Marijuana and The Fight for Legalization: A Non-Smoker’s Point of View
About a week ago, I read in the Globe and Mail about the legalization of marijuana and how it may be more harmful than people think.
As a non-smoker, I never plan to smoke anything but I know many people who do. A while ago I wrote about my thoughts on marijuana and how it should be legalized but now I need to point out a few things. The article said that marijuana is more harmful than people think and that people notify it as a “harmless drug,” well it’s not. Though marijuana is not as dangerous as ecstasy or cocaine, it is in no way “harmless.”
Recently Washington and Colorado have proceeded to legalize weed along with British Columbia following soon after. The Globe then interviewed some doctors who told the newspaper that marijuana is harmful. For example, it can increase risk of heart disease, depression, and psychosis. The article also indicated that marijuana is much worse for teens because their brains are still developing. Your brain comes to its full form at around 25 years of age, maybe a bit earlier but not a bit later. With this written, it could easily be deduced that teens getting “high” all the time are in fact stupid. Not stupid because of what the weed is doing to them but stupid because they are taking it. Now before you wage the “war on drugs” attack, let me just write that I don’t believe marijuana constantly used is good for anyone. I know a friend for example who suffers from insomnia because of marijuana. He’s kind of hooked. He has to smoke it just in order to go to bed. That’s dangerous. Others I know just smoke it once a week or a bit longer. Every drug is addictive including marijuana. I believe marijuana should be smoked casually like any alcoholic beverage. I therefore do not support abuse or overuse of the drug. If you suffer from withdrawal symptoms, that’s a problem. You shouldn’t need your “fix,” you should be able to live without it. It is true that marijuana has tons of health benefits including arthritis, but like every drug it has its risks/after affects. If the government could control marijuana, that would be great. It won’t actually eliminate the illegal drug activity but it might make these criminals more aware of what they are in fact doing.
So, do I support marijuana now? I don’t believe the answer is as clear-cut as you’d like it to be. I support marijuana for its health benefits and it’s use of them. If you can smoke marijuana very irregularly and not produce an addiction, I support you. If you are a teenager who can’t stop but smoke weed, I don’t support you. Smoke weed when you’re over 25 and even then, caution yourself.
(Source: The Globe and Mail)
