannabis occurred in Oregon for medical purposes. From then to now an additional 23 states made some sort of marijuana legal, including 4 states allowing recreational use. But it should be legal everywhere in the U.S. without question. For a long time cannabis has been perceived as a very addictive, harmful drug, while this is not only untrue, marijuana has many effects that can change a person's life for the better. It is no question that there are many great health contributions made from this drug, this is easily proven by the 23 states allowing its use. My question to you is, if an easily abused drug such as Xanax is legal and able to be easily obtained then, why would cannabis not be allowed? There are over 700 diseases that marijuana helps treat, including Multiple Sclerosis and children with Epilepsy. These conditions not only cause a person suffer, but also lead to an early death. Being capable of easing one's pain should not only be allowed but also available. A very common rebuttal to legalizing cannabis is that it kills brain cells, while this is true, I strongly believe that determining if it is allowed in this country should not be based off of that fact. It is known that alcohol and tobacco do much harm to one's body but can be bought at the nearest gas station. If our country was worried about our health many things would not be easily accessible. It is evident, the pros outweigh the cons and cannabis should be legal in the United States.
In Madison Bush Couch's recent blog post Legalize Cannabis, she makes the point that the benefits of marijuana outweigh its negative effects, and I completely agree-- marijuana has performed wonders in the world of medicine.
ReplyDeleteBack in the early 1900s, marijuana was first outlawed by the United States, even though cannabis was already widely used. Fear of Mexican immigrants, who called this substance "marihuana," was the primary cause of the marijuana ban in the western part of the country and fear of African Americans using cannabis to "take advantage" of white women was the primary cause in eastern states. Basically, outlawing marijuana was a form of outlawing non-whites.
Obviously, there are negative side effects of marijuana use, which are the reasons for its continued prohibition. However, the author makes the compelling point that alcohol and tobacco are harmful yet legal substances. Interestingly enough, alcohol was prohibited at one time in American history but after 13 years was deemed legal. Although alcohol consumption fell at the beginning of Prohibition, it increased to about 60 to 70 percent higher than pre-prohibition levels, and we could be seeing a similar pattern with marijuana.
With certain regulations, marijuana should legalized nationally so we can learn more about its positive effects in medicine.
“Legalize Cannabis", an article written by Madison Bush Couch, gives us reasons why marijuana should be legal in the United States. I want to start out by clarifying that I do believe that marijuana should be legal for recreational use in the U.S. I agree with her overall rhetoric. Especially the point made about tobacco and alcohol being both legal and easily attainable, even though they have been proven time and time again to be more harmful than marijuana. I only have a couple of minor issues with her article. The first issue is with Couch’s argument is her claim that marijuana kills brain cells. Numerous studies have proven over the years that this is nothing more than a myth. It’s a harmful myth, that while disproven, is still widely used by anti-legalization supporters. Another issue I have with Couch’s argument is that she doesn’t cite/link any of her sources that she used. While it is true that there are studies that potentially link CBD (cannibidiol, a compound found in marijuana) to improvement of epilepsy, and that medical marijuana has been used to treat side effects of other diseases. But without citing a source, I find it hard to believe that cannabis treats “700 diseases.” This information may be completely valid, but it’s hard to believe facts presented in an argument without any type of citation. Overall, I agree 100% with Couch’s pro legalization standpoint and her broader points.
ReplyDeleteOn June 23, 2016 Madison Bush Couch wrote a blog about Legalizing Marijuana. In her argument, she explained that marijuana is proven to have many health benefits which is why more and more states are legalizing marijuana for medical purposes/recreational use. For example, the author states that the first legalization of any kind of cannabis was in 1998. Today, Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington allow recreational use of marijuana and 24 states all together have legalized cannabis use for medical purposes.
ReplyDeleteThe author also made her argument successful by comparing marijuana to legal drugs. Legal, but dangerous drugs such as, Alcohol can reduces a person's ability to think rationally and can also distort an individual’s judgement. Furthering the author’s argument, statistics show around 9,000 to more than 10,000 people in America die every year from drunk driving yet there are no proven statistics about driving high off marijuana. It is said that marijuana is harmful to an individual’s health and safety, but there are no proven examples of what it affects and how. The author questions, “...if an easily abused drug such as, Xanax is legal…why would cannabis not be allowed?”
Furthermore, Madison Bush Couch’s article brings many points to the table as to why cannabis should be legal throughout every state. It is successful because it makes the reader question whether a drug proven to help over 700 diseases should be shammed to legalize. I certainly agree with the authors blog and believe every American citizen should open there minds and truly think about this controversial topic.
On June 20, 2016, Madison Bush Couch wrote a blog on an article called "Legalizing Marijuana". Madison is for the leagalization of marijuana because it doesn't do much harm to our body; therefore, it shouldn't be looked at negatively. She explains how there are many health benefits when marijuana is used as medicine. She also accepts the fact that marijuana can kill brain cells; however, she rebuttals this statement by mentioning the negative effects of alcohol and cigarettes. Thus, I believe she made a good argument when talking about this issue.
ReplyDeleteI'm very neutral with legalizing marijuana because it can help people when used as a medicine, but it can have negative effect on people who overuse this material. Most young people use marijuana in order to enjoy the "high" of it. Then, they defend themselves by mentioning how it helps people. I know this may comparison may be too extreme, but marijuana can be compared with hydrocodone. Hydrocodone is a painkiller that is used in medicine to relive pain. Some people overuse this to get high off of it and this is when the negative effect comes in play. This is the same idea with marijuana. Thus, I believe marijuana can be legalized with some regulation in order to prevent peole from taking advantage over it.
In Madison Bush Couch's blog post Legalize Cannabis, there were many valid, if not strong, arguments on why cannabis should be legalized. I feel one of the main issues that states' have with legalizing Marijuana has a lot to do with the economy, along with racial and partisan divisions within the state. The fact is, almost half of the United States has already made some sort of progression towards legalizing Marijuana to an extent, whether that follows decriminalizing possession or allowing medicinal/recreational use. Couch focuses the importance of Cannabis being used as a medicinal drug by arguing about its wide spectrum of diseases and pain that can be treated, without the concern of addiction that is usually a problem with prescription drugs. This was a major point made by Couch that I can fully agree with, the danger of prescription drugs and the importance of having awareness about them, her specific example being Xanax. I surprisingly know a lot of people that are prescribed Xanax, yet I feel like Xanax could be easily replaced with Marijuana due to it's similar side effects, the only difference being that Marijuana has been known to cause paranoia in some cases. Either way, the drugs that are legal in this country do as much, if not more, damage than what Cannabis has the ability to do. I believe everything can be dangerous if and when it's mixed with other drugs or alcohol, so that is not a strong argument against the legalization of Marijuana. Overall, I felt persuaded and in agreement with a lot of what Couch said in her post. It was informative, argumentative, and brought up valid points about the holes in our country's health system and the holes in the arguments against Cannabis.
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