Why Marijuana should be legalized
Rhonda Mackey
Professor Davies
Writing 121
March 4, 2013
Why Marijuana should be legalized For people that don’t know what marijuana is? It is the dried leaves and flowering pots of the hemp plant that contain THC and is consumed for a number of different reasons. There are hundreds of different types of marijuana strains that range in effects and potency. There are many myths and facts about marijuana that people still do not know, and there is a very negative connotation that is seen toured people that take marijuana. Marijuana is the third most used recreational drug in America behind Alcohol and Tobacco. Marijuana is far less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco. Around 50,000 people die each year from alcohol poisoning. More than 400,000 deaths each year are attributed to smoking tobacco. Marijuana is a nontoxic drug that cannot case death and or overdose on it. So there are no reported deaths for Marijuana. There are a lot of unfounded rumors that say that smoking pot can cause lung cancer because you’re inhaling smoke, like cigarettes. This is simply not true. Cigarette smoke causes cancer because the tobacco is radiated where marijuana is not. In fact, the American Association for Cancer research has found that marijuana actually helps slow down the tumor that is growing in the lungs, breasts, and brain. The American Association for cancer did several studies’ to show that Marijuana can help slow down tumors. “Then, for three weeks, researchers injected standard doses of THC into mice that had been implanted with human lung cancer cells, and found that tumors were reduced in size and weight by about 50 percent in treated animals compared to a control group. There was also about a 60 percent reduction in cancer lesions on the lungs in these mice as well as a significant reduction in protein markers associated with cancer progression, Preet says.” (American Association for Cancer Research, 2007, p. 3) Study after study has shown that Alcohol is
Professor Davies
Writing 121
March 4, 2013
Why Marijuana should be legalized For people that don’t know what marijuana is? It is the dried leaves and flowering pots of the hemp plant that contain THC and is consumed for a number of different reasons. There are hundreds of different types of marijuana strains that range in effects and potency. There are many myths and facts about marijuana that people still do not know, and there is a very negative connotation that is seen toured people that take marijuana. Marijuana is the third most used recreational drug in America behind Alcohol and Tobacco. Marijuana is far less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco. Around 50,000 people die each year from alcohol poisoning. More than 400,000 deaths each year are attributed to smoking tobacco. Marijuana is a nontoxic drug that cannot case death and or overdose on it. So there are no reported deaths for Marijuana. There are a lot of unfounded rumors that say that smoking pot can cause lung cancer because you’re inhaling smoke, like cigarettes. This is simply not true. Cigarette smoke causes cancer because the tobacco is radiated where marijuana is not. In fact, the American Association for Cancer research has found that marijuana actually helps slow down the tumor that is growing in the lungs, breasts, and brain. The American Association for cancer did several studies’ to show that Marijuana can help slow down tumors. “Then, for three weeks, researchers injected standard doses of THC into mice that had been implanted with human lung cancer cells, and found that tumors were reduced in size and weight by about 50 percent in treated animals compared to a control group. There was also about a 60 percent reduction in cancer lesions on the lungs in these mice as well as a significant reduction in protein markers associated with cancer progression, Preet says.” (American Association for Cancer Research, 2007, p. 3) Study after study has shown that Alcohol is