Legal writing research paper

ON

“Legalisation of Marijuana”

Table of Contents

1.) Abstract

2.) Literature Review

3.) Research Methodology

4.) Introduction

5.) Reasons why marijuana should be legalised

6.) Reasons why marijuana shouldn’t be legalised

7.) How does marijuana use affect school, work , social life?

8.) Suggestion and conclusion

 ABSTRACT
My research includes all the aspects which are required to show why their should be
legalization of marijuana or not. The merits and demerits of legalization of marijuana and the
mentality behind drug use, both by those who use them and those who do not. Understanding
the difference between medical marijuana and recreational marijuana which is utmost
important to know whether legalization of marijuana should be done or not. When people talk
about medical marijuana, they’re talking about using the whole unprocessed plant or the
chemicals contained within it to alleviate the symptoms of certain conditions or diseases whereas
recreational marijuana is a pot that is used without medical justification. Recreational marijuana
usually has more THC content than the medicinal variety, as this is what provides users with a
“high” or we can say unstable mind because a person who is under the influence of such thing is
not in his senses. This paper addresses the reason why marijuana should be legalised or not
whether it should be given to the younger ones or not whether
 REVIEW OF LITERATURE
The first source that is covered under the review of literature is the article by ProCon.org, this
article is very useful for the students who want to present both advantages and demerits of
legalizing medical marijuana and its usage among patients and common people. One can find
numerous reviews of medical professionals on the use of medical marijuana from different
scientific fields. While promoting cannabis use, many doctors have stated that it is indeed
helpful and makes the alternative treatment element essential and indispensable. In addition,
other medications do not show the high efficiency levels as compared to medical marijuana.
Moreover, most physicians that participated in the research claim that this kind of treatment
does not impact human health in a negative way, even of patients use medical marijuana on a
permanent basis.

The second review of literature that I have covered is the article published by Redda Kinfe1 as
she explores the use of medical marijuana from a pharmacological viewpoint and offers
detailed information on how it affects the majority of human organs, in particular general
behavior and brain. Author gives explicit details about all processes that occur after marijuana
use and become altered in the brain. When you want to disprove the use of medical marijuana
from a pharmacological point of view, it is just the article that you need to choose for your
research paper

The third review of literature that I have covered is the article “Health Implications On
Marijuana Use” by Peterson Robert2 talks about how quickly medical marijuana transforms
from societal trend into special treatment for patients with fatal and complex medical
conditions. There are numerous facts that disprove the societal based use of medical marijuana
based on the cultural flaws. However, the legalization aspect of marijuana must be discussed
according to categories such as gender, health, demographics, etc. Peterson Robert's article
also discusses in depth how marijuana affects the motor skills, the work of all organs,

1
ProCon.org. “Should Marijuana be a Medical Option?” ProCon.org. N.p., 31 Aug. 2009. Web. 11 Apr. 2011.
2
Peterson, Robert. “Health Implications of Marijuana Use: A Review.” The American Biology Teacher
41.9 (1979): 526-529. JSTOR. Web. 10 Apr. 2011.
particularly the brain. Therefore, if one desires to promote or disprove the usage of medical
marijuana, article by Peterson will be highly beneficial for its presented data obtained from
numerous researches.

The fourth review of literature that I have covered is the case study on Mother and Son and
the use of marijuana by O’Brien3 the case study is basically based on the hilarious case which
endorses medical marijuana use. Here O'Brien mentioned mother who used to quarrel with her
son DD, the issue's main subject. Mother conducted experiments with different forms of
treatment to help her kid become socially active and adapt to societal needs and start behaving
in a way which is acceptable in the society. All traditional therapy or clinical sessions did not
help and even mother tried a lot of drugs in an attempt to diminish violent behaviour. The most
hilarious thing that happened is that when mother gave her son medical marijuana, DD
behavior changed completely. There were no more occasions with violent behaviour, while DD
got acquainted with new friends as if a new lease of life had been given him. He also helped his
classmates with homework assignments. Nonetheless, court decided to take DD our custody of
mother for such act of misbehavior and disobedience to the legal framework. However, for
those who would like to advocate the use of medical marijuana in a more anecdotal voice this
case study is very cognitive.

The fifth review of literature that I have covered is the article “Cancer causes and control” by
Sydney, Stephen, Charles Quesenberry, Gary Friedman, and Irene Tekawa and its very
cognitive, because it provides the links between cancer patients and medical use of marijuana
among them. Research conducted by the authors is more than deep and profound as the
experiment involved some 65,000 California citizens with different types of cancer as they have
all been exposed to the daily use of marijuana. In addition, researchers have paid significantly
to other influences, such as alcohol consumption and smoking among respondents. Scientists,
however, came to a conclusion–people who smoke marijuana feel they are vulnerable to a
greater risk of cancer than ordinary people.

The sixth review of literature that I have covered is the article “The Ethics Of Medical
Marijuana” by Clark ,the author of the article dedicates a great deal to the topic of medical
marijuana legalization. Clark presents historical facts about the use of medical marijuana and its
legal nature at the beginning of the article. Clark cites evidence that various doctors used
medical marijuana in their practice, which were subjected to various studies. The author has
paid great attention to every case and to the process of voting among common people. Clark
mentions various cases about people who oppose federal marijuana use restrictions. Clark
argues that in a number of cases this alternative form of treatment is highly effective, which

3
O’Brien, Kevin, and Peter Clark. “Case Study: Mother and Son: The Case of Medical Marijuana.” The Hastings
Center Report 32.5 (2002): 11-13. Web. 9 Apr. 2011.
means government should be more committed to the legal provisions prohibiting medical
usage of marijuana.

 RESEARCH METHADOLOGY
My research comprises of secondary material which is being taken out from different journals,
articles, expert opinions by different doctors , scientific research and all.

 INTRODUCTION
Marijuana — also named cannabis, marijuana, pot, hemp, plant, ganja, Mary Jane, and a whole
bunch of other slang terms— is a greenish-gray mixture of Cannabis sativa's dried flowers. Their
are people who smoke marijuana in hand-rolled cigarettes called joints(roll); in pipes, water
pipes ( called bongs), or in blunts (marijuana rolled in cigar wraps). Marijuana can also be used
to brew tea, and is often mixed into foods (edibles) such as brownies, cookies, or sweets just to
give a trip or vibe particularly when sold or consumed for medicinal purposes. There is also a
growing use of vaporizers to consume marijuana. Stronger types of marijuana include sinsemilla
(from specially tended female plants) and concentrated resins that contain high concentrations of
the active ingredients of marijuana, including honey like hash oil, waxy budder, and hard amber
smash. These resins are becoming increasingly popular among those who use them both for
recreational and medical purposes. Marijuana is the most widely consumed illicit drug in the
world, with an estimated 125 million people consuming it each year in some form or another.
Throughout India the use of marijuana has traditionally been bound up with spirituality and
mysticism. It is said to be a drug that helps the patient reach "ecstasy in the word's original
meaning." India has been eating and celebrating charas (hash), bhang and cannabis for centuries.
However, the introduction of strict narcotic laws in 1986 made it illegal to sell, consume,
cultivate and transport marijuana in the country. The 1937 Marijuana Tax Act was the first U.S.
federal legislation to criminalize marijuana nationwide. The Act imposed an excise tax on the
sale, possession or transfer of all hemp products that would effectively criminalize all but the
plant's industrial uses. The first person charged under the Act was Fifty-eight-year-old farmer
Samuel Caldwell. He was convicted on 2 October 1937 for selling marijuana, just one day after
the passage of the Act. Caldwell was convicted of four years of hard labour. The side effects of
Marijuana — both mental and physical — are partly responsible for its legal status under review.
Short-term effects may include euphoria or other major changes in mood, increased sensory
perception and increased appetite. The amount of THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) in marijuana—
the chemical that is responsible for the potency of the drug— has grown dramatically in recent
decades. The total THC content of seized marijuana was about 4 per cent in the mid-1990s. It
was around 12% by 2014, with a few pot strains containing THC levels as high as 37%.

 Reasons Why Marijuana Should Be Legalized4

1.) Medical use

Reports have shown that there are hundreds of health benefits of marijuana use. This treats glaucoma,
prevents the spread of cancer to other parts of the body, decreases anxiety, delays the spread of
Alzheimer's disease, increases metabolism and is even said to stimulate innovation in our brain.

2.) Token of freedom

The government has absolutely no right to limit the relatively harmless freedoms of consenting
adults. Even though marijuana is harmful–and that is not clear at all–it is every individual's right
to decide whether to take it. Smoking weed is a' victimless crime' in which only the individual
takes some risk. Telling people how they can, or can't enjoy themselves is unethical.

3.) Income and Jobs

The establishment of marijuana nurseries and dispensaries would be the first step for those
states that voted for medical marijuana. These would not only create jobs but also try to boost
the attention in these areas for economic activity in the pot industry. For states like California
and Nevada where such infrastructure already exists, as the industry has developed, the
economic impact has become more quantifiable.

4.) Investment Opportunities

Legal marijuana offers the opportunity for significant local and national benefits to the
economies. It could also help secure investor portfolios across the region, as well as further
afield. While marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, investors are having difficulty
capitalizing on the industry's growth. The number of marijuana-related companies traded on

4
https://www.debatingeurope.eu/focus/arguments-legalising-cannabis/#.Xjc_CcgzbIV
https://www.businessinsider.in/14-of-the-biggest-questions-researchers-have-about-marijuana/How-should-
medical-marijuana-be-dosed-what-should-it-be-used-for/slideshow/57693632.cms
public stock exchanges is limited, and while investors have the option to work with over - the-
counter markets, many of the most successful businesses have been located in Canada or other
countries in the early legal cannabis market.

5.) Reduces anxiety, depression and tackling other drug abuses.

Though marijuana is also considered to be a cause of anxiety, a 2011 study found that
cannabinoid CBD, significantly reduced anxiety, cognitive impairment, and distress in speech
efficiency, and significantly decreased warning in patients with generalized social anxiety
disorder's anticipatory expression. Everyone who have ever used marijuana before going to
bed knows how easy it is to sleep after a good session and even control nightmares plus help in
tackling other severe drugs .

 Reasons why marijuana shouldn’t be legalized.5

1.) Excessive use of marijuana

Although cannabis have some medical uses and can be used in a strictly controlled way, it's
simply not good for you to smoke or mumble on space cakes. Opium poppy derivatives do not
make heroin safer but they have medical uses. For one reason, Dope is called –it makes you
dumb. It is dangerous not only to your brain but also to your lungs, your heart is bad and the
chance is awful if you intend to do something, such as driving or running equipment. Smokers
are also more vulnerable to mental health problems such as schizophrenia and depression.

2.) Pushers will keep pushing.

Legalizing cannabis will not prevent the groups selling drugs, they will only see income rising as
it leads to more consumers and more abusers. Look in Amsterdam at the social problems
created by a liberal culture of potting, from mobbing to prostitution and drug use. There were
tightening constraints on the authorities. Research shows that heavy pot smokers are more
likely to commit violent crime than non-users.

3.) Risk of heart attack and hamper logical skills.

If you have a heart condition, then when you take the drug, you put your life at risk. Even if you
don't have any problems even taking the drug will increase your chance of a heart attack for a
couple of hours! Both tests have shown that drug users can experience an increase in heart rate
where one can expect 4.8 times within the first hour of taking the drugs to establish the risk of
heart attack. With these inquiries it comes as no surprise that most medical practitioners are

5
https://internationalcannabisassociation.com/the-disadvantages-of-marijuana/
not even reasonably or without a doctor's prescription in terms of using the medications and
the long term users suffer from damage to their analytical and mathematical because it
hampers their brains.

4.) Creates dependency or addiction.

While many people regard the drug as harmless or claim to be liberal, all scientific research has
shown that marijuana will eventually bring the person into a state when he becomes a drug
addict. The argument that came out with different studies is that all long-term marijuana users
develop a drug dependence, and they will find it difficult to give up smoking marijuana. Those
who try to give up the weed at the later stage will face severe symptoms of withdrawal
including anxiety, depression, eating disorders and frequent fits of rage and emotional
outbursts.

5.) Chronic pain in your body and affecting children.

When you smoke marijuana regularly you will develop chronic pain. Long-term cannabis use
can lead to a medical situation described as cannabinoid hyperemesis which can lead to
coldness and vomiting. People also suffer from regular stomach ache, because they consume
this drug without a break at high levels. Because of this, most of the people who are heavy
users often visit doctors with body pain problems and if any of your parent is regularly using
marijuana in front of there children they are indirectly harming them and there health by
causing irritation to their lungs.

 How does marijuana use affect school, work, and social life ?6
Evidence has shown that the adverse effects of marijuana on concentration, memory, and
learning can last for days or weeks after the drug's acute effects wear off, depending on the
background of the person using the drug. Consequently, someone who smokes marijuana on a
daily basis may function most or all of the time at a reduced intelligence level. There is
considerable evidence that students who smoke marijuana have worse educational outcomes
than their non-smoking peers. For example, a review of 48 relevant studies found marijuana
use associated with reduced educational achievement (i.e., reduced graduation chances). A
recent analysis using data from three major studies in Australia and New Zealand showed
teenagers who frequently used marijuana were significantly less likely to finish high school or

6
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/how-does-marijuana-use-affect-school-
work-social-life
earn a degree than their non-using peers. We also had a much greater chance to develop
depression, use other medications and attempt suicide. Many studies have also related heavy
use of marijuana to lower incomes, greater dependency on welfare, unemployment, criminal
behavior and lower life satisfaction. Studies have also suggested specific linkages between
marijuana use and workplace adverse effects, such as increased risk of injury or accidents. One
research of postal workers showed that employees who tested marijuana positively on a pre-
employment urine drug test had 55 percent more industrial accidents, 85 percent more injuries
and 75 percent more absenteeism than those who tested marijuana negatively.

 SUGGESTION AND CONCLUSION

If legalization leads to greater use is a critical point of contention in the marijuana policy
debates. Legalization activists claim that legalizing the drug but restricting it could minimize
its use and make its use safer, while critics say legalization would make the marijuana easier
to access and hence more widely used and misused. The debate is all about the excessive use
of marijuana which affects the human beings and make them vulnerable , in my opinion
marijuana should be legalised for medicinal use and the government should impose stricter
norms and policies regarding the use of marijuana and should charge heft sum of money if
anyone found using marijuana illegally and the parents should try to avoid the usage in front
of small children so that they do not get influenced by this at an early stage. Government
should take steps in educating the citizens about the medicinal use of marijuana and guiding
them in a manner which is useful for both the government and the citizens. There is evidence
showing both marijuana's hazards and health benefits. You and your physician will need to
understand this context and how they contribute to your health and condition prior to using
this medicine if you live in a state where the use of marijuana has been legal. For example, if
you have a history of mental health issues, you should certainly avoid marijuana if there is
some evidence to support the use of marijuana to alleviate pain. Nonetheless, following a
very thorough and up to date analysis of science studies examining the advantages and
disadvantages of the drug over the last couple of years, more work is obviously needed to
better evaluate the impact of increasing marijuana use on public health.