Marijuana Should Be Legalized

Since my opponent did not provide definitions I now will. Marijuana is defined as the dried leaves and flowering tops of the pistillate hemp plant that yield THC and are smoked in cigarettes for their intoxicating effect. I will now present my arguments. Contention 1: Marijuana is addictive. Addictive potential [1] Long-term marijuana abuse has the potential to lead to addiction. On an estimate nine percent of marijuana users become addicted to marijuana; this percentage increases drastically among those who start a young age and among daily users. The percentage of young marijuana users increases to seventeen percent; daily marijuana users increase the percentage to twenty-five to fifty percent. According to the 2009 Monitoring the Future [2] results, 42% of high schools seniors have tried marijuana, while 20.6% of them reported that that have used marijuana in the last month. 8th Grade 10th Grade 12th Grade Lifetime 15.7% 32.3% 42.0% Past Year 11.8 26.7 32.8 Past Month 6.5 15.9 20.6 Daily 1.0 2.8 5.2 -Marijuana addiction treatment rates have significantly increased in recent years. The CASA ( National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse) at Columbia University found that clinical diagnoses rates for marijuana abuse and/or dependence for minors has increased by a 492.1 percent just between 1992 (when marijuana usage was at its lowest point) and 2006. Also, there was a 53.7 percent decrease in rates of clinical diagnoses for all other substances combined ( including alcohol, illicit, controlled prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs and inhalants. Sources [1] . http://www.nida.nih.gov... [2] . http://www.cadca.org... Contention 2: Marijuana has a significant amount of negative impacts on the brain. Marijuana intoxication can cause distorted perceptions, impaired coordination, difficulty with thinking and problem solving, and problems with learning and memory. Research has shown that, in chronic users, marijuana's adverse impact on learning and memory can last a large amount of time ( days or weeks). As a result, someone who smoke marijuana every day may be functioning at a suboptimal intellectual level the majority of the time. Brain imaging studies in chronic users show ( repeatedly) some consistent alterations, but their connection to impaired cognitive functioning is from clear. This uncertainty may stem from confounding factors such as other drug use, residual drug effects, or withdrawal symptoms in long-term chronic users. Sources [1] . http://drugabuse.gov... I will now refute each of my opponents arguments. Your first point was “The “War on Drugs” was and is an economic failure. The media perpetuates how evil Marijuana is and how it will kill, but there has never been any linked evidence in history that Marijuana caused any kinds of cancer related deaths. On the contrary, it has been proven marijuana causes cancer. [1] . http://www.opposingviews.com... [2] . http://www.aim.org... [3] . http://www.livescience.com... [4] . http://www.foxnews.com... Legalizing drugs, however, would inject at least 77 billion dollars a year into the economy if taxed and regulated. Over half of US prisons have people arrested for non violent crimes, and it costs at least 30,000 dollars per "felon" instead of decriminalizing drugs and spending 15,000 dollars for health care treatment. The policy is very dangerous to the American people as it allows loopholes for police officers to invade the privacy of people without any warrants based on unwarranted evidence. Your main focus in this paragraph was drugs in general, while the resolution was specially marijuana. Based on this evidence alone, any drug illegalization is generally unconstitutional especially if the government wants to step in and protect you from yourself Once again, this focused on drugs overall. Even if you substituted drugs to marijuana, I fail to see how economic factors make opposition of marijuana unconstitutional. Your second point was Corruption in politics. I don't understand how the first paragraph of this point is relevant to the resolution. Your sub point was marijuana for a fiber and textile usage. It's such a danger for the textile factories because it's almost impossible to determine whether the employees are using it for its intended use or using it for recreational activity. Adding to this, the FDA opposes it only because of it's difficulty to commercially regulate it and profit enough. It's important to ask how many legal drugs today can kill someone, but a natural herb that grows from the ground is kept in hostility? The fact that is held in such a hostile regard is for the numerous negative health effects. Health uses Actually alcohol and tobacco are more dangerous than marijuana Two recent studies have been published showing that alcohol -- a legal substance (though not legal for teens in the U. S. ) -- is considered more dangerous than marijuana, which is illegal in many countries. [1] . http://www.kindclinics.com... [2] . http://www.physorg.com... Unconstitutional I have shown how alcohol and tobacco is more harmful than marijuana.