It would seem like a robust few are still having issues with discovering the substantial difference between Fact and Myth, with regards to the blatant effects of using marijuana. Arguments have been presented to prove that legalizing marijuana would in fact benefit society, or at least appeal to a hedonistic, self-centered genre of people, who completely disregard the inherent worth of a human being. The veil of secrecy and deception will now fall off, leaving the inconvenient truth to the viewing pleasure of all that truly want to see reality at its finest.
It is has been cited, by stalwart supporters of the substance, that marijuana is the third most commonly used drug. Tobacco and Alcohol are the top two used in the world, and each claims the lives of thousands of people each year, while “not one person has died from the use of Marijuana alone.” It is crucial to note the key word used in the previous sentence: alone. Of course, it can be advocated that marijuana by itself has not killed anyone, but this statement deliberately fails to address the harmful effects that marijuana has to offer to the human body; dying is not necessarily the worst thing that can happen to a person, as you will soon find out by reading more. According to the US Drug Enforcement Agency Administration or (DEA):
“Marijuana use can lead to dependence and abuse. Marijuana was the second most common illicit drug responsible for drug treatment admissions in 2002-outdistancing crack cocaine, the next most prevalent cause. Shocking to many is that more teens are in treatment each year for marijuana dependence than for alcohol and all other illegal drugs combined. This is a trend that has been increasing for more than a decade: in 2002, 64 percent of adolescent treatment admissions reported marijuana as their primary substance of abuse, compared to 23 percent in 1992.” “Smoking marijuana can cause significant health problems. Marijuana contains more than 400 chemicals, of which 60 are cannabinoids. Smoking a marijuana cigarette deposits about three to five times more tar into the lungs than one filtered tobacco cigarette. Consequently, regular marijuana smokers suffer from many of the same health problems as tobacco smokers, such as chronic coughing and wheezing, chest colds, and chronic bronchitis. In fact, studies show that smoking three to four joints per day causes at least as much harm to the respiratory system as smoking a full pack of cigarettes every day. Marijuana smoke also contains 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke and produces high levels of an enzyme that converts certain hydrocarbons into malignant cells.” “The extent of the problem of marijuana-impaired driving is startling. One in six (or 600,000) high school students drive under the influence of marijuana, almost as many as drive under the influence of alcohol, according to estimates released in September 2003 by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). A study of motorists pulled over for reckless driving showed that, among those who were not impaired by alcohol, 45 percent tested positive for marijuana.”
Also, the relationship between this drug and the usage of other deadlier ones has not been rightfully made. Scientific findings prove that it is rare to find abusers of other deadlier drugs, who did not first begin with marijuana. But let’s use logic here, if we legalize it now, where does the desire for decriminalizing widely-used drugs end? Are we to say that given the known side effects of this disdainful drug, we are going to allow people, who have never tried it before or established a habitual use due to fear of the law, to go on to harm their bodies and lives?
Yes, those who reject the legalizing marijuana are quite aware that not everyone who uses it will have a chaotic life. But that is like saying the abuse of alcohol isn’t a grave blunder simply because some know how to use it in moderation. This is a tenuous argument that fails to withstand counter claims of how destructive it can be to so many. If people want to say that many use it and few suffer because of it, so be it. But it should be the objective of any legitimate society to eradicate that which plaques an ”unlucky few.”
There is no option or choice in the matter during these perilous times. Mainstream society must develop awareness now to effectively eradicate the looming threat of all deadly substances. It is imperative that they wake up and smell the putrid scent of burning grass seducing an ignorant generation of people, confined by shackles of deceit to a four wall room with no escape in sight. The epidemic must end now or face the dire consequences we shall.
Edelman’s Account of the Boiling Frog Syndrome
“If you throw a frog into a pot of boiling water, he’ll jump out. But if you place a frog into a pot of lukewarm water and slowly turn up the heat, it will boil to death.”
