Legalization of Marijuana for Recreational Use

Now, it's time to revamp my argument. I shall write my opponent's arguments, which in turn were based off of my arguments. 1) Some Marijuana is chemically enhanced and has many harmful chemicals put into it (when made by drug dealers), I have witnessed myself the caliber of things they put into the plants to make it grow quicker. I do however agree that if it is legalized, only people over the age of 21 may consume it. 2) Weed is addictive. What marijuana does is it releases dopamine in your brain (hence the slang word for marijuana "dope). This is what gives the user the happy high feeling. The more the dopamine is released like this, the less it releases over time, making you want and crave for more and more. This is how depression from weed can sprout, the lack of dopamine makes the body feel sad and lonely, and also schizophrenia can come from weed usage. This is addiction. Cocaine and other hard drugs also release this chemical and this is why some weed users turn to harder drugs, to get more of a rush. I have seen friends and family addicted to this drug. 3) Weed may not have killed people, but weed related incidents have. Such as people driving while high and people operating heavy machinery. I also agree with you about how bad alcohol and tobacco is for your system but they are not on the same level of potency as weed. 4) I agree some people who are put in prison for weed related issues are not necessary, but then you get the drug cartels which weed is a main supplier of their funds. Legalizing Marijuana would only make the drug cartels more and more powerful and easy to sell their drug, making them more of a threat to everybody. Now, I shall write my responses (in order. ) 1. Most of the plants that are rolled and smoked typically are not chemically enhanced. Besides, what I meant was that if one is going to make heroin, they must take the opium and add chemicals to it to get the final product. With marijuana it's not needed. Just pick it, dry it, roll it, smoke it. 2. While marijuana isn't physically addictive (you can't really grow a physical dependence on it), one can become addicted to the effects. That being said, just about anything can be addictive. I've seen almost everything from caffeine to ibuprofen being addictive. (I once heard of a guy that everyday popped 8 pills, just to feel the effect. ) 3. While you and I are right in that weed doesn't directly kill people, you claim that people operating machinery while stoned are impaired. I say you are right. What I meant was that one shouldn't do anything high that they wouldn't do drunk. On the topic of the potency, I'm going to grab a verse from the Bible. Genesis 1:29 "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth. .. " I think that marijuana could be the herb God is talking about. 4. The ones that, in my mind are unjustly thrown in prison are the non-violent possessors of weed. Thanks to the federal mandatory minimum sentencing laws, if I was caught with a few ounces of weed, I would get a minimum of 10 years in prison; just for possessing it. Then, you brought up the cartels; to explain my logic, I have to give you a brief history lesson. Back in 1919, Catholic groups thought the government should help them exercise their "right" to hate drinking. So, because the Catholics didn't like booze, they muscled through the 18th Amendment that outlawed "the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes" (religious and medicinal use was exempted). But Americans wanted their hootch, so then a whole army of violent gangland lowlifes stepped in to supply the demand. A lot of people got messed up (like going blind, or death) by improperly made liquor. In addition, a lot of innocent people got mowed down by choppers. So, after 14 years of alcohol prohibition, Congress got the idea of "this was a mistake, we gotta stop" and passed the 21st Amendment which repealed the 18th Amendment. Fast-forward to 1937, weed is banned and after almost 76 years of prohibition, Congress has yet to get the message. Now if weed is legalized, the Cartels would be out of a lot of blood money. Why would you buy cut, unsanitary weed from the dangerous man on the corner, when you can buy regulated, pure, inspected weed from the store down the street? Now, I will be awaiting your response. HoneyBadger