Marijuana\Cannabis should be legalised for both medical and recreational purposes in the U.S.

I thank I-am-a-panda for challenging me to this debate First of all I would like to say I agree with the definitions presented by I-am-a-panda *note both the words cannabis and marijuana as used in this text refer to the same drug My contention for this debate is that marijuana/cannabis should not be legalised so that dealer and user can be free of criminal activity. 1) THE TRUE DANGERS OF MARIJUANA USE [1][2][3][4] "There has so far been no deaths recorded that directly result from the use of Marijuana, and there has been no recoded deaths in the U.S., and when stacked up against other products, Marijuana is relatively harmless"- I-am-a-panda While cannabis has never been recorded to kill a user, it can have very serious detrimental effects on the users life. The short term effects of cannabis use include loss of memory, distorted perception, difficulty in problem solving and thinking, loss of co-ordination and tunnel awareness. High doses of cannabis can induce short term effects of confusion, restlessness, detachment from reality, hallucinations, anxiety and respiratory problems. those are only the short term effects. Marijuana also has a lengthy list of long term effects. these include, bronchitis, lung cancer, increased cancer risks, learning problems, memory problems, dependence, libido problems and hormone problems "A study of 450 individuals found that people who smoke marijuana frequently but do not smoke tobacco have more health problems and miss more days of work than non smokers. Many of the extra sick days among the marijuana smokers in the study were for respiratory illnesses."[1] From the above information it is reasonable to conclude that despite panda's claims, marijuana can be a very dangerous and harmful drug. Another risk associated with marijuana is that it can be a stepping stone for abusers to other drugs. Cannabis is a plant that is known to produce three types of drugs. marijuana, hashish and hash oil. While marijuana may be relatively weak in comparison to other drugs, hashish may be four times more dangerous, while hash oil can be up to 12 times more dangerous than marijuana.[4] Abusers may move onto other more powerful hallucinogens like PCP and LSD. Therefore, although marijuana may have never been recorded as a direct cause of death, it has many serious health risks and may indirectly lead to a death as marijuana is a gateway drug. 2) MEDICAL PURPOSES I-am-a-panda explained the medical purposes of cannabis in the previous post. However, this information is useless as panda is proposing that all forms of marijuana be legalised, not just medical marijuana. Legalising marijuana due to curative powers would be akin to handing out morphine or prescription drugs on the street. It would be a completely unnecessary step as the use of medical marijuana can be simply legalised in a sterile and risk free environment of a hospital rather than being allowed free rein on the streets. 3)MARIJUANA IS ILLICIT FOR A REASON Panda points out that the use of marijuana is a personal choice and that marijuana is a "victimless crime." However as I pointed out earlier in my post, marijuana has many health risks. I also pointed out that cannabis abusers were likely to take more sick days than non abusers. When all these days missed from work due to marijuana adds up, a lot of our economies money has gone down the drain. and is money really meant to be compensation for all those people caught in the grip of a harmful drug. "Furthermore, it would reduce the amount of funding available for criminal gangs, as drugs trading is a huge source of income for them. This would reduce criminal activity and have a benefit to society." legalisation of cannabis would only allow drug lords to make more cannabis without fear of the arrests. A group of criminals that used to have go to great sacrifices to spread the devastation of cannabis will under the new proposed system be able to expand their hold indefinitely. The legalisation of marijuana will only help drug dealers further their trades and fund their other criminal activities. In conclusion, cannabis abuse is not a victimless crime but rather a crime that has very serious risks to the abusers health. http://www.medic8.com... [1] http://www.drugaware.com.au... [2] http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au... [3] http://www.unodc.org... [4]