Arguments against Legalization of Marijuana

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Note: In your write-up, you can arrange the arguments against the legalization of marijuana using this outline:

I. What is Marijuana?
II. Ill effects
a. To human life
B. Social
c. Psychological
d. Education
e. Workplace
III. Marijuana is not like alcohol
IV. The Role of Parents

Note: In your starting write-up introduce what marijuana is and its active ingredient.

You can quote Drug facts from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2012):

"Marijuana is a dry, shredded green and brown mix of leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. In a more concentrated, resinous form, it is called hashish, and as a sticky black liquid, hash oil. The main psychoactive (mind-altering) chemical in marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC".

"When marijuana is smoked, THC rapidly passes from the lungs into the bloodstream, which carries the chemical to the brain and other organs throughout the body. It is absorbed more slowly when ingested in food or drink".

"The highest density of cannabinoid receptors is found in parts of the brain that influence pleasure, memory, thinking, concentration, sensory and time perception, and coordinated movement. Marijuana over activates the endocannabinoid system, causing the high and other effects that users experience. These include distorted perceptions, impaired coordination, difficulty with thinking and problem solving, and disrupted learning and memory".

Note: After the introduction you can proceed with these materials as suggested in the outline.

Effects to humans:

"Research clearly demonstrates that marijuana has the potential to cause problems in daily life or make a person's existing problems worse. In fact, heavy marijuana users generally report lower life satisfaction, poorer mental and physical health, relationship problems, and less academic and career success compared to their peers who came from similar backgrounds" (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2012).
Budney (2007) said that "some 4.3 percent of Americans have been dependent on marijuana at some time in their lives".

On Social Effects:

Dryden-Edwards (2013) said that "the social effects of smoking marijuana can be quite detrimental as well". He emphasized that "adolescents who use the substance are at higher risk of pregnancy, dropping out of school, delinquency, legal problems, and achieving less educationally and occupationally. ...