So in my other blog posts I think I may have come out as if I was in favor of legalizing drugs, however, what I am trying to do is find out if that is the way to make the world a safer place, or if it will make it worst.
So far I have focused on the drug traffic, but what if drugs were legalized, would that make the world safer, or will it be the world’s doom? That is what I am trying to explore throughout my blogs, but in this blog I’m going to focus on the effects of the most used illegal drug on humans, and try to theorize or conclude if people would be able to control themselves if it is legalized.
As many people can tell the most used illegal drug is marijuana. Marijuana which has more than 200 street names such as pot or weed comes from the hemp plant (cannabis). The ingredient that alters the mind is THC. Many people believe that marijuana is harmless and not addictive. This drug is known as a gateway drug, because after people try this drug they are more open about trying other drugs such a crack, cocaine or heroin. Marijuana is not harmless, even though the immediate effects disappear in about two hours, there are studies that show that smoking weed shortens memory, math and verbal skills, reduces hormones such as sperm, makes the smoker prone to chest colds, bronchitis, emphysema, and bronchial asthma, and even cancer.
As you can see marijuana is very dangerous for the smoker’s health, but it doesn’t affect society as a whole. But since its illegal right now is destroying lives in society in the sense that if a person has marijuana on them, they will be sent to jail for years, or if they are pull over and they possess weed, they might try to run away from the police creating a car chase which most of the times ends in car crashes. So in that way it affects society, but once it is legalized it will not be a problem.
There are other drugs in play such as cocaine, heroin and ecstasy, and I will address them in later posts.
It's not completely right to say that once MJ becomes legal it will not be a problem. Alcohol is legal and to a certain extent it still is a problem and the same thing can be said about cigarettes. If you are trying to say that if MJ was legal, crime credited to MJ would lower then yes it would lower, but to say that it would no longer be a problem to society is not 100% accurate.
ReplyDeleteDo you think that the extensive use of drugs/marijuana is due to the fact that they are illegal? Considering the psychology behind it all, i think it would be somewhat interesting to consider the possibility that once the thrill of doing something illegal is gone, people might be less likely to use it to such a great extent. I feel like this might be the case with underage drinking but I'm not sure about marijuana. What is your opinion?
ReplyDeleteI feel that if marijuana were legalized, it would be less of a problem in our society. In some ways, this topic is much like that of lowering the drinking age. Since marijuana is illegal, there is a thrill of doing it, which is the same for alcohol when it comes to underage individuals consuming it.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do not think that marijuana should be legalized simply for the pleasure of its effects. We all know that people smoke weed to get "high" because they enjoy the feeling. It should be legalized for medical use though. Its effects on certain patients can improve their health.
So if marijuana is legalized, how will it be regulated so that its use is not abused?
First off, I wanted to understand your stance on drugs and whether you are focusing on the legalization of Marijuana or drugs in general. Maybe a focus on one would help your argument.
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to point out that you may be right about legalizing drugs not having too big of an effect on society but it may psychologically presume many to believe it is alright to take drugs... and do we want that?
Furthermore, I think you should post on the subject of the possibility of government regulation if this were to be illegal. If the government were to legalize marijuana, all the money they would spend on military officials to stop it from being imported to our country, they could even bring in revenue from the drug not being outlawed. Government regulation on the drug may even make it safe from not worrying of a dealer masing it to give it a greater affect which can be even more detrimental to someone's health.
Outweigh the possibilities of the subject in a more global matter instead of smaller hypothetical situations such as car crashes but I must say you may be on the brink of something. Good luck.
Hey I am just sending this comment to ask you a question about one of the comments you made on my blog. Do you know what your uncle said has already come true? That would be very helpful
ReplyDeleteI agree that there is a degree of truth in what Jelly Bean and 18equalsadult have said, that some people live for the thrill of breaking rules. We hear it all the time in the oft quoted phrase "rules are meant to be broken." However, I do not think that is a good excuse for breaking rules or doing away with rules either.
ReplyDeleteI think the question that needs to be asked is why drugs were made illegal in the first place. I daresay the people who put the rules in place were aware of humankind's propensity to break rules, but, rules are still in place. So evidently, those who made the rule/law deemed that the benefits of the rule/law outweighed the costs of it. And naturally, they deemed the law effective and feasible. Hence, I think the key in answering the question of whether drugs should be legalised is to consider the costs and benefits of doing so.
@ unc2012
ReplyDeleteYes you are right and that's what I meant, of course it will still be a problem but not as big as before...hopefully.
@18equalsadult
I do agree that the number of people will decrease if marijuana is legal, since there be the risk of getting caught so there is no "rush."
@Jelly Bean
How would it be regulated... well it could be regulated like prescription drugs, you can only buy a certain amount during a month, and it would be kept track off like they do at lenoir or rams with the meal plan.
@Mediabully7
My stance is legalizing all drugs. Of course we don't want people thinking drugs are good, it would be just like with alcohol and tobacco, people are educated and through a lot of propaganda and programs people can be educated to know that drugs are bad. And yea there would a high tax on it and all the money that can be saved can be used in other fields like health care and ending homelessness.
@Itsallover?
No I cant't remember sorry.
@jane
Yea that's what I am trying to find out through this serious of posts, if legalizing drugs has a better outcome than the present situation, or if it's better to keep it how it is even though it's not a good situation.