Argumentative Essay

Argumentative Essay The legalization of marijuana is a current growing issue in British Columbia (BC). Marijuana, which comes from the cannabis sativa (or hemp) plant, has been used for ten thousand years and will continue to be used for a very long time. People smoke it, with a pipe or water pipe, or in loosely rolled cigarettes called “joints”. It is also brewed with tea and mixed with cakes and brownies. Marijuana is so popular with the public that it has developed many aliases, such as weed, ganja, grass, Marry Jane, pot, and over two hundred other names. Some effects from marijuana include dry mouth, dry throat, increased heart rate, impaired coordination and balance, delayed reaction time, and diminished short-term memory. Being in such high demand, marijuana is, by far, the world’s most commonly used illicit drug (American Council for Drug Education, 1999, 1). The use of marijuana is outlawed, even when more harmful drugs like tobacco are legal. The government spends millions of dollars to enforce the control of the use and trafficking of marijuana, but with no results. The government should be making money from the marijuana that is grown on its soil. The legalization of marijuana in British Columbia is crucial. Legalizing marijuana is vital to British Columbia, so that the government can provide an alternative to more harmful, and legal, drugs. Marijuana has not been the cause of any deaths. Statistics released by the U.S. Surgeon general stated that in the U.S. in 2003, tobacco was the cause of four hundred thousand deaths, alcohol was the cause of one hundred thousand deaths, and that marijuana was the cause of no deaths (Bouril, 1997, 9). In British Columbia in 2002, 5761 deaths were attributed to tobacco and 1818 deaths were alcohol-related (BC Cancer Agency, 2002). More deaths were caused by tobacco in 2002 than deaths caused by accidents, alcohol, drugs, and AIDS combined. This data indicates that marijuana is safer than tobacco and