Connolly 1 Logan Connolly Professor Jeff Bain-Conkin Multi-Media Writing and Rhetoric 12 April 2012 Marijuana: Why is Everybody

Always Picking on Me? In 2010, a national poll was released concerning the legalization of marijuana which found 52% of Americans in favor of the proposal. (New National Poll) This is the first time in history that the majority of United States citizens are in favor of legalizing marijuana. The sudden change of opinion can be associated with accurate releases concerning its health effects. Even with the empirical evidence released to the public, the stigma of marijuana still exists from prior generations as a dirty and dangerous street drug. It is the peoples duty to become aware of marijuanas actual health effects and make an accurate judgment on whether the government should bring prohibition to an end, decriminalize marijuana, or keep the existing lawsnot the government or medias. The identity of marijuana has been tarnished throughout the years through false evidence which leads to false advertisement of the substance. Many people in the past have been misinformed that marijuana has a harmful and even lethal aspect, but that is far from the truth. Marijuana, otherwise known as cannabis, is simply a flowering plant derived from hemp that when unprocessed creates dried leaves and flowers that can be smoked or ingested. Natural cannabis, on average, has the potency of about 5% THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) which is the component that creates a high feeling when smoked or ingested. Other forms of cannabis consist of resin which consist of about 20% THC, and oil which can have up to 60%. (United Nations) Unlike other drugs, marijuana

Connolly 2 is a naturally occurring plant, therefore, creating a stir among users who want to grow and use their own cannabis. Many users wonder why cannabis is not legalized, and the media and its proponent, the government, respond with the harm it does to your body. The truth of the matter is there have been no recorded deaths attributed to the cannabis use. While tobacco and alcohol, which are readily available to Americans, consists of about 450,000 deaths per year in the United States alone. (2000 chart) During the marijuana prohibition hype of the sixties and seventies, many scientist were certain that marijuana in fact caused chromosomal damage, sterility, respiratory damage, personality changes, permanent brain damage, etc. and the list goes on. (Iversen, 197) Coincidentally, this was during the early stages of the War on Drugs which was first initiated by President Richard Nixon in response to anti war protests during Vietnam. Many tests and experiments have been made following these claims that show little to no evidence in favor of the so-called harmful effects of marijuana. Despite the evidence put forth by scientists and anti-prohibitionists the media seems to prevail in swaying the publics opinion. Scientific findings, unlike the media, are often in small increments with the awareness that there may be human error, thus gray areas are acknowledged. On the contrary, the media intends to dramatize any story with effect rather than fact, and they usually do so with a punchy headline. (Earleywine, 140) In the world of news a story only gets televised or published if it is exciting not if its accurate. This is important to understand because today we live in a day and age where the truth does not in fact always prevail. Therefore, factual scientific evidence concerning the effects of Marijuana are hidden behind the attention grasping media. Headlines such as Keep Marijuana Off the Streets and Marijuana is Dangerous are more common

Connolly 3 than Prohibition: the Reason Marijuana is Dealt through a Black Market or Scientists Have Traced Zero Deaths to Marijuana Use. The root of the problem lays with where the mass media is receiving its revenue, and in the topic of marijuana little money is coming from those who question prohibition. Rather, the media is budgeted by the government and tax funded officials who are in favor of the prohibition of marijuana. Thus, little incentive is given for the media to broadcast stories that do not comply with the War on Drugs. (Earleywine, 142) In 2010, the Obama administration issued a book, Marijuana: Know the Facts, about the harmful effects marijuana has on ones health. It argues that (a) THC has doubled in potency since 1998 to 8% making the substance more harmful (b) Chronic marijuana use increase rates of anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, and schizophrenia, and (c) Marijuana smoke contains 50-70 percent carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke. (Marijuana: Know the Facts) An increase in THC is no different than the different potencies found in alcohol, for example drinking a beer rather than a shot. Alcohol along with Marijuana have different levels of potency, therefore, one would drink less hard liquor than they would beer, the same instance is involved with the use of marijuana. There are numerous breeds of marijuana that contain different levels of THC and the user, in most cases, is aware of this. In the case of alcohol, one can abuse too much liquor and become too intoxicated to breathe which could ultimately lead to hospitalization or death. While in the case of marijuana, if one were to smoke too much at a high level of THC they would likely eat a lot of food, pass out, or in some cases get nauseous and vomit. It is evident that the consequences of high potency is much more severe in the case of alcohol than marijuana.

Connolly 4 Anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, and schizophrenia may be a correlation between marijuana use, but can not be considered causation. Joseph M. Rey, MBBS, PhD, Honorary Professor in the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Sydney, and Christopher C. Tennant, MD, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Sydney, wrote: "Establishing direction of causality is difficult and is most appropriately assessed in non-clinical samples, but a low incidence of the illness and the fact the most drug users take other drugs in addition to cannabis create methodological problems and explain the dearth of reliable evidence. The inaccuracies of attempting to prove that marijuana causes these psychotic disorders lays with the numerous amounts of variables including other drug use and demographic, social, and psychological variables. (Rey, Joseph, M., and Joseph, M Pierre.) As for the claim that marijuana smoke has up to 50-70% more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke is an inaccurate statement for that fact that the effects of carcinogenic hydrocarbons are still fairly unknown. The Cancer Research journal by H. F. Deutsch, D. L. Miner, and H. P. Rusch state that the results of carcinogenic hydrocarbons were variable and dependent upon several factors. They concluded that it is doubtful whether the observed effects have any influence on the formation of cancer from carcinogenic hydrocarbons. (Deutsch) Not to mention that it is common knowledge that tobacco smoke is a direct cause of lung and throat cancer, while marijuana smoke has not been proven to create any of these cancers. An accurate and more reasonable portrayal of possible effects of marijuana smoke, according to WebMD, consists of rapid heart rate, increased blood pressure and

Connolly 5 rate of breathing, red eyes, dry mouth, increased appetite and slowed reaction time. (Marijuana Use) These effects are merely only physical and last up to three to four hours after smoking. The physiological effects are the only effects of marijuana that have been proven through experimentation, while other long term and psychological effects are considered theory. The lack of proof for marijuana being detrimental to ones health is evident when WebMD states, The risks of smoking marijuana go up with heavy use. Although the link has never been proven, many experts believe heavy pot smokers are at increased risk for lung cancer. With empirical evidence present portraying that marijuana has no harmful residual and initial effects, prohibitionists have continued to try and defend the prohibition by explaining that marijuana is a gateway drug. The gateway drug theory argues that less harmful drugs, such as marijuana, act as a stepping stone to illicit hard drugs. This theory is a controversial topic today and is probably the most important argument prohibitionists need to win in order to continue the War on Drugs, specifically marijuana. The need to prove the accuracy of the gateway drug theory is due to scientific evidence portraying marijuana as a useful medicine rather than a dirty street drug. Conclusions have been made through experiments using rats, surveys, and most importantly through studying human behavior directly in regard to drug use. A recent study made by the University of Pittsburgh, funded by the National Institute on Drug-Abuse, sampled 224 boys starting at the age of ten to twelve and ending at the age of twenty. The research showed that some of the boys followed the gateway

Connolly 6 theory from tobacco or alcohol to marijuana, while others went straight to marijuana and never jumped to another substance. Across the board the distribution of boys who used first tobacco, alcohol, or marijuana then went on to hard drugs were evenly distributed between the three gateway substances. The researchers concluded that environmental factors determined the boys choice of drug from the different types of neighborhoods they lived in to the kind of friends they hung out with, etc. (Why Smoking) Another study was made in Brisbane, Australia with 4000 twins whose drug use was documented from adolescence to adulthood. This experiment found similar results to the University of Pittsburgh study, but they concluded that, "Cannabis and other illicit drug use and misuse co-occur in the population due to common risk factors (correlated vulnerabilities) or a liability that is in part shared." (Why Smoking) This conclusion states that the same factors that happened to make one try marijuana are common with other illicit drugs. The study showed that the gateway drug theory has nothing to do with the components of marijuana leading one to try other drugs, but rather the laws that are in place that expose one to harder drugs through black market drug sales. The law is what is making marijuana a gateway to harder drugs and addiction, therefore, the people need to come up with a solution to change it. Two broad solutions consists of either decriminalizing the drug or legalizing it the plant. (Why Smoking) In the United States alone, in 2007, over 872,000 arrests were made on marijuana offenses which is about 47% of all drug abuse arrests. Not to mention that 89% of these arrests were for possession alone. (Marijuana Arrests) Since the beginning of the War on Drugs during Nixons service in office it is estimated that 22 million people,

Connolly 7 according to FBI records, have been arrested for solely marijuana charges, and 80% of that number is directly associated with possession. (Forty Years Ago) One must be astonished by these statistics, at least with a basic knowledge of the effects of the marijuana. One would think by decriminalizing cannabis it would, at the very least, eliminate the 89% of inmates who were arrested for possession. Decriminalizing would make a possession arrest be merely a fine rather than years taken from ones life. This would be the first step toward ending the prohibition of cannabis and would seem most reasonable in regards to the illogical amounts of arrests made annually. However, states have claimed they are decriminalized states, in regards to marijuana, but still have arrested countless amounts of people. Since 1970, twelve states have considered themselves as decriminalized states, but through research done by NELS tests have proven otherwise. Arizona has considered itself a decriminalized state since 1996, but its penalties toward possession of marijuana have not backed that statement. In Arizona a person who is charged with possession of marijuana for the first time can be charged with a felony, which could result in jail time. Other states, who are considered non-decriminalized states such as West Virginia and Connecticut, have lowered the offense of marijuana to non-criminal, but do not consider themselves as decriminalized states. In this case one must wonder if decriminalization is just a non effective term defined by the National Commission. (Pacula, 7) Ultimately, those in favor of cannabis would want to have it legalized, where marijuana use would be treated similarly to alcohol and tobacco. By doing this the government would be able to regulate where it would be sold and the age at which one

Connolly 8 could purchase. With the legalization of cannabis the government could also reap significant benefits through taxation similar to tobacco and alcohol, which is estimated at 6.4 billion dollars annually, according to Jeffrey Miron a professor at Harvard. In regards to the money spent keeping marijuana off the streets, Miron predicts that the government could save over 13.7 billion dollars that is spent annually. (Miron, 1) Before recent studies, the population was convinced that marijuana killed brain cells, caused lung and throat cancers, and was a highly addictive drug that led to other harder drugs. With the help of science through experimental trials theses accusations have been disproved. Sadly, lives have been ruined due to penalties they have received from marijuana arrests. One wonders if the government would be able to go back on what they have been telling the people for over fifty years, and apologize to all those who they wrongfully incarcerated. The past is done and it is in our hands to make sure the future does not continue in this direction. Thomas Jefferson once said in a letter to William S. Smith, God forbid if we should ever be 20 years without such rebellion. The people cannot be all, & always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions it is a lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. The only way to bring justice to the misguided War on Drugs is for the public to educate themselves and to voice their opinion in order to take a stand on this issue. Nothing will be done if the people are not heard, which will result in more men and women being

Connolly 9 arrested and imprisoned for marijuana. Democracy is in the peoples hands and it is the peoples job to utilize it.

Connolly 10 Works Cited Deutsch, H. F., H. P. Rusch, and D. L. Miner. "The Effect of Carcinogenic Hydrocarbons and Related Compounds on the Autoxidation of Oils." Cancer Research. AACR. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. <http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/1/10/818.full.pdf>. Earleywine, Mitchell. Pot Politics: Marijuana and the Costs of Prohibition. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2007. Print. "Forty Years Ago This Week: The National Commission on Marihuana Recommends Decriminalizing Canabis." Norml. Norml Legal Council, 21 Mar. 2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. <http://norml.org/news/2012/03/21/forty-years-ago-tomorrownational-commission-on-marihuana-recommends-decriminalizing-cannabis>. Iversen, Leslie L. The Science of Marijuana. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2000. Print. Marijuana Arrests For Year 2007: 872,721 Tops Record High -Five Percent Increase Over 2006-." NORML: Working to Reform Marijuana Laws. NORML, 15 Sept. 2008. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. <http://norml.org/news/2008/09/15/marijuana-arrestsfor-year-2007-872721-tops-record-high-five-percent-increase-over-2006>. "Marijuana: Know the Facts." Fact Sheet. United States. Office of National Drug Control Policy, Oct. 2010. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. <http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/gpo696/Marijuana.pdf>. "Marijuana Use and Effects of Marijuana." WebMD. WebMD, 02 Mar. 2001. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. <http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/marijuana-use-and-itseffects>. Miron, Jeffrey A. "The Budgetary Implications of Drug Prohibition." Harvard.edu. Department of Economics, Harvard University, Feb. 2010. Web. 11 Apr. 2012.

Connolly 11 <http://www.economics.harvard.edu/faculty/miron/files/budget%202010%20Fina l.pdf>. "New National Poll Finds 52% Say Legalize Marijuana." Raising Awareness of the Consequences of Prohibition. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. <http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2010/jul/22/new_national_poll_finds_52_sa y_l>. Pacula, Rosalie Liccardo, Jamie F. Chriqui, and Joanna M. King. Marijuana Decriminalization: What Does It Mean in the United States? Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2003. Print. Rey, Joseph M., and Joseph M. Pierre. "Does Marijuana Use Cause Lasting Schizophrenia, Psychosis, or Other Mental Disorders? - Medical Marijuana ProCon.org." Medical Marijuana ProCon.org. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. <http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000220>. "United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime." Why Does Cannabis Potency Matter?Web. 11 Apr. 2012. <http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2009/June/why-doescannabis-potency-matter.html>.