The use of cannabis by adults should be legalized in the United States.

Alright, first off i'd like to apologize for providing such a lengthy argument, and not getting to all of my opponent's and my own points. I'll try to keep this shorter for all of you. So, first off I'll get right down to his points in his most recent argument. Point 1: ---"Both my opponent and I posted many sources explaining why marijuana was banned." This is false. My opponent's sources explain how smoking marijuana can be harmful. They did not explain how it was outlawed, or why it was outlawed. I can guarantee you that this information was not available in the years from 1914 to the 1920s, when it was banned. The surgeon general's warning for cigarettes did not even come out until 1954. There was no research or evidence to conclude that smoking (anything, not just cigarettes or weed) was as harmful as it can be. Marijuana was not banned because evidence pointed to it being bad for you. I urge voters to read the links i provided in my first argument on this topic, and conduct research outside of the links my opponent and I have provided. But, as my opponent also pointed out, this is not as important as why it should be legalized now. The purpose in issuing this argument was to dispel myths in people's heads that marijuana was banned on a medical and scientific basis. But, onward! To the modern day! Point 2: He points out that I stated that marijuana has medical properties, but is harmful when smoked. He misconstrues these to mean this: ---"So, we have a pain killer that has poor side effects." I say he "misconstrues" for two reasons: a) First, he makes it sound like the sole purpose of marijuana is to kill pain. There are many other uses, including medical, religious, and recreational. b) Second, he says marijuana has poor side effects. SMOKING marijuana has poor side effects, as I stated earlier, and as he and his sources ignore. I'll say it again: smoking is only one way to use marijuana, and it is not the best way. Vaporizers will allow more THC content to reach you, and eliminates the smoke. Eating it (often in baked goods, or almost any recipe with butter) also eliminates smoke. There are many ways to use weed, and smoking is not the best. The reason it is so popular is because of marijuana's illegality. It is easier to hide and takes less time and preparation. He then again raised the point that there are numerous pain killers with no side effects. Please, do tell. I have yet to hear of many medicines that have NO side effects. When he raises this point, however, he again fails to recognize that marijuana has more purposes than killing pain, and that you do NOT have to smoke marijuana to benefit from it. As i have stated, marijuana can be used for many purposes. Here are a few: -------- The following applications for marijuana have all been at least once, if not more, been deemed legitimate by one or more legislatures, courts, and/or government agencies: *HIV/AIDS: Marijuana can reduce the nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite caused by the ailment itself and by various AIDS medications *Glaucoma: Marijuana can reduce interlobular pressure, thereby alleviating the pain and slowing -- and sometimes stopping -- the progress of the condition. (Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in the United States. It damages vision by increasing eye pressure over time.) *Cancer: Marijuana can stimulate the appetite and alleviate nausea and vomiting, which are common side effects of chemotherapy treatment. *Multiple Sclerosis: Marijuana can limit the muscle pain and spasticity caused by the disease, as well as relieving tremor and unsteadiness of gait. (Multiple sclerosis is the leading cause of neurological disability among young and middle-aged adults in the United States.) *Epilepsy: Marijuana can prevent epileptic seizures in some patients. *(and now my opponent's favorite) Chronic Pain: Marijuana can alleviate the chronic, often debilitating pain caused by myriad disorders and injuries. ________ Many patients also report that marijuana is useful for treating arthritis, migraine, insomnia, menstrual cramps, alcohol and opiate addiction, and depression and other debilitating mood disorders. * Some religions use marijuana and/or other drugs in services and rituals * Recreational use I urge the reader, voter, and my opponent to take a look at these: http://www.letfreedomgrow.com... http://www.letfreedomgrow.com... http://www.letfreedomgrow.com... Also, I would like to point out that many pain-killers that are commonly prescribed are highly addictive and can be highly dangerous and harmful (i.e. opiates especially). They are also reported in many cases to have negative effects on the patients' regular daily routines in life. You don't need to worry about these things using marijuana. You can overdose on many of these prescription medicines. You can become physically addicted to these medicines. Marijuana is not physically addicting and you cannot overdose on it. Marijuana has tremendous potential for medical use, among other purposes. Do not allow rhetoric and lies to get in the way of the facts. Marijuana is safer than many medicines commonly used. It is safer than legal drugs like alcohol and tobacco. It has its detrimental qualities, but its benefits far outweigh them. Point 3: The war on drugs is a downright failure. The war on pot is a war on personal freedom. Using marijuana does not infringe on anyone else's rights. It harms no one else. If the government wants to save lives, it would do better to regulate what people eat than keep them from using weed. Marijuana is harmful. But it is harmful to such a small extent that risk is minimal, especially if not smoked. Use it responsibly, and it is perfectly okay. Marijuana has medicinal benefits. Do not keep others from using medicine because you believe one should not be intoxicated, high, drunk, baked, booming, rolling, cheesing, stoned, or whatever. Whose rights are infringed on here? (the responsible user, that's who) The war on drugs is an expensive failure too. Billions of dollars have been spent on it fruitlessly. If weed was legalized, we would push money lost into money gained, through tax revenue, and through new jobs. Now, i would like to address his question posed in his first argument. ---"Why should marijuana be legalized for adults, but not children?" Because children should not be making this major decision early in life, and any negative effects can be expanded through use in early life, while still developing. For the same reasons alcohol and tobacco are outlawed. Risk of irresponsible use and harm is diminished when used after fully developing mentally and physically. ______________________________________Bottom Line:_________________________________________________ Legalizing marijuana pushes taxpayer money being spent on fighting it into tax revenue and profit. Legalizing marijuana creates a safer way and environment to use it. Legalizing marijuana affords users and patient the much-deserved rights to medication, religious practice, and personal freedom. Marijuana is safer than legal drugs like alcohol and tobacco, as well as an excellent alternative to other medicines, like potentially addictive and fatal painkillers. It is a tremendous show of hypocrisy on the government's part to allow tobacco and alcohol use to continue, yet it demonizes marijuana. It ain't poison. It ain't a miracle drug. It's a drug that deserves to be legalized. Legalize it! /Chuckles _________________________________________________________________________________________________ PS: technically, this is the bottom line of my argument^^^