Nadav Lipkin
English Composition I
4/20/11
“Legalize It” Marijuana should be legalized by the American government, not just for medical use, but for every use that it has to offer. The pros of marijuana far outweigh any cons. It can be utilized in health care for those who are in need, save the country billions of dollars that currently is being spent on fighting against it, give the economy a large boost with all the possible gains in revenue, and make a positive impact on the environment. When marijuana is ingested, it is absorbed into the blood stream and the effects can happen very quickly. Marijuana can be eaten or smoked. When it is smoked, the effects are almost instant and as time passes, they grow stronger until eventually fading away. The high will last from a few minutes to even a few hours depending on the strength and quality of the marijuana. When it is eaten, the effects take longer to begin, but the actual high is much stronger and will last a substantial amount of time longer than when smoked. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the main component in the cannabis plant, which provides the psychoactive effect given when ingested. When marijuana is smoked, most of the THC is burned away and wasted and only a small percentage remains able to be used. The remaining amount is taken in by our lungs and then distributed into the blood stream and throughout the body. When marijuana is properly cooked down in to an eatable form and ingested, more THC gets in to the system so the high is longer and stronger. Another benefit of ingesting marijuana is that the user avoids potentially harmful chemicals and damage to the lungs caused by smoking it.
Marijuana has been proven to have many medical benefits. One of the main effects of marijuana is an increase in appetite. This can be useful for anyone with a disease or condition that inhibits the appetite. When one uses marijuana, one of the first and most noticeable effects is relaxation. When
Cited: Boyd, Ray. “Legal Weed: A Pot of Gold.” Cannabisculture.com. October 25, 2005. Web. April 8, 2011 Drake, William. Cultivator’s Handbook of Marijuana. Berkley CA: Ronin Publishing, 1993. Print ecomall.com/biz/hemp.htm Klein, Joe. “Why Legalizing Marijuana Makes Sense.” Time.com. April 2, 2009. Web. April 8, 2011 LaMarco, Nicky. “Introduction to Medical Marijuana.” Brighthub.com. Lisa Lambson. May 1, 2009. Web. April 8, 2011 Louie M.D., Wason; Wippler M.D., Ryan. “Marijuana: Its Role in the Medical Arena.” Altmed.creighton.edu/marijuana/.February 2005. Web. April 8, 2011 Marijuana Policy Project. Mpp.org Mason, Jim; Singer, Pete. “Wal-Mart: Everyday Low Prices-At What Cost?” The Little, Brown Reader. Eds. Marcia Stubbs, Sylvan Barnet, and William E. Cain 11th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. 587-591. Print Miron, Jeffery A. “The Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition.” Prohibitioncosts.org/mironreport.html. June 2005. Web. April 20, 2011