Morgan Hendrickson
In all of the world’s history, there has never been proof of death caused by health problems related to marijuana, and legalizing marijuana has more positive than negative outcomes.
Yes, marijuana can cause bronchitis from long-term use. But smoking from a vaporizer or ingesting it through baked foods can avert bronchitis.
Other drugs, such as cigarettes and alcohol, can cause cancer and kill brain cells. If you were to compare the use of long-term effects of drugs that are legal, such as cigarettes, you can tell the differences by looking at their lungs. Cigarette smokers may develop emphysema and suffer from addiction. No studies have proven that weed is addictive.
The drug is being viewed so harshly because many see it as a gateway drug. The people who use harder drugs have tried the legal drugs as well, like alcohol and cigarettes.
The American Alliance for Medical Cannabis states that marijuana helps with Tourette syndrome, hypertension, sleep apnea, hepatitis C, osteoporosis and many other diseases. The drug helps lower blood pressure, relieves pain and nausea and increases appetite and ocular pressure. Marijuana in its purest form is the safest therapeutic substance, even more so than over-the-counter drugs and legal drugs such as cigarettes and alcohol.
There is no documentation of harsh, long-term effects or overuse that causes death. Legalization of marijuana simply has more advantages than disadvantages. People have the freedom to eat as much food as they want and consume harmful additives, which can result in long-term health problems or even death. If we are as free of a country as we say, then where is the harm in legalizing marijuana?
Katie McClain
Why would I want to hallucinate, have mood swings, lose control of myself and want to eat all the time, and later, have fewer brain cells, chronic bronchitis and lung cancer? According to abovetheinfluence.com, these are just some of the side effects of smoking weed.
Marijuana may look fun in movies, and we all know what they’re doing sitting in a circle on “That ’70s Show,” but that’s not real life. TV and the movies don’t explain the effects of marijuana, the other drugs it can lead to or the effects that users across the country are going to have to deal with in the future.
With 50 percent more carcinogens than the average cigarette, pot today is far more dangerous than it was in the 1970s when everyone seemed to be doing it.
Today, students light up and inhale deeply, not knowing the risks or simply disregarding them. I have already heard of a marijuana violation at Otterbein, and it’s week two of the semester. Not only should we be concerned about the health effects of marijuana use, but also that it’s illegal. I think it should stay that way.
I understand that just because something is illegal doesn’t mean it disappears, but the legalization of marijuana would condone the behavior. Voting in favor of marijuana means allowing not only the production and sale of marijuana, but also the side effects of smoking it.
I don’t want to make a late-night fro-yo run and be on State Street with another driver who has been smoking pot. It’s dangerous for the driver and every other person on the road and sidewalk. Legalizing marijuana would say to America, “It’s OK to smoke weed. It’s all right to become disoriented. Sure, it’ll be dangerous, but that’s OK.”
What are we supposed to say? Smoke responsibly? We see how well that works out every weekend. Has anyone been to an off-campus facility for a party on the weekend? We all know they’re out there, the parties where participants can get hammered. Are parties to get high next? I sure hope not.
