The reasons for not legalizing marijuana outweigh those to legalize this drug. Marijuana is a drug. Marijuana can cause death. Driving while impaired from smoking marijuana causes accidents. Driving while high is just as dangerous as driving drunk. Your judgement is impaired, your reaction time is slowed, and your ability to concentrate on the task at hand is hindered to the point of being dangerous.
I also disagree that marijuana is not a gateway drug. Yes someone that smokes pot has that choice, but once you stop getting the same high from marijuana that you got when you first started smoking it, you go looking for a better buzz. By this fact alone, many marijuana users are also addicted to other drugs. A member of my family started with alcohol and marijuana. She is now using cocaine. You can't tell me that marijuana is not a gateway drug. It just ain't so.
The medical benefits of marijuana are not proven fact. Yes, it has been shown that marijuana combats nausea from certain treatments for AIDS and cancer. Unfortunately, there are no studies that show marijuana having a positive affect on curing, or preventing disease in your body.
Marijuana should stay illegal, it causes more harm than good and is only another crutch for people to lean on.
Cory Lynch
Alumni
Criminal Justice
