MARIJUANA SHOULD REMAIN AN ILLEGAL SUBSTANCE
Marijuana has become a more and more acceptable drug over the past few years despite its
many side effects, not only on the user, but also on society as a whole. Due to these side
effects on society and the marijuana user, it would be in the best interest of everyone that
marijuana remains an illegal substance. On one side of the issue you have marijuana users
saying that it is their choice on whether or not they should be allowed to smoke marijuana.
The question we have to ask ourselves is, are individual freedoms so important that we are
willing to allow these individual freedoms to continue without consequence, even if their
actions are harmful. The purpose of this essay will be to put forth a strong argument that
will prove that marijuana should remain an illegal substance.
Before I go any further I want to clear up a few things. When I say that marijuana should
remain illegal I mean that in Canada marijuana use and trafficking should be treating
exactly the way it is now under the Criminal Code of Canada. I dont mean that there
should be anymore restrictions placed upon marijuana. I also mean that the exceptions
where marijuana use is allowed should remain the same. Secondly when I refer to
marijuana use and marijuana users I am only talking about when the substance is smoked I
am not talking about any other methods in which marijuana is used.
The most obvious reason it keep marijuana use illegal is the harmful effects it has on the
smoker. Some of the short term effects of marijuana use include: problems with memory
and learning, distorted perception, trouble with thinking and problem solving, loss of
co-ordination, and increased heart rate (due to possible anxiety).
The long-term effects include cancer; damages to the lungs and airways; and finally
damages to the immune system. Studies show that someone who smokes five joints per
week may be taking in as much cancer causing chemicals as someone whom smokes
fifteen cigarettes daily. As well people who smoke marijuana often develop coughing and
wheezing. They tend to have more chest colds than nonusers do. They are also at a higher
risk of getting lung infections like pneumonia. Different studies on animals have found that
marijuana can damage the cells and tissues in the body that help protect people from
disease. When the immune cells are weakened, you are more likely to get sick.
