Marijuana should be legalized in Canada

Sorry for the previous round (for the distorted rich text). I will recap my arguments quickly for the reader. Long-term marijuana is addictive. Marijuana alters your brain structure. Marijuana Smokers Faces more Rapid Lung Destruction than Cigarette Smokers. Marijuana Smoke Contains Higher Levels of Certain Toxins than Tobacco Smoke. Marijuana can cause impairment. Marijuana is not good for long-term economic growth. Most scientific research today agrees that marijuana is more detrimental to our health than it is harmful. I also pointed out that the Amsterdam marijuana experiment was a failure. Pro tries nullify that the Amsterdam experiment is irrelevant as it is centred around coffee shops. However, my point was to prove that the presence of marijuana corresponds to increased crime rates and “misfits” from teens. Pro would be correct in negating my point if he/she could maintain that pharmacies could keep a strict control over the drug. However, this would not be the case. As the following source suggest, Canada is currently experiencing a “crisis” in prescription drug abuse. Opioids such as morphine is commonly abused. http://www.ccsa.ca... The sources Pro uses are biased. Hypotheses on the effects of marihuana vary greatly between scientists. For instance, certain scientists claim that cannabis can kill up to 30 000 a year (John Henry of the Imperial London College). While this number may be exaggerated, it shows the inconsistency of research (in regards to people killed) with marijuana. Pro also shows a graph that would “shut down my arguments”. However, this is not the case, as he/she simply selected a biased source. As I pointed out in my previous argument, the consensus of available scientific research does not support “medical marijuana claim”, and that marijuana is more detrimental for the health then it helps it. http://www.dailymail.co.uk... Marijuana does not only “impair intellectual abilities”, it also causes many accidents due to impairment of the senses. Approximately ten percent of the fatal car accidents in America have been related to marijuana. http://www.drug-overdose.com... “…legalizing marijuana hurts the economy do to impairs intellectual abilities, you can say the same thing for over the counter drugs and painkillers, who are still legal today even though they kill over 100,000 people each year.” Con, I’m not sure if your sources state this. Could you please double-check? Con also seems to contradict his/her statement by stating that “the strict measures the government can take to prevent the use of medical marijuana and that amount of benefit”. It seems that Pro is also intent on preventing the use of medical marijuana. Additionally, marijuana has been used increasingly among young people in the United States since 2007. For the most part, these young people do not need marijuana for medical purposes, but for “coping mechanisms”. Legalizing marijuana will send the wrong message to teens and most likely increase the drug use. http://www.drugabuse.gov... http://www.medic8.com... The process of legalizing marijuana is easy, but the process of banning it is difficult. Once it is legalized, and it does prove to be extremely harmful, the damage will be done. The null hypothesis is that marijuana is harmful, and the alternate hypothesis is that marijuana is not. To reject the null hypothesis, we need powerful evidence. However, most of the research today do point that marijuana is more damaging than it is helpful. Most of the research agree that marijuana is addictive, causes psychological damage, impairs senses, alters brain structure and contains higher amount of ammonia and hydrogen cyanate than tobacco smoke. The potential damage that may be caused by marijuana is incredibly high as it contains hundreds of chemical compounds. http://www.drugabuse.gov... Therefore, there is not sufficient evidence to reject the null hypothesis and legalize marijuana.