Marijuana vs. Alcohol

Marijuana vs. Alcohol Everyone that lives in California knows that there is a drug war going on in our state. In America today, marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug. On the news or newspapers you see stories being done on the raided medicinal marijuana clinics. Even though pot is legal to the state, the FDA doesn’t approve of it, and will tear down any major clinics they find. I feel as though this is unfair. There are multiple people with green cards, and need marijuana for illnesses such as, glaucoma, depression, anorexia, and cancer; and they’re getting it taken away, and a lot of the reason they need it, is because their original prescribed medicine is costing them too much, and they need a cheaper alternative. I personally still don’t know why we are still having a war against this. There is no reported case of dying from over dose of pot. It concerns me that any person can sit on their couch and take a simple bottle or vodka, gin, or Jack Daniels and die within the hour, especially when they’re driving or operating machinery. When one is drunk, they lose control of their body and mind; when one is high, they sit on the couch and eat Cheetos and fall asleep afterwards. What harm is there in that? Like any substance marijuana can be abused, but it is nearly impossible to overdose on. I don’t mean nearly impossible as a challenge, in the article “Marijuana” from drugfactsweek.drugabuse.gov, it states “If you mean can they overdose and die from marijuana--the answer is no, it’s not very likely.” The most common problem associated with marijuana abuse is sluggish behavior, but does not cause serious health issues. Overuse of alcohol will result in an inability to walk, stand, dehydration, blurry vision, profuse vomiting, impaired judgment, and even death, whereas an “overdose” of marijuana will simply put a person to sleep. According to an article from, edgarsnyder.com/drunkdriving “3 in 10 teenagers will be in involved in an alcohol related accident at some point in their life. 32% of fatal car accidents in 2009 were caused by alcohol induced drivers”.
Alcohol affects an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, which basically means it decreases the electrical activity in the brain. 17.6 million American adults, or 8.5% of Americas population either show signs of being an alcoholic, been charged with a DUI, or simply claim to be alcoholics. Alcoholism is caused because when one who has been drinking heavily for long amounts of time, the brain’s not used to moving so quickly. The neurotransmitters have gotten used to running slow, and can’t function properly, and can cause severe brain damage. When one ingests marijuana, whether they smoke it or eat it, THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) goes into the blood stream and gets sent to cannabinoid receptors in our brain. On a regular basis, this receptor picks up other chemicals like THC such as anandamide, which is released when someone has been up for too long, and needs sleep, so we already have a natural device in our brain to process marijuana and the affects it will have. Marijuana has shown cases of addiction, but only about 2% of the population who smoke marijuana have confessed to being addicted, but there is no chemical adhering to the addiction, they just can’t stop. Not only is marijuana a safe drug with medical benefits but it could rapidly stimulate our failing economy. At its current rate of production legal marijuana generates 35.8 billion dollars per year, but is not being taxed. Profits from marijuana exceed that of corn and wheat combined, and that’s just the legal borders. Revenue from illegal domestic marijuana is speculated at around 60 billion dollars a year. That’s a total of 95.8 billion dollars each year excluding imports. To think, if we legalized marijuana, a lot of drug lords would go out of business, so in turn, more money and less crime. Marijuana is considered by abundant amounts of economists to already be our nation’s number one cash crop. It’s already the number 1 cash crop in 12 states including California, Alaska, and Hawaii. In Washington marijuana is second only to apples. In 30 other states pot is among the top three on the list of cash crops. As Thomas Jefferson said, “Hemp is of first necessity to the wealth and protection of the country”. George Washington himself predicted that hemp would be our most valuable product. Economists estimate that if marijuana were legalized annual tax returns would be 6.2 billion dollars. That’s over 6 billion dollars in the hands of the federal government rather than in the hands of so called drug criminals. It also ends up saving more money because the FDA wouldn’t have to spend so much time trying to bust people that are doing this current crime. This money could be spent on opposing the flow of hard, more indirect drugs onto our streets.
Another reason that I believe that it should be legal is because it gives people a major appetite. People who are bulimic, anorexic, or have HIV/AIDS would have the ability to eat without having to throw up, or have to watch what they eat. It is used to treat cancer patients that experience nausea and vomiting, and helps AIDS victims to eat and maintain a healthier weight. Marijuana is also thought to help those that suffer from migraine headaches. The idea of legalizing marijuana for medical purposes has its pros and cons as do all controversial issues. I interviewed a cancer patient, and for privacy reasons I won’t reveal their name but when asked about the effects of marijuana the interviewee said, “I would not have lived if I didn’t smoke lots of marijuana”. Isn’t it interesting that cancer, one of the world’s deadliest, incurable diseases, is treated with marijuana? Marijuana is also used for treating multiple sclerosis and several mood disorders. After smoking small amounts of marijuana patients are said to be relaxed and stress free. Unlike alcohol which is a depressant, and on the contrary, pot can be used to treat low level depression.
Marijuana should not be illegal; it has many more benefits than drawbacks. In comparison to something that is legal for those over the age of 21, there should be no question about legalizing it. Marijuana doesn’t have the death rate that alcohol does, and it helps save lives. America should really take in to consideration that people don’t smoke pot just for recreational use, it is used as a medicine for those who can’t afford other drugs, or just simply don’t like taking 10-15 pills a day.