Persuasive Essay About Smoking Weed

We’ve all met the stereotypical “druggie” at some point in our lives, whether it be the shady guy who sits by himself in all black clothing or the pothead who brings his “special” brownies to the school bake sale. But is this image equivalent to the real people who smoke marijuana? Could this category also include people you may not have even suspected? It might also be your neighbor, who you grew up with. The kid in fifth period who invited you to his birthday party once upon a time. It might be the cheerleader sitting next to you, the kid sitting in the front, attempting to frantically scribble down his notes before the teacher changed the slides, or even the teacher himself. Could all these people smoke weed?
The short answer is yes. Any
Marijuana was first introduced to the general populous in the 1960’s, along with an attitude of rebellion. It became “a symbol of youthful rejection of authority and identification with a new era of personal freedom” (Hart, 2015, page 355). Unlike most other illicit drugs, use of this substance has nothing to do with education. In fact, forty-four percent of users are in college or graduate school (Addiction Blog, 2017). This may be because the general population sees the drug as relatively harmless, which, according to our book, is possible. We don’t have much on the harmful properties of the drug, as it takes many years to collect such data, but according to studies, there are no withdrawal symptoms linked to marijuana, and the worst behavioral symptoms include negative moods and aggression (Hart, 2015, page 364). There also might be a link to lung damage, however. Compared to cigarettes, the only major difference between the two is the absence of nicotine in marijuana and the absence of tetrahydrocannabinol in cigarettes (Hart, 2015, page 364). Some even believe marijuana smoking to lead to repercussions similar to those that follow cigarette smoking, such as lung cancer, but as of yet there has been no solid evidence to support this theory (Hart, 2015, page
As of right now, marijuana is not exactly legal. Certain states have legalized the medical and/or recreational use of it, and some still refuse to do so. The first “war on drugs” came in 1971 during Nixon’s presidency, after it’s major burst of popularity in the 60’s, and has continued throughout the following ages (Reuter, 2013, page 87). Ronald Reagan’s presidency brought a newfound interest to marijuana, although he didn’t really focus on it. Very quickly, the average time for drug related offenses tripled within twelve years, with the population of those jailed increasing tremendously (Reuter, 2013, page 83). After this, the use of marijuana shot down quite a bit in the 1980’s through the 90’s, and has pretty much been rising in popularity ever since (Reuter, 2013, page 88). Whether you’re a heavy weed user or against the use of marijuana at all, it must be admitted that this particular drug is part of our culture. With little evidence for long term effects on the body, I find I don’t really care either way- legalization or probation. In conclusion, I believe that others can do to their body whatever they want to; with little to no connection between marijuana and crime, it doesn’t seem to make any negative changes to our