A new culture fueled by a large cloud of smoke has emerged in the last 50 years. It is changing the way Americans think. Snoop Dogg and E-40 rap about it, Bob Marley created a red, green and yellow image around it, and now the State of California is making headlines with it. The object in question is the plant cannabis or more commonly known as Marijuana. As marijuana forces its way into the mainstream, voters are thrown into countless debates about the benefits and consequences of lifting the ban. The main argument in favor of lifting the ban is the simple fact that legalizing the drug will raise billions dollars in revenue for the government. I believe that American voters should pass a proposition to end the prohibition but also create strict regulations around the sale and use. Marijuana might not be a product that voters should encourage the use of, but at the same time, the benefits of the plant can help the American budget crisis exponentially.
Marijuana is the most commonly abused illegal drug in the United States. Currently, it sells for 300 to 400 dollars per ounce on the street. The drug is derived from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. It can be identified by the green and brown mix of dry and shredded flowers, stems, seeds and leaves. Cannabis contains over 400 different chemicals but, Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, otherwise known as THC, is the main brain-altering chemical (Basic Facts About Drugs: Marijuana). The percentage of THC in the plant determines the potency of the drug. Ancient Assyrians were the first known users of marijuana, but an Israeli scientist was the first to identify the THC and it’s effects on the human body (Smith).
The most popular form of marijuana is called Sinsemilla. Sinsemilla is made from just the buds and the flowering tops of female plants. The growing of marijuana is an intricate process. Pot is mainly cultivated outdoors during the summer. But, it can also be grown indoors under an artificial light.
Cover Letter
How I showed:
1. Pathos- I appealed to the audience’s emotions by stating the severity of the budget crisis. I also showed how marijuana can help relieve symptoms of multiple diseases.
2. Logos- I used logic in the essay by showing how the government would save 41.3 billion dollars by legalizing marijuana. There would not be as many inmates and law enforcement would not have to waste time and resources chasing marijuana users and dealers
3. Ethos- I showed this by using valid sources from various resources written by experienced and well-known economists.
Audience: The older generation of United States voters that are opposed to the legalization of marijuana simply because of the health effects of the drug.
Erica Turnlund
Wiens
English 134
10 June 2011
Marijuana Legalization
A new culture fueled by a large cloud of smoke has emerged in the last 50 years. It is changing the way Americans think. Snoop Dogg and E-40 rap about it, Bob Marley created a red, green and yellow image around it, and now the State of California is making headlines with it. The object in question is the plant cannabis or more commonly known as Marijuana. As marijuana forces its way into the mainstream, voters are thrown into countless debates about the benefits and consequences of lifting the ban. The main argument in favor of lifting the ban is the simple fact that legalizing the drug will raise billions dollars in revenue for the government. I believe that American voters should pass a proposition to end the prohibition but also create strict regulations around the sale and use. Marijuana might not be a product that voters should encourage the use of, but at the same time, the benefits of the plant can help the American budget crisis exponentially.
Marijuana is the most commonly abused illegal drug in the United States. Currently, it sells for 300 to 400 dollars per ounce on the street. The drug is derived from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. It can be identified by the green and brown mix of dry and shredded flowers, stems, seeds and leaves. Cannabis contains over 400 different chemicals but, Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, otherwise known as THC, is the main brain-altering chemical (Basic Facts About Drugs: Marijuana). The percentage of THC in the plant determines the potency of the drug. Ancient Assyrians were the first known users of marijuana, but an Israeli scientist was the first to identify the THC and it’s effects on the human body (Smith).
The most popular form of marijuana is called Sinsemilla. Sinsemilla is made from just the buds and the flowering tops of female plants. The growing of marijuana is an intricate process. Pot is mainly cultivated outdoors during the summer. But, it can also be grown indoors under an artificial light. This process is called the hydroponic method. This method requires the grower to plant in container filled with gravel. This container should be able to drain easily into a collection trough. Then, a solution of nutrients should be pumped into the vessels of the plant a certain intervals of time so that the roots never dry, but at the same time are never immersed completely in the solution. When the plant has completely developed, it is hung upside down for a week in a dark room. After the week is over, the buds are trimmed from the stems (Smith). The drug in this state can then be smoked or digested. The plant can be smoked in a variety of different ways. The most common way to smoke marijuana is in a joint, which is loose marijuana rolled into a cigarette. Other methods include blunts, pipes, bongs or in certain kinds of baked goods.
After a user smokes marijuana, the THC directly affects the cannabinoid receptors on nerve cells in the brain. This reaction creates the feeling of being ‘high’. When a user is ‘high’ there are many different effects on the body. First of all, the user experiences a sense of distorted perception. This means that they struggle with their perception of sights, sounds, the sense of time, and touch (Basic Facts About Drugs: Marijuana). Smoking pot can lead to several different psychological effects as well. It can mar the short term memory, alter the user’s sense of time, and can greatly deter the user from doing things that involve a higher levels of concentration, quick reactions, and coordination. On rare occasions, pot can create an extreme sense of anxiety or panic (Smith).
Long Term Smoking of marijuana has many negative physical and psychological consequences. Consistent marijuana smokers, also known as “stoners” or “pot heads”, are at a much higher risk to suffer from illnesses such colds, bronchitis, emphysema and asthma. It can also raise the risk of cancer. The potency of carcinogenetic is equal to five cigarettes. Studies also show that regular use of pot can weaken the immune system exponentially (Marijuana Dangers). Weed has also been known to drastically affect a user’s hormones. In men, it can delay puberty and reduce the smoker’s sperm count. In women, marijuana can alter their menstrual cycle and affect the ability to ovulate. Pregnant women that smoke pot are gambling with the health of their unborn child. Infants that are exposed to marijuana before birth are often smaller and have lower birth weights. These children are also more likely to develop health problems and seem to run into delays in their development (Buddy). Pot also has a significant impact on the mental capacity of it’s smokers. Marijuana reduces learning ability because it has the power to limit the brain’s ability to take in and maintain information. Marijuana also has harsh effects on developing teens. The drug inhibits a person from developing crucial skills needed for developing relationships with others. In 1995, a study of college students showed that the inability of consistent users to “focus, sustain attention, and organize data” could last for up to 24 hours after the last use (Buddy). On an physiological level, stoners tend to have feelings that can include a sense of isolation, depression and anxiety. These feelings can lead the smoker to continue to smoke more marijuana (Marijuana Dangers). Pot has also been shown to cause an irreversible loss of brain cells.
[...]
- Quote paper
- Anonym (Author), 2011, Benefits of Legalizing Marijuana, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/174055
