By: Sebastian Lechuga

In today’s drug society, there is a huge controversy whether or not the U.S. should continue to pursue the idea of legalizing marijuana throughout the country.   Marijuana was first introduced to the American public in the early 1900s from the people of Mexico during the Mexican Revolution war.  However, after the Marijuana Tax Act in 1931, Marijuana became illegal everywhere in the U.S.  Now, there are 15 states that currently have marijuana outlawed, while 10 states have decided to legalize it.

Many people are still shadowed from the stereotype that think smoking marijuana is horrible to consume, and have reasons to think so.  However, as research is continuing on, people are discovering the joyful wonders marijuana brings towards people.  Marijuana is continuously being legalized in other states, as governors of the US are realizing there is little harm that comes from the green leaf.  For that, I strongly believe that weed should be legal everywhere because it is safer than other drugs, it helps people sleep at night, several successful people have admitted smoking it, and is useful for medical purposes.  

            As mentioned earlier above, Marijuana has been growing popular in the American public due to the amazing things it does for people, and how safe it is for people to consume it.  Ever since, marijuana has been publicly known, not one person has died from an overdose, unlike other drugs such as tobacco, and alcohol.  In the article, “This is Why Marijuana should be Legal Everywhere”, by Renee Jacques, she says, “Ever since marijuana has been known to mankind, not one single-account of death from overdose has been recorded.  On the other hand, in 2010, 38,329 people died from drug overdoses.  Sixty percent of those were related to prescription drugs.”  It is publicly known that overdosing from weed is entirely impossible.  In order to overdose from smoking weed, a consumer would need to smoke 1,500 pounds in a time span of 15 minutes which cannot happen.  Every year, more and more people are starting to smoke more weed because of how safe it is for the human body compared to other drugs. 

            Another reason why weed should be legalize is because it benefits users more hours of sleep at night.  In the marijuana world, there are two distinct strains that have different purposes.  The two strains are sativa, and indica.  In the article, “The difference between Indica and Sativa.  Do they Matter?” written by The Plant, they point out the differences between the two strains.  They state, “The real difference between today’s Indica and Sativa plants is in their observable traits during the cultivation cycle.  Indica plants tend to grow short with thick stems and broad, deep-green leaves.  They also have short flowering cycles, and grow sufficiently in cod, short-season climates.  Sativa plants have longer flowering cycles, fare better in warm climates with long seasons, and usually grow taller with light-green, narrow leaves.”  Not only do these two strains look different, but it gives the consumer different effects while smoking it.  Sativa strains make the consumer happy, and more energetic.  Indica makes the body calmer and more relax which is why people would consume the indica strain for bed at night. 

In recent years, scientists are discovering that marijuana is used to help treat various conditions that people have.  People are now starting to make medical marijuana, and are selling them at local dispensaries.  In the article, “Medical marijuana FAQ”, it defines it as, “Medical Marijuana uses the marijuana plant or chemicals in it to treat diseases or conditions.  It’s basically the same product as recreational marijuana, but it’s taken for medical purposes.  The marijuana plant contains more than 100 different chemicals called cannabinoids.  Each one has a different effect on the body.  Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are the main chemicals used in medicine.  THC also produces the ‘high’ people feel when they smoke marijuana or eat food containing it. Cannabinoids- the active chemicals in medical marijuana – are similar to chemicals the body makes that are involved in appetite, memory, movement, and pain.”  Cannabinoids helps people who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, reduce anxiety, reduce pain, it kills cancer cells, and controls the nausea that occurs from the cancer chemotherapy.   

Marijuana just doesn’t help people with mental illness, but it also provides great relation for your muscles.  Steve Kerr, a professional basketball coach for the Golden State Warriors, admitted that he has used marijuana in the past to help recover from his recent knee surgery he suffered from.  Another figure in the NBA that has notably smoked weed is Stephen Jackson.  Stephen Jackson played for a long time with several teams, and some can agree that he had a great career.  He truly believes that the NBA should make athletes decide if they want to smoke or not.   In the article, “Stephen Jackson Says He Smoked Marijuana Entire NBA Career, Details Usage”, by Alec Nathan, Stephan states, “I think they should take it off.  Of course,” Jackson said.  “Why not? … I smoked my whole career.  I had smoked my whole career.  I had a hell of a career—didn’t miss no games.  I ain’t going to say it helped.  But as far as coming down after the games, relaxing, it helped.  Before the games, nobody can play high, especially in the NBA.  It’s a high level of competition, and guys are great, so nobody can play high, but after the games, guys need to come down and relax, because it’s a physical sport” (Nathan).  Smoking weed helped Stephen through his career, and I’m sure many more athletes are doing the same. 

Even my own dad as admitted using marijuana for the same purposes Steve Kerr and Stephen Jackson had.  Now, my dad in no way was a professional athlete, nor was he an athlete at all, but he told me that he consumed marijuana because his work was very physical, and he complained for having a lot of aches in his muscles.  He talks a lot about his back right now, and he can’t really do anything physical for long periods of time because of it.  However, after a long day of work, “a pearl” he would say, always helped him recover to get ready for the next day at work. 

Marijuana has been viewed so poorly and unfairly for too long of a time, especially throughout the United States.  Marijuana has forever been known as a “gateway drug”, and is the main argument for people deciding not to smoke it.  That statement is complete false.  “As Scientific American points out, the studies that show people who use marijuana first before trying other drugs is correlation and not causation.  People who gong on to use harder drugs also tend to smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol before trying the other substances plus with our current stigma on pot only people who are predisposed to being a ‘outlaw drug user’ are going to smoke pot” (Jacques).  Marijuana has been proved over and over, that it is okay for it to be consumed by users from all around. 

Marijuana would continue to have its haters, however with the immense research that is currently being done, hopefully people can see or realize the joy it bring to us and to the rest of the world. 

Works cited

Jacques, Renee. “This Is Why Marijuana Should Be Legal Everywhere.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 7 Dec. 2017, http://www.huffpost.com/entry/marijuana-legalization_n_4151423.

Lava, Neil. “Medical Marijuana FAQ.” WebMD, WebMD, http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/medical-marijuana-faq.

Nathan, Alec. “Stephen Jackson Says He Smoked Marijuana Entire NBA Career, Details Usage.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 5 Jan. 2018, bleacherreport.com/articles/2752464-stephen-jackson-says-he-smoked-marijuana-entire-nba-career-details-usage.

“The Real Difference Between Sativa vs Indica.” Weedmaps, 25 Mar. 2019, weedmaps.com/learn/the-plant/difference-between-indica-sativa/.