Legalize Marijuana

Since you made no restrictions, I will jump right into my arguements. But first let me lay out what is probably the most common definition of "Legalize Marijuana. "Legalize MarijuanaMake lawful the cultivation, distribution, and usage of cannabis. IntroThe idea that marijuana should oughtright be legalized, with no boundries, purchasing control, or licensing, is a funny topic. On the surface, it seems good, right? End the war on peaceful drug users, let them control their own bodies? It makes our federal government seem downright oblivious for not doing so earlier. But when you dig a bit deeper, when you begin to understand the core of the problem, then it may seem as though reality has slapped you in the face. We shouldn't be legalizing something that has such negative effects! Legalizing marijuana will do NOTHING to stop people from using, and NOTHING to repair the damage that drugs have already done to society! Rebuttals"marijuana is a great plant. it makes you feel happy"While the first statement that you gave is opinion, and I cannot argue with that, I strongly disagree with your second contention and its premise as a whole. Smoking cannibis, as I'm sure many of us have experienced, gives temporary euphoric stimulation. It does not last [1]. It does not "make you feel happy" in the sense that it improves your life, or makes you better off for the future. For a couple of hours, you'll feel all good and dandy, but what about after that? After the effects of cannabis have plateued, you are left with nothing. In fact, marijuana has been shown to actually worsen symptoms of depression after prolonged use, as the effects of THC can include paranoia and depression exacerbacation [2]. So if you really want to feel happy, why not do something that reallymakes you happy, like riding your bike? What is present in society that makes us think marijuana is the only thing to make us happy? "you cant get addicted"In many ways, you are right. Marijuana has no synthetic or even natural addictives, such as nicotine in cigarettes. However, marijuana, like nearly every other drug, becomes a dependent for your body after prolonged use. In fact, studies show that it builds up a greater dependence than LSD, anabolic steroids, ecstasy, and even some cousins of methamphetamine [3]. “it helps cancer”Okay I’m just gonna come out and say it… MARIJUANA DOES NOT CURE CANCER! IT SIMPLY DOES NOT! It has been shown to do two small things for cancer patients.1) Relieve some small side effects of cancer treatment, such as vomiting and nausia [4].2) POSSIBLY slow the growth of some types of breast cancer cells, although this has not yet been proven nor has it been hugely successful [4]. But medical marijuana is already available in many states! So why legalize it for non-cancer patients, when we could just legalize it ONLY for medicinal purposes? “it is beneficial”Would you mind elaborating, so I can more properly rebut this? “everybody smokes it anyway”First of all, that is not true. Most people live perfectly healthy lives, and don't need weed to feel good. Second, where is your logic with that statement? Everybody already smokes it, so we might as well just make it easier for everyone to get it? That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. “it would make the world a much happier place”If by “a much happier place,” you mean a much more lazy, unproductive, and dangerous place, then yes it would. I will elaborate on those three adjectives later in my discussion. ArguementsC1 –Legalizing marijuana would cause more people to use marijuana. The contention that I have just made is not ridiculous. It is not a stretch. It is just common sense. Currently, what is it that limits people’s usage of the drug? It is the worry of being caught by the police, and being arrested! In fact, Wayne Hall, a college professor at the University of Queensland, in Australia, has come out and said the following about legalization [5]. “What effect would marijuana legalization have on dependence? It seems common sense that legalizing marijuana use and sales would lead to more people using it regularly and this would probably mean more marijuana dependence. ”Do we really want this? Looking at the millions of Americans that already have to deal with marijuana dependence, do we really want more? Sub Contention A – More people using marijuana would make the country more dangerous. Let me ask you something, folks: What is it that makes alcohol so unsafe? It’s the fact that, if overly consumed, it can seriously impair your ability to drive. In fact, in 2009 alone, over 10,000 Americans died as a direct result of drunk driving accidents [6]. That's over 10,000 American families left to grieve, because of alcohol. But what is the difference between alcohol and marijuana? The difference is, alcohol can be used safely. You can have a few drinks, and you will be perfectly fine to drive. With marijuana, one puff and you are immediately unsafe to operate a motor vehicle. So, with more people using marijuana, it is only common sense that there will be more people driving after using marijuana, which means more accidents and more deaths. I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound like "it would make the world a much happier place" to me! Sub Contention B - More people using marijuana would make more people lazy and decrease overall productivity of the country. This is a fair statement. Many studies show that marijuana prevents the normal capacity of oxygen to reach your brain, causing reduced attentiveness and laziness [7]. With more people experiencing reduced attentiveness and laziness, it is common sense that productivity of more people will go down. Why would we want a less productive country? Why, I ask you, why? ConclusionI successfully rebuttled every arguement of my opponent. Through use of statistics and studies, I successfully showed that marijuana legalization will cause more marijuana usage, leading to a more dangerous and less productive nation. I await my opponents arguemnents in Round 2. I will be providing additional arguements as well. Sources[1]. http://www.marijuana.com...[2]http://www.experienceproject.com...[3] . http://froleev.blogspot.com...[4] . http://www.livestrong.com...[5] . http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com...[6]http://www.alcoholalert.com...[7] . http://thoughtcatalog.com...