Author Archives: Jasmine Seals

Nemko, Marty. “Legalize Pot? You Must Be High.” Time. Time, 7 Nov. 2014. Web. 04 Aug. 2015.

The controversy I’m going to be discussing in my essay is whether or not marijuana should be legalized. The following text is commentary over the controversy of the legalization of marijuana and relates to the article, “Legalizing Marijuana Is Not Worth The Risk”, which discusses why marijuana should not be legalized.

I believe this is a credible source because throughout the article, the author, Marty Nemko creates bullet list stating facts on how marijuana has a negative impact on teenager’s bodies from multiple health website and research done by prestige colleges such as Harvard to prove the negative impact marijuana has on the teenage brain. The article is published in a well known magazine and gives the reader many facts about marijuana and the reasons it should not be legalized. Not only is the article well written and provide numerous facts to support the reasons why marijuana should be legalized, the author of this article has a Ph.D. in education and has written several books. The author’s knowledge and understanding of the topic proves this article to be a credible source.

Touching on all the reasons why marijuana should not be legalized, Nemko goes into depth over each reason he gives for opposing the legalization of marijuana. Nemko states that several studies show that marijuana use in teenagers impact the part of the brain “associated with motivational, emotional and affective processing” and causes teenw between the age of 13-18 to have a decrease in IQ by ” 8 points.” He then goes on to state that marijuana also impacts the body physically. Smoking marijuana can cause “heart attacks and diseases in the arteries” to  “imped[ing] development of the baby’s brain,” along with other things.

Nemko discusses the fact that marijuana will not yield much profit from the legalization of marijuana due to “increased health care costs” as reported by the Center for Disease Control. He gives an example of the taxation of alcohol and the cost it has on the society which outweighs the amount brought in from the drug. Aside from pointing out the medical attention needed from the legaization of marijuana, Nemko says there will be an increase in accidents. In a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it is proven that  “18 percent of drivers in fatal accidents tested positive for a non-alcoholic mind-altering drug, mainly marijuana.” Since the legalization of marijuana the number of accidents have increased drastically.

Although Nemkno is against the legalization of marijuana he states using marijuana for medical purposes is personal preference. Marijuana should be a prescription drug, not “over-the-counter for recreational use” or readily available to anyone. He then goes on to say that giving up things such as alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana is appealing when it will result in “less disease and fewer car accidents, more fully functioning people . . . plus the richer lives people would lead.”

Gitlow, Stuart. “Marijuana Legalization Is a Risk Not worth Taking.” CNN. Cable News Network, 30 July 2014. Web. 29 July 2015.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/30/opinion/gitlow-marijuana-use/

Dr. Stuart Gitlow  attened medical school in New York and is the president and founder of the American Society of Addiction and Medicine. He is also the chairman of the scientific advisory board of Smart Approaches to Marijuana.

Dr. Gitlow compares marijuana to tobacco in order to state his point. Although the number of people smoking cigarettes have decreased tremendously, he states that in the 1980s the number was higher and people smoked everywhere. However, even though the smoking rates have dropped there is still a huge problem when it comes to smoking – they cause illness and early death.

Dr. Gitlow points out that marijuana just like tobacco is an addictive drug. Every “1 in 6 teens who start using marijuana will become addicted.” Not only will teenagers become addicted to marijuana but those who choose to smoke more frequently will cause their brain to be effected negatively. Heavy users 25 and under can “experience a drop in IQ,” while long term users can “experience psychiatric disease.”

Besides the effects marijuana has on the brain, Dr. Gitlow suggests marijuana should not be legalized because their is too much of a risk. Although it can not be scientifically proven yet that marijuana can cause early deaths, he states “we’ll have to wait a generation to find out, just as we did with tobacco.” However, he is not suggesting that the children of this generation should be “guinea pigs” to discover if that is an actual effect of marijuana.

Aside from the effects it will have on teenagers and the brain, Dr. Gitlow argues there will not be an increase in revenue for the government from the legalization of marijuana. Instead he points out that there are a “small percentage of state prisoners [in prison for] marijuana offenses.” The number of people being imprisoned will not drop drastically, therefore not having a big effect on the economy. Instead, legalizing marijuana will cause the United States to “lose money.” As stated by Dr. Gitlow, the revenue from marijuana will not cover the money lost by “illness” that the “taxpayers will [have] to pay.”

In other words, Dr. Gitlow is stating that “a brief high is not worth all the known risks.” Marijuana should not be legalized since it actually does not benefit the economy and most importantly, it will effect the children of this generation.

Levin, Rick. “Growing Pains” Eugene Weekly. Alt-Press Watch. 19 March 2015. 19 July 2015

http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/altpresswatch/docview/1680753425/55EAE07A30BA4B24PQ/2?accountid=7118

Rick Levin is a writer for Eugene Weekly. In his article “Growing Pains,” Levin discusses how the government and big businesses can capitalize on the production and distribution of marijuana, however, he argues that the legalization of marijuana will not put an end to the black market.

According to Levin, legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes creates a lot of questions regarding the economy, ethics, and the legal system. Legalizing marijuana would seem easy since people are going to smoke it whether it is legal or not, however in reality it is more complex.

Levin argues that the purpose of capitalism is to keep money flowing. The black market does not hinder the flow of money and has it’s own “system of supply and demand.” Previously before marijuana was made legal for medical and recreational purposes, growers were able to sell a pound for $4,800. Now a pound cost about $1,400, in other words, the value has been depreciating. With the legalization of marijuana does not mean an end to the black market, Levin states, “it may evolve and morph into something slightly different.” Legalizing marijuana is suppose to help reduce the amount of illegal activity and violence associated with it. It is not the drugs that is the problem but the people who are growing and distributing them.

Levin points out that the legalization of marijuana will give not only the government but big businesses the opportunity to exploit and monopolize on the industry. On the other hand, Levi describes the legalization of marijuana “necessary to create jobs, generate revenue and to establish rules and regulations for public safety.” Marijuana can become a booming industry providing jobs to thousands of people and bringing in revenue for the government. It has been shown that legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes can generate millions of dollars. Such earnings can be used towards things such as schools and other beneficial public programs.

Overall Levin’s article “Growing Pains,” argues that although legalizing marijuana would be beneficial by providing jobs and an increase in revenue for the government, it doesn’t address the major issue at hand. It may reduce the supply and demand of illegal drugs but it doesn’t fix the problem. There’s still going to be a black market and that results in continuous violence. This article provides a different point of view from what I have previously read and makes for a great debate. This article will be beneficial to my peers by providing insight on the legalization of marijuana on the economy and its complexity.