Americans 21 or older can legally drink alcohol. In every state in America, people can legally purchase cigarettes. In some states, tobacco products can be legally purchased by an 18-year-old. But in 18 states, it remains illegal to possess marijuana in any capacity.
What have those states’ lawmakers been smoking to not legalize marijuana yet? Marijuana should be legalized, at least for medicinal purposes.
Doctors have prescribed weed, pot, Mary Jane, grass, ganga, reefer, the Devil’s lettuce, whatever you want to call it, to help alleviate symptoms from many conditions.
A person diagnosed with cancer may suffer from nausea, headaches and anxiety, all symptoms of cancer or radiation treatment. Marijuana helps reduce these, studies show.
Besides cancer, marijuana helps people who suffer epilepsy, post-traumatic stress disorder and Alzheimer’s disease. Shouldn’t people suffering have the option for help to ease some of their pain? Would you not want that option?
The number of Americans who want medical marijuana legalized continues to rise. Last year, 85 percent of Americans agreed doctor-prescribed marijuana should be legalized, studies show.
But marijuana poses health concerns still, right? Of course, it does.
Marijuana can still damage lungs if inhaled like tobacco. Getting high and driving makes someone almost twice as likely to get in an accident. Driving high remains not as dangerous as driving drunk, studies show. Still, don’t drive high.
Marijuana can affect the brain and brain cells. Studies found people who begin using the drug as an adult don’t show notable intelligent quotient (IQ) declines.
Federal lawmakers assigned age restrictions for alcohol and tobacco. Many Americans will still be college students when they reach the legal age to drink alcohol or use tobacco. Can age restrictions not be put on the possession and use of medical marijuana?
If you’re not sold yet, maybe you should know how well marijuana sells.
Arizona legalized medical marijuana in 2010. Last year, the state made $400 million in prescribed marijuana sales. In 2017, the 14 states offering only medical marijuana averaged about $104 million in sales.
For states living in poverty, legalizing medical marijuana could help boost their economies. Of the top 10 poorest states in America, medical marijuana remains illegal in seven of them.
I don’t use marijuana, and I don’t want to use marijuana. Legalizing marijuana makes sense. It makes sense for a state’s economy. It makes sense to help the people in the country who suffer to feel less pain.
