Marijuana Satire

Marijuana: Higher than the sky?

There are lots of arguments against the legalization of this green plant. Most people say stuff like “Well, how is it a medicine if you get high.” Well, It’s not the high thats the medicine, its the other stuff in cannabis that is the medicine, DUH. Most people do not fully understand the positive effects of this plant. Most people bring into account that marijuana makes you high, so they state that weed is the worst thing in the world! This plant is far from the worst thing in the world, in fact, there are lots of scientific evidence on THC and its effects on cancer and other crazy things that go wrong with the human body. Some people think there should be no medical marijuana cards, because of its effects. Wait though; you can go to the pharmacy and get pain relievers, that make you feel high, and its ok because you do not smoke it? Oh, thats right, smoking it makes it bad too! You smoke cigarettes, are those illegal? No, but you people do not realize all the goody goodness of this plant. You think “Look at those smelly hippies smoking weed.” Yet you do not think “Wow, this cancer patient is still alive and happy because of weed.” This is where you guys are all wrong. So stop saying dumb stuff and bringing up dumb facts that are completely irrelevant to the topic. Marijuana should be legalized for many reasons, all of them with research to back them up.

Marijuana Editorial Cartoon

To summarize, this editorial cartoon is stating that it is costing us so much money putting these individuals in the “joint” meaning prison, just because they smoked a “joint.” The satire is in the statement  “which joint is a bigger drag on the system.” The satire being that a marijuana “joint” is not as big of a burden on the united state’s court system as the $9 billion price tag of locking marijuana offenders in the “joint”, meaning prison. This is effective in showing the viewer that putting these minor offenders in prison is costing the public $9 billion a year, however it is not effective in stating all the benefits if marijuana was legalized and this $9 billion a year not being spent. Overall, this is a very effective editorial cartoon on the legalization of marijuana.

Works Cited

"Decriminalize Marijuana." Cagle Post RSS. N.p., 08 June 2012. Web. 07 Jan. 2015.

Marijuana Editorial

Legalization of Marijuana

Many people in America think Marijuana should not be legalized, which is fraudulent. Those people say stuff like “Cannabis smoking is likely to weaken the immune system” (British Lung Foundation, 2002), without avid research and without weighing in the pros of marijuana. This is a big controversy, and it should not be any more. There are many more outstanding benefits about legalizing marijuana, than there are negative effects; for example,  “...traffic fatalities decrease between eight and 11 percent in states where marijuana is legal, the first year after legalization” (Pursell).Marijuana has many more medical benefits than it does defects, and should be completely legalized in the United States.

There are many different cliques of people that oppose the use of marijuana, and for many different reasons. It is in my belief that they are occasionally correct, but to what extent? Yes, marijuana has negative effects, but so does standing in front of the microwave! If used correctly, like legal marijuana is, it is a “cancer curing” miracle medicine. Not a drug, a medicine. According to cancer patient Roger Chalmers, “...marijuana is truly the only thing that has really helped me…” (Nickell). Marijuana is controversial for a reason, and that is completely understandable. The problem with people that oppose this miracle substance, is that they do not look at the whole picture and all the facts.

Medical marijuana is medical for a reason, because of its numerous, miracle like, benefits! Its benefits go further than in just the individual users themselves. For example, as of November 2013, the national regulated/medical marijuana market was worth a staggering $1.53 billion dollars (Stuart). This is just the start of the many economic benefits of this plant! Another statistic that you can sink your teeth into is that in the first 2 months of 2014, Colorado alone reaped a $6.17 million benefit from the taxation of this brilliant god given medicine (Stuart)! Yes marijuana has a few miniscule cons, but take off your sunglasses and realize that these statistic and accounts, are real, and the market for marijuana also is.

Marijuana has been overlooked since it was first made illegal with the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. This plant is not a drug, but a medicine. This is not a “think of the glass half full” type of thing, but rather a fact that this is a medicine. Marijuana is advantageous in many ways that we cannot even contemplate, and will not be able to until we fully legalize medical marijuana. Negative viewpoints on this topic does not matter in the least bit, because this is a miraculous plant that could be a superior, dominant, and life changing item in the lives of many.

To bring it all together, this is a life changing medicine. I cannot even begin to try and put my finger on all the pros of this plant, because there are simply too many. The great Dr. Sanjay Gupta once said on the topic of marijuana that “The science is there. This isn’t anecdotal” (Dr. Sanjay). This meaning that this is not just an opinion, but a hard fact, and who is going to argue with facts from a renowned doctor?

Works Cited

"Dr. Sanjay Gupta's Top 10 Quotes On Marijuana." Leaf Science. Leaf Science, 26 Sept. 2013. Web. 13 Dec. 2014.

Nickell, Joe. "Cancer Patient's Message: Medical Marijuana Really Does Help." Missoulian.com. N.p., 09 Apr. 2011. Web. 14 Dec. 2014.

Pursell, Robert. "Studies Claim Medical Marijuana May Reduce Suicide Rates,Traffic Fatalities." PBS. PBS, 02 Feb. 2014. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.

Stuart, Hunter. "If You Support Legal Marijuana, Memorize These 13 Stats."The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 19 Apr. 2014. Web. 14 Dec. 2014.

"Top 10 Pros and Cons - Medical Marijuana - ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.

Editorial column(my choice)

There are many benefits that legalizing marijuana would bring to our economy, such as the amount of money it would generate for our government. If legalized, it would generate $3,098,866,907 a year in just taxes alone! Another benefit of legalizing marijuana is that this money that is generated, would be applied to our schools and infrastructure. This meaning that the legalization of marijuana would also help the way we live, and the way we learn.

The many medical benefits of marijuana are outstanding! For example, multiple and rigorous studies have shown that marijuana has also helped improve food intake in HIV patients. There have been even more studies relating marijuana to a substantial and outstanding role in helping cancer patients. To elaborate, in brain cancer patients, marijuana was found to decrease the number of tumour cells. These are just a few of the many benefits marijuana has on our body!

Marijuana also has positive effects on an individual's lungs. To show cause, It may help reverse the carcinogenic effects of tobacco and improve lung health! furthermore, Marijuana smoke can actually  increase lung capacity. To add on to this, multiple long and in depth tests have shown that regular marijuana smokers had no discernable impairment in lung activity from non-smokers. These are just a few of the outstanding things that marijuana does for the lungs in a human body.

This image is of Roger Chalmers, a cancer patient smoking marijuana for its medical benefits.

Cited:

Nickell, Joel. "Cancer Patient's Message: Medical Marijuana Really Does Help."Missoulian.com. Missoulian, 09 Apr. 2011. Web. 22 Jan. 2015.