Marijuana legalizetion

It is a true pleasure to be debating Krazypigg514 on this contentious topic. I truly aspire to partake in a mirthful debate. Without further adieu, I will put forth my arguments. Initial Observations: My opponent has the burden of proof to show that marijuana should be legalized, a change from the status quo. As of now, my opponent has presented no sources to back up his assertions and facts. His entire argument is not valid until he presents sources to validate his facts. Refutations: "Marijuana is one of the safest drug on this earth! Marijuana should be legal because it never killed anyone or anything." First and foremost, he has no source to back up his claim that is a safe drug. In fact, marijuana is known to have many negative health effects. According to Brown University [1], marijuana causes: -Impaired short-term memory -Difficulty thinking and problem solving -Anxiety attacks or feelings of paranoia -Impaired muscle coordination and judgment -Increased susceptibility to infections -Dangerous impairment of driving skills. Studies show that it impairs braking time, attention to traffic signals and other driving behaviors. This impairment can last 12 to 24 hours due to accumulation of marijuana in fatty tissue. -Cardiac problems for people with heart disease or high blood pressure, because marijuana increases the heart rate Marijuana is also known to damage the cells in the bronchial passages which protect the body against inhaled micro-organisms and decrease the ability of the immune cells in the lungs to fight off fungi, bacteria, and tumor cells. For patients with weakened immune systems, this means an increase in the possibility of dangerous pulmonary infections, including pneumonia, which often proves fatal in AIDS patients. [2] Pot can also increase the chance of a heart attack [3] increase the chance of psychosis and schizophrenia [4] cause daily cough and phlegm, symptoms of chronic bronchitis, and frequent chest colds [20] increase the chance of respiratory illness [21] and increase the risk of developing mental illness. [22] While health effects of marijuana are debatable, it is a mistake to assume it is harmless. Secondly, there are many deaths that can be traced to marijuana. These stem from driving while high [5] and other incidents with accidental suicide, like a case in Colorado [6] Thirdly, even if my information on the health effects of marijuana, it is fallacious to state that simply because something is non-harmful means it should be legal. Many non-harmful things, such as drunk driving and public masturbation, are illegal even though they bring no specific harm. "Why would we let the drug dealer take all the money when is can be place in the local pharmacy and use the money to pay taxes." Forgot to add question mark to question. The main problem with the taxation argument proposed by the Pro-Legalization crowd is that it doesn't work. The problem is that this will actually bolster drug dealers, as they can now undersell legal sellers legally for a lower price without the tax. There would be nothing stopping this from occurring with taxation. "40% of americans has already admitted they use marijuana." Irrelevant and not supported by a source. "Many polls have been read and 40% of americans had at lease one high off marijuana but, lots them didn"t smoke anymore cause marijuana is not as additive as other drugs." This is not supported by a source, and is filled with numerous grammar mistakes (which I bolded). Also, marijuana is found to be addictive by numerous sources. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] "Cocaine is 20% more additive than marijuana and 30% of adults are even more additive with tobacco." No source. Misspelled "addictive." "You may think having a large amount of marijuana will kill you but, its so true that there is not one single death happen of overdose on marijuana..." Overdose is hard with marijuana, but as I stated before there are deaths linked to marijuana from driving while high and other deaths [5] [6] "and there is like 38,329 people die of overdose use of other drugs." No source, generally irrevelant. Conclusion: I have successfully refuted my opponents case and presented my own arguments in the process. The resolution stands negated. Sources in comments.