Legalization of Marjuana
Drug use is becoming more common today than in recent years. Almost
anywhere we look, we can find some relation to drugs or drug paraphernalia.In
fact, 63% of you stated in my survey that you had smoked marijuana in the
past.That number is scary, since 81% of you are under 25 years of age and have
your
whole lives ahead of you.
Some of you may be thinking "So What" Bill
Clinton
has admitted smoking marijuana, and he is President. Well, that surely is
not a
good attitude to have considering the damage that marijuana may cause to
your
body.Sure, many of you may not change your lifestyle after today, but I hope
to make you think of what you may be getting yourself in to. This afternoon
I
will give you both sides of the issue.
I will try to persuade you to stay
away
from marijuana in turning you against this dangerous drug.Many supporters of marijuana claim that hemp can be a very resourceful
plant. Hemp is considered to contain less than one percent
tetrahydrocannabinols (THC) (Pluff 1). THC is the psychoactive chemical
found
in marijuana. Hemp can be confused with marijuana and considered the same,
but
do not let this fool you.
Marijuana comes from the flowers or "buds" of the
hemp plant. These buds are what contains the THC and gives the user the
high
effect (Pluff 1). Other nations such as Europe have registered varieties of
hemp seeds that contain less than .03 percent of THC including the buds
(Pluff
1).
Now that you know what hemp is, lets look at its uses. Hemp fiber can
be turned in to rope, canvas, and paper, and this is only a few of the
uses.The rope that is made with hemp is said to be resistant to both fresh water
and
salt water. It is also considered better than most conventional rope by its
strength and holding power. Another product that can be made from hemp is
canvas.
This canvas is very useful in making tents, sails, and even the
covers
on early settlers' wagons. Like the rope, the canvas also stands up well
against water, and ninety percent of ship's sails were made of hemp canvas
before the nineteenth century. The last product I am going to talk about is
hemp paper. This paper is much softer than conventional paper, and it is
stated
that, "one acre of hemp can replace four acres of forest" (Pluff 2).
This
paper
also does not yellow or crumble with age, a common complaint with
conventional
paper (Pluff 1).You may be wondering why such a useful plant is illegal, well let me
tell you the other side of the story. Marijuana is said to be useful in the
medical field as a cure for some disease. It is also an argument that
smoking
marijuana does not cause any side affects. I will prove this to be untrue,
and
a myth of society.
The first claim by the supporters of marijuana is for medical reasons.Through much research doctors have found that marijuana may be a treatment
for
such illnesses as glaucoma, cancer, and acquired immune deficiency syndrome
(AIDS). In fact, Proposition 215 just passed in California and Arizona
giving
citizens the right to smoke marijuana for medical reasons (Medical 1). One
thing that is overlooked with this is that marijuana is not a cure, but a
relief
from the pain suffered by these citizens. If it is a relief from pain the
sufferer is looking for, there are many other options to consider before
choosing something as dangerous as marijuana.
It only takes a little common
sense to figure that something that is considered illegal by the Federal
Government could not be used as a cure for any illness
