Myths About Marijuana
Remington Essary
2B 04/23/13
Rough Draft
Myths about Marijuana: One of the more common myths about marijuana or “Weed” is that it is a major “Gateway drug”. In fact most marijuana users never go on to use any other drugs, and a large majority of those who do try another drug such as cocaine or heroin never become addicted to the substance. Marijuana is the most popular illegal drug in the United States today, meaning that a larger percentage of illegal drug user’s use Weed instead of a more hardcore substance such as Cocaine or Ecstasy.
Marijuana can cause mental illness: Some of the effects of ingesting Marijuana may include feelings of panic or anxiety. Experiences like these can be a bit scary, but they are only temporary. That being said, Marijuana can correlate with certain psychiatric illnesses for many reasons. For example, “People often turn to the alleviating effects of marijuana to treat symptoms of distress. One study demonstrated that psychotic symptoms predict later use of marijuana, …show more content…
Legalizing the misunderstood substance could boost our economy in various ways; the United States would save approximately one billion dollars annually from each U.S. prison by not incarcerating individuals with marijuana related charges. In California, marijuana growers account for $14 billion a year in sales, making it the states most valuable “Cash Crop. The Huffington Post reports that “More than 300 economists, including three Nobel laureates, have signed a petition calling attention to the findings of a paper by Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron, which suggests that if the government legalized marijuana it would save $7.7 billion annually by not having to enforce the current prohibition on the drug. The report added that legalization would save an additional $6 billion per year if the government taxed marijuana at rates similar to alcohol and
2B 04/23/13
Rough Draft
Myths about Marijuana: One of the more common myths about marijuana or “Weed” is that it is a major “Gateway drug”. In fact most marijuana users never go on to use any other drugs, and a large majority of those who do try another drug such as cocaine or heroin never become addicted to the substance. Marijuana is the most popular illegal drug in the United States today, meaning that a larger percentage of illegal drug user’s use Weed instead of a more hardcore substance such as Cocaine or Ecstasy.
Marijuana can cause mental illness: Some of the effects of ingesting Marijuana may include feelings of panic or anxiety. Experiences like these can be a bit scary, but they are only temporary. That being said, Marijuana can correlate with certain psychiatric illnesses for many reasons. For example, “People often turn to the alleviating effects of marijuana to treat symptoms of distress. One study demonstrated that psychotic symptoms predict later use of marijuana, …show more content…
Legalizing the misunderstood substance could boost our economy in various ways; the United States would save approximately one billion dollars annually from each U.S. prison by not incarcerating individuals with marijuana related charges. In California, marijuana growers account for $14 billion a year in sales, making it the states most valuable “Cash Crop. The Huffington Post reports that “More than 300 economists, including three Nobel laureates, have signed a petition calling attention to the findings of a paper by Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron, which suggests that if the government legalized marijuana it would save $7.7 billion annually by not having to enforce the current prohibition on the drug. The report added that legalization would save an additional $6 billion per year if the government taxed marijuana at rates similar to alcohol and