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Persuasive Essay: Recreational Drug Use (Marijuana)
People have been using marijuana for several years as it helps in performing painless surgeries. Recently, it is being utilized in the reduction of various ailment symptoms and through recreational use, it can combat stress. Marijuana has various proven benefits and is also valued medically but it is illegal in America. However, some of the states legalized marijuana for one or both purposes. I believe that marijuana must be legalized at state level for both recreational and medical use.
Marijuana has various factors that help people to heal. Previously, marijuana was used to treat malaria, boils, absent-mindedness, menstrual fatigue, and constipation. With time, people also found other medical uses which include mental cheerfulness, increasing appetite, and to combat depression ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"ABfceOuC","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Pacula et al.)","plainCitation":"(Pacula et al.)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":616,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/vDOrLj7p/items/Z5MQG6HK"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/vDOrLj7p/items/Z5MQG6HK"],"itemData":{"id":616,"type":"report","abstract":"This paper sheds light on previous inconsistencies identified in the literature regarding the relationship between medical marijuana laws (MML) and recreational marijuana use by closely examining the importance of policy dimensions (registration requirements, home cultivation, dispensaries) and the timing of them. Using data from our own legal analysis of state MMLs, we evaluate which features are associated with adult and youth recreational use by linking these policy variables to data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97), the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and the Treatment Episodes Data System (TEDS). Our analyses control for state and year fixed effects, using within state policy changes over time to estimate the effect on changes in our outcome variables using a difference-in-differences approach. We find that while simple dichotomous indicators are generally not associated with marijuana use, specific dimensions of MMLs, namely home cultivation and legal dispensaries, are positively associated with marijuana use in each data set. Moreover, these same dimensions are tied to binge drinking and fatal alcohol automobile accidents as well. The findings have important implications for states considering legalization of marijuana, as regulating access to and promotion of dispensaries may be key for reducing the harms associated with these policies.","genre":"Working Paper","note":"DOI: 10.3386/w19302","number":"19302","publisher":"National Bureau of Economic Research","source":"National Bureau of Economic Research","title":"Assessing the Effects of Medical Marijuana Laws on Marijuana and Alcohol Use: The Devil is in the Details","title-short":"Assessing the Effects of Medical Marijuana Laws on Marijuana and Alcohol Use","URL":"http://www.nber.org/papers/w19302","author":[{"family":"Pacula","given":"Rosalie Liccardo"},{"family":"Powell","given":"David"},{"family":"Heaton","given":"Paul"},{"family":"Sevigny","given":"Eric L"}],"accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",12,6]]},"issued":{"date-parts":[["2013",8]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Pacula et al.). Although, marijuana is now replaced by several pain-relieving medicines which include chloral hydrate, barbiturates, and aspirin. Even though these drugs which are used in the replacement of marijuana are not safe. The International BusinessTimes reported that, “Prescription drugs kill about 100,000 people in the world each year” ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"bCyUXf8j","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Pacula et al.)","plainCitation":"(Pacula et al.)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":616,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/vDOrLj7p/items/Z5MQG6HK"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/vDOrLj7p/items/Z5MQG6HK"],"itemData":{"id":616,"type":"report","abstract":"This paper sheds light on previous inconsistencies identified in the literature regarding the relationship between medical marijuana laws (MML) and recreational marijuana use by closely examining the importance of policy dimensions (registration requirements, home cultivation, dispensaries) and the timing of them. Using data from our own legal analysis of state MMLs, we evaluate which features are associated with adult and youth recreational use by linking these policy variables to data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97), the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and the Treatment Episodes Data System (TEDS). Our analyses control for state and year fixed effects, using within state policy changes over time to estimate the effect on changes in our outcome variables using a difference-in-differences approach. We find that while simple dichotomous indicators are generally not associated with marijuana use, specific dimensions of MMLs, namely home cultivation and legal dispensaries, are positively associated with marijuana use in each data set. Moreover, these same dimensions are tied to binge drinking and fatal alcohol automobile accidents as well. The findings have important implications for states considering legalization of marijuana, as regulating access to and promotion of dispensaries may be key for reducing the harms associated with these policies.","genre":"Working Paper","note":"DOI: 10.3386/w19302","number":"19302","publisher":"National Bureau of Economic Research","source":"National Bureau of Economic Research","title":"Assessing the Effects of Medical Marijuana Laws on Marijuana and Alcohol Use: The Devil is in the Details","title-short":"Assessing the Effects of Medical Marijuana Laws on Marijuana and Alcohol Use","URL":"http://www.nber.org/papers/w19302","author":[{"family":"Pacula","given":"Rosalie Liccardo"},{"family":"Powell","given":"David"},{"family":"Heaton","given":"Paul"},{"family":"Sevigny","given":"Eric L"}],"accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",12,6]]},"issued":{"date-parts":[["2013",8]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Pacula et al.).While “Marijuana… medical or not, is not only non-lethal but likely beneficial” ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"Nhgv0Cpc","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Pacula et al.)","plainCitation":"(Pacula et al.)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":616,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/vDOrLj7p/items/Z5MQG6HK"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/vDOrLj7p/items/Z5MQG6HK"],"itemData":{"id":616,"type":"report","abstract":"This paper sheds light on previous inconsistencies identified in the literature regarding the relationship between medical marijuana laws (MML) and recreational marijuana use by closely examining the importance of policy dimensions (registration requirements, home cultivation, dispensaries) and the timing of them. Using data from our own legal analysis of state MMLs, we evaluate which features are associated with adult and youth recreational use by linking these policy variables to data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97), the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and the Treatment Episodes Data System (TEDS). Our analyses control for state and year fixed effects, using within state policy changes over time to estimate the effect on changes in our outcome variables using a difference-in-differences approach. We find that while simple dichotomous indicators are generally not associated with marijuana use, specific dimensions of MMLs, namely home cultivation and legal dispensaries, are positively associated with marijuana use in each data set. Moreover, these same dimensions are tied to binge drinking and fatal alcohol automobile accidents as well. The findings have important implications for states considering legalization of marijuana, as regulating access to and promotion of dispensaries may be key for reducing the harms associated with these policies.","genre":"Working Paper","note":"DOI: 10.3386/w19302","number":"19302","publisher":"National Bureau of Economic Research","source":"National Bureau of Economic Research","title":"Assessing the Effects of Medical Marijuana Laws on Marijuana and Alcohol Use: The Devil is in the Details","title-short":"Assessing the Effects of Medical Marijuana Laws on Marijuana and Alcohol Use","URL":"http://www.nber.org/papers/w19302","author":[{"family":"Pacula","given":"Rosalie Liccardo"},{"family":"Powell","given":"David"},{"family":"Heaton","given":"Paul"},{"family":"Sevigny","given":"Eric L"}],"accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",12,6]]},"issued":{"date-parts":[["2013",8]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Pacula et al.).Nowadays, the places where marijuana is legal it is used for the treatment of cancer, HIV/AIDS, anxiety, depression, chemotherapy, epilepsy, and glaucoma. It has been proven that marijuana has various medical benefits so it should be accessible to every person.
From my perspective, marijuana must be legalized for recreational usage as it alleviates stress and is not unhealthy as alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. In one of the studies, twelve teens were interviewed who consumed marijuana to deal with stress. It is found that marijuana helped those teens with stress-related issues which include difficult relationships, bullying at school, and other work-related issues. Smoking marijuana helped them to manage such situations in a better way. They didn’t feel uptight and nervous about anything. It is also reported that marijuana never killed anybody while tobacco kills about 480,000 people every year, and alcohol about 88,000. If its recreational usage would be legalized it will possibly help in crime rate reduction and will generate more revenue for the federal government. Through the study, it is found that marijuana reduces violent and aggressive behavior. Its legalization would be effective for states as it helps in collecting taxes which will generate more revenue. It is reported that, “Colorado made$135 million from recreational marijuana taxes in 2015, or more than $10 million per month. In Washington, the state collected double the forecasted amount with $70 million during the first year of sales. Oregon, which began taxing recreational marijuana in January, has collected $14.9million in taxes so far, far more than the predicted $2 million to $3 million” ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"ztVY858Z","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Ciciora)","plainCitation":"(Ciciora)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":618,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/vDOrLj7p/items/F45Z4KTJ"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/vDOrLj7p/items/F45Z4KTJ"],"itemData":{"id":618,"type":"webpage","language":"en-US","title":"Will legalizing marijuana be a boon to the state of Illinois?","URL":"https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/800213","author":[{"family":"Ciciora","given":"Phil"}],"accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",12,6]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Ciciora).This is the example of three states only if marijuana is federally recognized it will then generate more revenue and will bolster the economy. Furthermore, some of the studies represented that its recreational use can help in crime reduction and will generate more money for the government, more tests and studies are required to be done.
The idea behind the legalization of marijuana is its recreational and medical benefits. As a healing drug, it has many uses. The use of marijuana as a drug is been studied for several years. In different cultures, marijuana is used for many generations. It is recorded that marijuana is used as medicine for the first time in China. Marijuana helped people at all times and still used in aiding sick people. Its advanced patient treatment stages include AIDS, cancer and other diseases which include vomiting, terrible nausea as well as effective in many types of pain. It is reported by patients that they feel much relief through the mentioned devastating symptoms through the use of marijuana. The said symptoms alleviation can be so striking that some families and patients found willing to accept jail risk to grow and obtain marijuana. It is required that marijuana should be tested and studied more so, that its effectiveness can be proved. But as this drug is not legalized, for that reason no doctor would ever want to study a drug that they can’t use.In 1988, Francis young who was the administrative judge found that this drug if used in the natural form is considered as one of the safest therapy for humans. According to him, “In strict medical terms marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly consume. For example, eating 10 raw potatoes can result in a toxic response. By comparison, it is physically impossible to eat enough marijuana to induce death. Marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis marijuana can be safely used within the supervised routine of medical care”. It is also reported that marijuana will produce a lethal response when consuming about 1500 pounds in about 15 minutes. This means that it is not lethal as nobody can consume this much amount of marijuana in a small amount of time. The other reason that this miracle medicine should be legal is that it is widely used as an illegal drug. Through stats, it is proved that more than 70 million Americans are using Marijuana while more than 20 million smoked it in one year.
Recreational marijuana usage can produce positive effects on the body. As smoking is becoming the bonding means among friends. Through this people can exchange their ideas freely and help people to become closer with friends. It is also reported that marijuana helps to enhance food taste and music sound. Marijuana help people to feel stress-free, happy and more energized so, it encourages harmony among people. It is also reported that recreational marijuana use reduces street crimes, create several jobs and boost the economy. Although, its opponents said that legalizing recreational marijuana use leads to more medical emergencies such as traffic deaths ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"btFcfJwV","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Volkow et al.)","plainCitation":"(Volkow et al.)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":620,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/vDOrLj7p/items/NXTI32U6"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/vDOrLj7p/items/NXTI32U6"],"itemData":{"id":620,"type":"article-journal","abstract":"In light of the rapidly shifting landscape regarding the legalization of marijuana for medical and recreational purposes, patients may be more likely to ask physicians about its potential adverse and beneficial effects on health. The popular notion seems to be that marijuana is a harmless pleasure, access to which should not be regulated or considered illegal. Currently, marijuana is the most commonly used “illicit” drug in the United States, with about 12% of people 12 years of age or older reporting use in the past year and particularly high rates of use among young people.1 The most common route of . . .","container-title":"New England Journal of Medicine","DOI":"10.1056/NEJMra1402309","ISSN":"0028-4793","issue":"23","note":"PMID: 24897085","page":"2219-2227","source":"Taylor and Francis+NEJM","title":"Adverse Health Effects of Marijuana Use","volume":"370","author":[{"family":"Volkow","given":"Nora D."},{"family":"Baler","given":"Ruben D."},{"family":"Compton","given":"Wilson M."},{"family":"Weiss","given":"Susan R.B."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2014",6,5]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Volkow et al.).
However, it is also reported that medical use of marijuana can lead to addiction and youngers were at more risk of developing physical and mental issues as compared to the older ones. Although, when Colorado legalized marijuana it was observed that the rate at which the marijuana consumption did not increase. It is said by the legalization advocates that, “prohibiting marijuana has done nothing to stop teenagers usage by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment found that teenage use had dropped slightly in the years since the state legalized marijuana” ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"b6YQribk","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Ciciora)","plainCitation":"(Ciciora)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":618,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/vDOrLj7p/items/F45Z4KTJ"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/vDOrLj7p/items/F45Z4KTJ"],"itemData":{"id":618,"type":"webpage","language":"en-US","title":"Will legalizing marijuana be a boon to the state of Illinois?","URL":"https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/800213","author":[{"family":"Ciciora","given":"Phil"}],"accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",12,6]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Ciciora).
On the other hand, people who do not want that marijuana will be legalized has an opinion that it will lead to more abuse as compared to alcohol and drug. They also made another argument that marijuana kills people ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"btFcfJwV","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Volkow et al.)","plainCitation":"(Volkow et al.)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":620,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/vDOrLj7p/items/NXTI32U6"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/vDOrLj7p/items/NXTI32U6"],"itemData":{"id":620,"type":"article-journal","abstract":"In light of the rapidly shifting landscape regarding the legalization of marijuana for medical and recreational purposes, patients may be more likely to ask physicians about its potential adverse and beneficial effects on health. The popular notion seems to be that marijuana is a harmless pleasure, access to which should not be regulated or considered illegal. Currently, marijuana is the most commonly used “illicit” drug in the United States, with about 12% of people 12 years of age or older reporting use in the past year and particularly high rates of use among young people.1 The most common route of . . .","container-title":"New England Journal of Medicine","DOI":"10.1056/NEJMra1402309","ISSN":"0028-4793","issue":"23","note":"PMID: 24897085","page":"2219-2227","source":"Taylor and Francis+NEJM","title":"Adverse Health Effects of Marijuana Use","volume":"370","author":[{"family":"Volkow","given":"Nora D."},{"family":"Baler","given":"Ruben D."},{"family":"Compton","given":"Wilson M."},{"family":"Weiss","given":"Susan R.B."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2014",6,5]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Volkow et al.). But through study, it is found that marijuana never killed people and was never contributed to the single death even.
However, some people might say that marijuana is harmful to those people who use it but it never caused a single death directly. It has several medical benefits and instead of other prescribed drugs, it can be a better option. Recreationally, it has several advantages that could help people in managing stress as well as it is considered as the safer option as compared to the other drugs which include tobacco and alcohol. Because of its advantages, marijuana must be legalized for both recreational and medical usage at the federal level. Due to marijuana medical and recreational properties, it has outweighed all sorts of disadvantages it might have.
Work Cited:
ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Ciciora, Phil. Will Legalizing Marijuana Be a Boon to the State of Illinois? https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/800213. Accessed 6 Dec. 2019.
Pacula, Rosalie Liccardo, et al. Assessing the Effects of Medical Marijuana Laws on Marijuana and Alcohol Use: The Devil Is in the Details. Working Paper, 19302, National Bureau of Economic Research, Aug. 2013. National Bureau of Economic Research, doi:10.3386/w19302.
Volkow, Nora D., et al. “Adverse Health Effects of Marijuana Use.” New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 370, no. 23, June 2014, pp. 2219–27. Taylor and Francis+NEJM, doi:10.1056/NEJMra1402309.
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