Engdahl_Comparison_Essay

I chose this essay because I got the highest grade on it out of any of my other essays. It was interesting to write, and I believe I came up with a very good argument for legalizing marijuana. = = =Inequality =  Everyone is taught from an early age that drugs are harmful, but why are some drugs illegal while others are not? In 2008, alcohol killed 11,773 people in motor accidents alone, yet unlike marijuana, it is legal. 4  A person can sit down at a restaurant and order a drink in the U.S., but it is illegal to buy or sell marijuana. Each drug produces slightly different effects, but ultimately can cause the same health issues. It does not make sense that one is legal while the other is not.

Before the nineteenth century people used marijuana and other drugs as a cure for a variety of illnesses. Many people used these drugs and gave them to their children unknowingly. In 1906 the government decided this was a problem they needed to do something about. Congress passed the Pure Food and Drug Act, creating the FDA. The FDA required that companies label everything in their products, showing the people what drugs they had been using without their knowledge. In 1914 the government further regulated the use of drugs with the Harrison Act. The Harrison Act did not affect marijuana use yet, but brought the effects of drugs into the public eye for the second time. By the end of 1937, the federal government made marijuana illegal in all 48 states. 2 Currently, marijuana is a schedule one drug, meaning it is illegal to sell or possess, except for medical purposes. This classification has not deterred everyone, and many people can still be found smoking marijuana. In contrast, alcohol is an unregulated substance that has no drug classification

Alcohol has been around since mankind first discovered that fermented plants could act as a drug. Ancient Egyptians and Greeks wrote about making and drinking wine frequently. Until the twentieth century alcohol consumption was perfectly acceptable. In 1922, Congress passed the eighteenth amendment, outlawing alcohol. The government believed that by making alcohol illegal (prohibition) they could cut reduce crime, and make society all together more efficient (the eighteenth amendment prohibited the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages). Ironically, the amendment increased the rate of crime. People either made their own moonshine, or bought from gangsters such as Al Capone who quickly became wealthy from the trade. The United States was worse off than ever, and the eighteenth amendment was repealed in 1933, only thirteen years later. Currently alcohol is legal for all those over twenty-one. 3

The lesson to be learned from prohibition is that a law will only work if it actually reduces unpleasant behavior. If enough people rebel against the law, there is no point keeping that law. This idea is true today with marijuana, though not as dramatic. The law cannot fully enforce the marijuana laws, and many people get away with illegally smoking marijuana. The more people get away with smoking it, the more likely people are to start smoking it. Why follow a law without consequences? It would be better for the government to legalize and regulate marijuana than for people to get it illegally, where it can be tainted with other drugs by shady drug dealers.

Both marijuana and alcohol are psychoactive drugs that affect the brain by making the user feel pleasant or high. They both impair coordination and can permanently damage thought processes. This can lead to impaired coordination and unintelligent decisions that the user would not make were they sober. These qualities make driving far more dangerous and are responsible for most car crashes. Though the short term effects are different, the long term effects are very similar.

The short term effects of alcohol include increased violence, dizziness, talkativeness, slurred speech, nausea, and vomiting. These effects can also continue the morning after drinking. These are commonly referred to as a hangover and include headache, nausea, thirst, dizziness, and fatigue. 4 The short term effects of marijuana include an increase in heart rate, dilation of the blood vessels in the eyes, a sensation of time slowing, feelings of euphoria, dry mouth, hunger, and sometimes anxiety or paranoia. 5 These effects last for 1-3 hours, and then wear off, sometimes making the user feel depressed. ²

The long term effects of both drugs include addiction, organ damage, brain damage, and certain types of cancer. 4 Although both drugs do equivalent damage to the body, the drugs target different parts of the body. When smoked, marijuana causes lung damage similar to that of tobacco, while alcohol causes a specific type of liver damage called cirrhosis. Both of these drugs denature proteins in the brain causing permanent brain damage.²

Although both alcohol and marijuana cause incredible damage when used in excess, they have been found to be beneficial in small or regulated quantities. Limited consumption of alcohol has been linked to cardiovascular health, and actually may lessen a person’s risk of diabetes and gallstones. 6 Although most health organizations do not believe smoked marijuana has medical uses, certain chemicals in marijuana are used to help patients regain their appetite.2 In studies, frequent marijuana users also improved their coordination with the use of marijuana. 5

On average more people are killed by alcohol than by marijuana every year; therefore, it seems unreasonable that marijuana should be illegal while alcohol is not. Keeping low risk drugs such as marijuana does nothing to deter people from using them. If marijuana was legalized, normal people would not have to interact with drug dealers, and crime rates would drop. Finally, like many things, marijuana is not harmful in moderation, and may actually be beneficial. In order to improve society, the government should reconsider it's marijuana polices.

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1 "NCSA | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) | U.S. Department of Transportation." Home | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) | U.S. Department of Transportation. http://www.nhtsa.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/ncsa (accessed November 16, 2009).

2 Stack, Patrick. "A Brief History of Medical Marijuana - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1931247,00.html (accessed November 16, 2009).

3 "History of the Prohibition Act of 1920 in America." Essortment Articles: Free Online Articles on Health, Science, Education & More... http://www.essortment.com/all/historyprohibit_pmh.htm (accessed November 15, 2009).

4 "Alcohol - Facts, Statistics, Resources, and Impairment Charts." GDCADA | Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse. http://www.gdcada.org/statistics/alcohol.htm (accessed November 15, 2009).

5  "The Effects of Marijuana - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,844705-2,00.html (accessed November 15, 2009).

6 " Alcohol: Balancing Risks and Benefits - What Should You Eat? - The Nutrition Source - Harvard School of Public Health ." Harvard School of Public Health - HSPH. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/alcohol-full-story/index.html (accessed November 16, 2009).

7 "Marijuana Law Reform - NORML." Marijuana Law Reform - NORML. http://norml.org/ (accessed November 16, 2009).