Drug and substance abuse is not a new concept, in particular, the use of marijuana in most parts of the world. It is the mostly cultivated, produced, trafficked, and consumed drug that is most prevalent among teenagers. There are various assertions regarding the negative impacts of marijuana on the users. However, this paper points out some of the underlying reasons why marijuana should not be legalized.
First, Marijuana affects a person’s health (Volkow 86). Medical practitioners have revealed that smoking marijuana stays in the blood system for a long duration, such as four weeks. Those who smoke it daily have high content of the drug in their blood system. It is more toxic than cigarette smoke and causes lung problems to those using the drug. Also consumption of marijuana can cause sterility to both men and women and it may result to women giving birth to children with abnormalities. It also causes brain damage, which may lead to brain cancer since brain cells are .
Additionally, marijuana is an addictive drug, and there is a high risk of users starting to use other hard drugs. Many teenagers now days create an overdependence on the drugs hence they cannot live without using them. Besides, drug addiction also leads to impaired decision making and redundancy since the teenagers using the drugs lack critical decision-making skills and their ability to make right choices (Filbey 44). This drastically affects their performances in schools, which may also lead to school dropout since they are unable to concentrate in their studies.
The use of marijuana also affects the behavior of learners. It makes them to develop indiscipline behavior especially among teenagers in schools. Some develop aggressive behavior especially when they are found with mistakes and they are given punishment (Ostrowsky, 61). This makes them violent and they can result in fighting with their teacher since they find it hard for them doing the punishment. They also form peer groups, which may influence others to use marijuana.
Marijuana usage also makes the youths to engage in crimes. This is because they feel overconfident and their self-esteem is raised after using the drug. They feel they can do what seems impossible since they feel they are strong and they can face anyone who comes by them. (Miller 102). Therefore, they gain the courage to engage in theft activities like robbing a bank or breaking into someone’s home for them to steal what they find valuable. This will enable them to find money for buying marijuana and maintain their way of life.
In conclusion, the use marijuana should be illegal in all parts of the world since it has more negative impacts especially in the life of a human being. Ethical concerns associated with this study includes the aspect of moral behavior and the image presented to the society in case the use of marijuana was legalized. A law should be passed for fining anyone who is found using marijuana unless for special instances where the drug is used for medicinal purposes. This will highly prevent people from abusing the drug. However, those already addicted should be rehabilitated for better health and wise decision making.
Works Cited
Filbey, Francesca M., et al. “Long-term effects of marijuana use on the brain.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111.47(2014):16913-16918.
Miller, Loren L., ed. Marijuana: Effects on human behavior. Elsevier, 2013.
Ostrowsky, Michael K. “Does marijuana use lead to aggression and violent behavior?” Journal of drug education 41.4 (2011): 369-389.
Volkow, Nora D., et al. “Adverse health effects of marijuana use.” New England Journal of Medicine 370.23(2014): 2219-2227.
