STEP 4

ROUGH DRAFT

Paola Rodriguez June.05.2007

Economics B Band

Why should marijuana not be legalized?

There is nothing healthy in marijuana. However many people consume big quantities & throw away cash to satisfy their cravings. Marijuana is a big problem in society today. Due to the fact that the biggest target of smoking marijuana is young adults, the result is a greater increase of smokers & the dangers to young adults on getting addicted are superior.

Marijuana is very dangerous. Once you start smoking, you begin to lose your brain cells & a lack of short term memory. Marijuana causes many health problems, like lung cancer & is ten times stronger than cigarettes. Marijuana can even end your life. Some people I know both young & adults smoke marijuana. They know the risk they are taking by smoking marijuana, but they still choose to do it. I hear about the causes of smoking marijuana & they are hazardous.

The sellers will never be any help to this problem. Sometimes I get worried because I may wake up & find out my friend or someone I know is dead from doing this habit. I ask myself “Why then do you continue smoking?” Maybe you do it because you haven’t really become conscious at all about each and every one of the effects of smoking marijuana. There are a lot of reasons why you should not smoke. Some of them are that smoking marijuana affects your health. Also you tend to spend a lot of money on marijuana. The substances in marijuana are damaging & even fatal. When you smoke marijuana you are not respecting yourself & the people around you.

The primary motivation why marijuana should not be legalized is because it affects your health. If you smoke your physical condition will be miserably affected, so it will be very difficult for you to do well in sports. “Smoking is the biggest cause of lung cancer” (Jillian Powell). If you decide to smoke, think about the risk you are taking before buying it. Smoking marijuana produces deadly diseases like cancer & reduces the length & quality of your life. Yes, the physical effects are not noticeable in the outer appearance & you don’t notice all the physical effects of smoking immediately. But you absolutely will be sorry the day you see yourself in the hospital not being able to breathe, or when you realize your reflexes are slower.

The secondary motivation why marijuana should not be legalized is because of the amount of money spend on it. Maybe you are just starting to smoke marijuana & do it because you think this will calm your nerves, but in the near future you will see yourself in a desperate need for a pull. When this happens you will want to pay whatever price just for one pull. Marijuana is very expensive today, especially in New York. Each small bag (0.20 oz) of marijuana can cost the least like $20! After a while you are going to think about all the money that you have paid out on a certain quantity of marijuana & will regret it for not earning that money for a brand new car of the year.

The third reason why marijuana should be kept illegal is because it contains substances that are fatal to the human body. Marijuana contains cannabis, which is a mix of dried, shredded flowers & leaves of the hemp plant. It is a mind-altering (psychoactive) drug. As you get used to marijuana it makes you want more & more each time you take a pull because you want to feel high. Can you see yourself not having control over yourself? Eventually you will want to keep smoking & there you can not do anything about it because your body is asking for it. You want to feel in control not out of control with your own body.

Last but not least on why you marijuana should not be legalized is for the reason that is very disrespectful for those that are around you. Think about it. When you smoke you harm the person that is next to you. If a nonsmoker lives or works with a smoker, for example, that nonsmoker actually breathes in smoke that is equivalent of several cigarettes a day. This is not good because it shows selfishness in your part don’t you think? People do not like the smell & will not feel comfortable standing or sitting near you. Now you have a problem because you must worry about those who are smokers & those who aren’t. Nobody likes to have problems in their lives but here you are creating one for yourself. I am sure you don’t want to create troubles in your life. This is why is just better for you to avoid this situation that is getting a “little” problematic.

I believe those are just some of the numerous reasons of why marijuana should not be legalized. So I hope that now those of you who smoke are able to think a little & try to make a smart decision. In addition to all the reasons I’ve said, I would like you to think about how much you love yourself & then whether you want to continue harming yourself. Place your thinking cap on & give thought about all the people who love you. Your family, for example, does not want to see you suffering, sick, or dead. If you decide that marijuana should be legalized then that’s a shame on you. If you decide that marijuana should remain illegal then I congratulate you because you have just saved yourself a big headache. Make sure you remember that if you propose yourself to do something you can achieve it.