Legalizing Marijuana
Katelyn McElroy
October 28, 2014
AFL 085
Z. Richburg
Debating Essay
Legalizing Marijuana One of the biggest controversies in America today is the legalization of medical marijuana. I read a blog called “Legally Blind: Why I’m Against Legalizing Marijuana” by Dr. Howard Samuels. In Dr. Howard’s blog he stated that he is completely against the legalization of marijuana, however I am not. Though he has valid points I must disagree with majority of the things he states in his article. I believe that legalizing medical marijuana will do more good than it would harm. Dr. Howard starts off by stating that the psychoactive drug produces crippled adults, and that we are teaching future generations to suppress their emotions by smoking marijuana versus teaching them to process their emotions on their own which I believe is not necessarily true. Dr. Howard states that he treats patients with addiction and that our generation of adults wonder why they have tremendous anxiety and cannot relate to other people when they are not high. I will assume that Dr. Howard is talking about being high from Marijuana and so I would have to say that this should not be a factor in the legalization of medical marijuana for the sole reason that any person can go to the doctor for anxiety and get prescribed pills to take the edge off. Doesn’t that mean we are teaching our generation to depend on prescription pills to suppress our emotions? I’m not saying that it is the wrong to do but it contradicts Dr. Howard’s perspective of the anxiety people have when they are not high. Not only that but any person who is high off of pills, alcohol, marijuana, coke, heroin, meth, whatever drug it may be, they are going to relate and interact with people differently than when they are sober. Dr. Howard also states in his article that he is “against the legalization of marijuana but not against decriminalizing marijuana,” that sounds a bit contradicting to me. He states that decriminalizing a drug means
October 28, 2014
AFL 085
Z. Richburg
Debating Essay
Legalizing Marijuana One of the biggest controversies in America today is the legalization of medical marijuana. I read a blog called “Legally Blind: Why I’m Against Legalizing Marijuana” by Dr. Howard Samuels. In Dr. Howard’s blog he stated that he is completely against the legalization of marijuana, however I am not. Though he has valid points I must disagree with majority of the things he states in his article. I believe that legalizing medical marijuana will do more good than it would harm. Dr. Howard starts off by stating that the psychoactive drug produces crippled adults, and that we are teaching future generations to suppress their emotions by smoking marijuana versus teaching them to process their emotions on their own which I believe is not necessarily true. Dr. Howard states that he treats patients with addiction and that our generation of adults wonder why they have tremendous anxiety and cannot relate to other people when they are not high. I will assume that Dr. Howard is talking about being high from Marijuana and so I would have to say that this should not be a factor in the legalization of medical marijuana for the sole reason that any person can go to the doctor for anxiety and get prescribed pills to take the edge off. Doesn’t that mean we are teaching our generation to depend on prescription pills to suppress our emotions? I’m not saying that it is the wrong to do but it contradicts Dr. Howard’s perspective of the anxiety people have when they are not high. Not only that but any person who is high off of pills, alcohol, marijuana, coke, heroin, meth, whatever drug it may be, they are going to relate and interact with people differently than when they are sober. Dr. Howard also states in his article that he is “against the legalization of marijuana but not against decriminalizing marijuana,” that sounds a bit contradicting to me. He states that decriminalizing a drug means