by Maribeth Woods

Created on: November 16, 2008

There is much debate going on over the topic of decriminalizing marijuana, the pros and cons of it, and the various reasons for it. I strongly oppose the decriminalization of marijuana. Marijuana is the most commonly used drug among teens and young adults, and if it were to become legal that would entail higher user rates as well as younger aged users. For example, if the age to purchase alcohol lowered from 21 to 18, there would be more younger ages using alcohol; and this is the same for marijuana. Marijuana is considered one of the gateway drugs to harder drugs such as opium, cocaine, etc. so that would possibly increase the rate of harder illicit drugs if marijuana were to become legalized. Marijuana affects a user's academic abilities, family, finances, health, and safety among other things Marijuana also causes users to become lazy, have an altered perception of time, impaired short term memory, and also causes users to have an altered physical coordination, this doesn't even include a majority of the risks associated with marijuana use. Marijuana has become more potent than in the past, so why would be want to decriminalize it? Even if the drug was to become decriminalized there are still several potential risk factors associated with it. If marijuana were to become decriminalized then people would increase their use even more, and cause even greater brain damage. Marijuana does damage the brain, and that increased use will result in further harm of the body. Even though users may not feel an impact in changes in their behavior, everyone else around them can tell. Overall I feel that marijuana should not be decriminalized and that I strongly oppose it. Marijuana is considered a gateway drug, so if decriminalized it could lead to more people using harder illicit drugs. Also if it were decriminalized people would be using it more often, and there would be more youth using at a younger age. Some people think that marijuana is not harmful, and that using it does not hurt anyone. Marijuana use has led to teens dropping out of school, being unsuccessful in academics, increased laziness, and such. It has causes health problems, personal problems, and other associated risks that people don't think exist, such as the increased potency of marijuana. It also causes brain damage and severely affects the functions of the brain. I think that marijuana should remain illegal, and that it was made illegal for a reason; just as other illicit drugs.

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