Caitlin Duncan
Mr. Greene
Honors Humanities
12 January 2009

Marijuana—the Gateway to Disaster

The lights of the nearby highway rush into the bedroom, illuminating a young boy’s face. The heat is off, the power is off, and he is alone. His father, taken away a week ago due to possession of marijuana, no longer is able to pay the bills and keep the house safe and warm. His mother, killed in a car accident while under the influence of the same drug, is no longer there to lecture him on the importance of education and perseverance. The boy’s cognitive skills are suffering and his ethics are waning. Marijuana has destroyed this boy’s family and now threatens to engulf him in the same horrors if he continues to use the illegal substance. Marijuana has ripped apart the fabrics of a once happy life threatens to corrupt even more Americans if irrationally legalized.
Over the years, drugs have been the leading factor in causes for incurable diseases. Among the expansive list of harmful drugs is marijuana, currently illegal to have possession of and sold illegitimately on the streets. Many myths have begun to form regarding the notion that the legalization of marijuana will benefit more than it will harm. However, the plethora of facts stating otherwise annihilates the claims that marijuana is beneficial. Not only will permitting marijuana open a flood of new drugs up for legalization, but it will also send immoral messages to children, tamper with the health of more Americans, and hurt even more innocent bystanders. Marijuana needs to remain illegal.
Among the most popular reasons to keep marijuana illegal is the gateway theory. The gateway theory, in short, states that once a drug, such as marijuana, becomes legal, users will progress to other, more hardcore drugs. “Another concern is marijuana’s role as a ‘gateway drug,’ which makes subsequent use of more potent and disabling substances more likely” (“Basic Facts About Drugs: Marijuana”). People have also applied the gateway theory to users themselves. If one tries marijuana, they are more likely to experiment with more hazardous drugs. “The Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found adolescents who smoke pot 85 times more likely to use cocaine than their non–pot smoking peers” (“Basic Facts About Drugs: Marijuana”). It is clear that marijuana will be used as a stepping stone in the endeavor to legalize other drugs. Nevertheless, what is more surprising is the effects that marijuana has on the human body.
All drugs are illegal for a purpose: they are destructive to a person’s health and can lead to death if not handled with ultimate care. Proposing the legalization of marijuana would only spell an infinite amount of problems for the future. Supporters of marijuana claim that the drug is neither addictive nor harmful, but studies prove otherwise. “Marijuana users have 55 more industrial accidents than non-users and have been shown to have a 78 increase in absenteeism over non-users” (“Marijuana: Chemical Dependency”).

Marijuana not only increases the risk of accident, but it damages a person’s body as well. In fact, marijuana can affect all of the following parts of a human’s body: cognitive skills, the heart, the nervous system, and the respiratory system (“Against Legalization of Drugs”). In fact, “Marijuana smoke and cigarette smoke contain many of the same toxins, including one which has been identified as a key factor in the promotion of lung cancer” ("Against Legalization of Drugs”). Allowing the use of marijuana will only add to the issue of lung cancer that plagues Americans today because of cigarettes. If marijuana is legalized, the health of countless Americans will plummet significantly, consequently filling up the already overcrowded hospitals. However, damages to our own bodies are not the only concerns regarding legalizing marijuana.
It has been said countless times that children are easily influenced by those around them and the media. Proof of this is plaguing America today. Teens actively smoke cigarettes due to the availability of the drug and ‘image’ they hope to exude. Permitting the use of marijuana would only add to this troubling issue. What is surprising is the number of teenagers who have already gotten their hands on the illegal substance already. “A yearly survey of students in grades 8 to 12 shows that 23 of 8th graders have tried marijuana at least once and by tenth grade 21 are "current" users” (“Basic Facts About Drugs: Marijuana”). The numbers are troubling by themselves for an illegal substance. Taking into account the effects of marijuana on the human body, the increase in marijuana related health problems with teenagers would increase astronomically if the substance was legalized. Marijuana would become easier to get a hold of and become the new cigarette of today’s generation.

In addition, due to the effects of marijuana on the brain, increased usage of marijuana among teens would be devastating. “The impact of marijuana on learning is critical, and pot often proves pivotal in the failure to master vital interpersonal coping skills or make appropriate life-style choices. Thus, marijuana can inhibit maturity” (“Basic Facts About Drugs: Marijuana”). The myriad of risks associated with marijuana are imminent if the drug becomes legal, yet supporters continue endorsing incorrect facts.
Supporters of marijuana attempt to vigorously propose that marijuana is not addictive and by legalizing it, the number of drug-dealing related deaths and usage will decrease. The supporters are horribly mistaken. “After marijuana became legal and sold in smoke shops in the Netherlands, consumption nearly tripled among 18 to 20 year olds” (“Legalization of Marijuana”). The myth that marijuana is only popular because of the illegal stigma attached to it has been proven to be false. Both incidents in the Netherlands and in Alaska have shown that usage of marijuana actually increased after the plant became legal. Furthermore, there is evidence to support the idea that marijuana is, in fact, addictive. “A drug is addicting if it causes compulsive, often uncontrollable drug craving, seeking, and use, even in the face of negative health and social consequences. Marijuana meets this criterion” (“Against Legalization of Drugs”).

All in all, the dangers of marijuana outweigh the recreational ‘fun’ of the risky drug. It is the job of the government to protect the safety of its citizens. Keeping harmful drugs out of the hands of as many Americans as possible is one of the many jobs the government must perform. Marijuana, not only life altering and damaging to one’s body, will open the gates to new drugs and new problems. Marijuana is illegal for a reason and foolishly permitting the substance would spell calamity.

As the boy stares out his bedroom window, watching the cars rush by on the cement, he wonders how his life would have been different if marijuana was not legalized five years ago. Would his mother and father still be around? Would the house be warm? Would he not be hungry? With a sigh, the boy turns from the window and stares into the emptiness of the room. This place is no longer a home, it is now a lonesome house.

Works Cited

"Against Legalization of Drugs." Drug Watch International. 2001. 15 Jan 2009 .

"Basic Facts About Drugs: Marijuana." American Council for Drug Education. 2004. 15 Jan 2009 .

"Legalization of Marijuana." ELON. 2006. 15 Jan 2009 .

"Marijuana: Chemical Dependency." New York City Department of Health. 2009. 15 Jan 2009 .