ENG101 The Blunt Truth Essay Uploaded
Professor Marion Hickman
English 102
11 October 2014
The Blunt Truth
Though marijuana is categorized as an illegal street drug and continually collects negativity from the media, there are endless benefits connected to the use of medical marijuana. Individuals who are open-minded to the potential of the herb argue that for medicinal purposes, marijuana should be legalized. How can legalizing medical marijuana nationally benefit or hurt the populace? Even though the resistance to legalize marijuana is present due to the fallacy of the natural herb, it should be legalized because it will positively help the economy and also has countless health benefits.
Many people who oppose medical marijuana are persuaded by the propaganda due to their misunderstanding and misconception of medical marijuana. One debatable topic is that medical marijuana is considered a gateway drug. A gateway drug is best defined as a habit-forming drug that is not addictive, but its use may lead to the use of other addictive drugs. The Eagle Forum stated, “Since THC is continually in the body, the 'high' from pot gradually diminishes, and so pot smokers usually take other drugs to get a kick” (“Is Marijuana”). Although is it possible to build a tolerance to marijuana, it is highly unlikely for the user to move to other more addictive drugs such as cocaine and heroine. Lynn Zimmer, PhD argues the correlation between medical marijuana and other drugs by stating, “In the end, the gateway theory is not a theory at all. It is a description of the typical sequence in which multiple-drug users initiate the use of high-prevalence and low-prevalence drugs” (“Is Marijuana”).
Another controversial topic with medical marijuana is the potential addictiveness it possesses to its users. According to ProCon, symptoms of withdrawal from marijuana have been identified including symptoms of depression, anxiety and appetite loss that were based on 60 percent of the study participants. On the contrary, a recent
English 102
11 October 2014
The Blunt Truth
Though marijuana is categorized as an illegal street drug and continually collects negativity from the media, there are endless benefits connected to the use of medical marijuana. Individuals who are open-minded to the potential of the herb argue that for medicinal purposes, marijuana should be legalized. How can legalizing medical marijuana nationally benefit or hurt the populace? Even though the resistance to legalize marijuana is present due to the fallacy of the natural herb, it should be legalized because it will positively help the economy and also has countless health benefits.
Many people who oppose medical marijuana are persuaded by the propaganda due to their misunderstanding and misconception of medical marijuana. One debatable topic is that medical marijuana is considered a gateway drug. A gateway drug is best defined as a habit-forming drug that is not addictive, but its use may lead to the use of other addictive drugs. The Eagle Forum stated, “Since THC is continually in the body, the 'high' from pot gradually diminishes, and so pot smokers usually take other drugs to get a kick” (“Is Marijuana”). Although is it possible to build a tolerance to marijuana, it is highly unlikely for the user to move to other more addictive drugs such as cocaine and heroine. Lynn Zimmer, PhD argues the correlation between medical marijuana and other drugs by stating, “In the end, the gateway theory is not a theory at all. It is a description of the typical sequence in which multiple-drug users initiate the use of high-prevalence and low-prevalence drugs” (“Is Marijuana”).
Another controversial topic with medical marijuana is the potential addictiveness it possesses to its users. According to ProCon, symptoms of withdrawal from marijuana have been identified including symptoms of depression, anxiety and appetite loss that were based on 60 percent of the study participants. On the contrary, a recent