Reefer, Wacky Tobacky, The Destroyer of Youth, Hippie Cabbage, Spider Man’s Girlfriend, and Lucifer’s Lettuce are all terms referring to an illegal drug commonly known as cannabis (kăn′ə-bĭs). Cannabis is a type of plant that is altered in order to produce a psychoactive drug. A drug that many states have already legalized, or are in the process of legalizing, with no regard for the youth or its health hazards. The legalization of cannabis is sparking a thunderstorm of evil in America.
To fully understand the negative impact of legalizing cannabis you must look at the raw data. According to Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 1995 cannabis was the most commonly used drug among probationers at the time of the offense. That means these hardened criminals were commonly associated with marijuana. The risks that come with legalization don’t end with cannabis’s connection to crime; it also has harmful effects on your body.
Cannabis does more to an individual than making them happy and hungry. It has many of the same symptoms as cigarettes. Theses include breathing problems, increased heart rate and problems with child development during pregnancy. Cannabis is also said to be just as addicting. According to National Health Service, about 10% of regular cannabis users are thought to become dependent. That percentage is only going to increase. It’s time we realize the immeasurable mental and physical damage cannabis has the potential of doing to humanity.
If you still aren’t convinced that legalizing cannabis in the US will be the beginning of the end try answering these next few questions. Are you prepared to lose your friends to marijuana overdoses? What are police going to with the time they save chasing around high schoolers? Can you handle lung surgery? These are questions teenagers across the nation should be asking themselves everyday. I provided all the information on the crime and health problems that come with the legalization of cannabis. Now, it’s the peoples job to stand against it.
