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The Legalization Of Marijuana: Pros and Cons


     The purpose of this paper is to discuss marijuana and compare both
sides of the issue of  legalizing  marijuana. We have two factions fighting
each other ; one those who are pro marijuana and those who are anti
marijuana. These two factions have been fighting on this issue on the halls
of justice for years.
    Pro marijuana legalization groups such as the Physician's Association
for AIDS Care, National Lymphoma Foundation  argue that marijuana should be
legalized in order  to treat terminally ill patients.  Among them are AIDS
victims who find that marijuana stimulates their appetites so they can
fight off dangerous emaciation; glaucoma sufferers who have used marijuana
said it has prevented them from going  blind, and cancer patients for whom
it alleviates the severe nausea that is often accompanies chemotherapy and
sometimes makes lifesaving treatment impossible.
    Due to all these lobbying groups  which  show substantial evidence that
marijuana can be used as a prescribed drug. Also many advocates who are pro
marijuana complain that morphine and cocaine are legal and are very
dangerous drugs, that brings up the question why  not legalize marijuana as
medical drug which is proven to be less dangerous than cocaine and morphine.
 Lobbying groups in a San Diego, California , council committee unanimously
voted to urge president Bill Clinton  and congress to end federal
restrictions against the use of marijuana for " legitiment  medical use."
City council women  Christine kehoe said she wanted the city of  San  Diego
"to go on the record we support the medical use marijuana.; marijuana  can
be a drug of necessity  in the treatment of  AIDS, glaucoma, cancer and
multiple sclerosis. ''
     Many agencies which are anti marijuana such as Drug Enforcement Agency
and police departments  argue that marijuana shouldn't be legalized. These
agencies believe that marijuana shouldn't be legalized because if marijuana
is to become legal then thousands more patients using marijuana. Then
people will raise the question why marijuana illegal at all if its a
medicine.
     The main reason why the Drug Enforcement Agency doesn't want marijuana
to be legal is because their is no hard core evidence that proves that
marijuana is a effective drug as a medicine. In twenty years of research
have produced no reliable scientific proof that marijuana has medical value.
The American Cancer Society , American Glaucoma Society,the National
Multiple Sclerosis, the American Academy of Ophthalmology , or the American
Medical Association , say that their is no evidence that marijuana  is a
medicine.
     The agencies also argues that no other drug  prescribed  is smoked and
that knew findings show that marijuana is acutely harmful to AIDS, Cancer
patients because the active ingredient in marijuana acutely reduces the the
bodies white blood cells which fight off infection. The Drug Enforcement
Agency along with police departments all over the United States  believe,
with the legalization of drugs crime will increase due to a higher increase
of pot users which will eventually become addicts and will still or kill in
order to get their drugs. These are the main points and reasons why the
Drug named marijuana shouldn't be legalized in the United States of America.

     Seeing booth sides of the issue I come to a conclusion that marijuana
should be legalized in order to help people suffering from terminal
diseases such as AIDS,  Cancer and Glaucoma. Prohibition of marijuana over
the past decades hasn't deminshed the demand of the drug in the United
States. The use of marijuana has acutely went up due to the mass attention
given to marijuana by rappers such as Cypress Hill who promote the use of
marijuana as a social drug. But I believe that marijuana is here to stay in
our society and is only going through the stages that alcohol had during
the prohibition era.
     Marijuana will become legal due to the knew administration which is
liberal  and who's leader , president Bill Clinton who had acutely used 
marijuana during the nineteen sixties.  Due to all these factors marijuana
will become more widely accepted by the American people who will pressure
congress to rewrite the laws on the drug marijuana. Now its only a matter
of time before lobbying groups pressure the  legislature to legalize it.
Due to legalization  many states will be able to grow marijuana as a cash
crop, and the United States government will be able to tax marijuana and
make revenue off it. The revenue made from marijuana will be in the
millions which can be used  for drug rehabs and anti drug  programs
targeted at elementary children. Still by seeing both sides of the issue
I'm still one hundred percent pro marijuana because I use it socially and I
believe its less harmful than beer or liquor because with marijuana you
can't overdose.

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                                    ALFONSO A VALDE
                                    POL SCI 150