Bring America Down | Teen Ink

Bring America Down

April 23, 2015
By jake25 BRONZE, West Sacramento, California
jake25 BRONZE, West Sacramento, California
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
"what is based" - Brandon McCartney


As we continue to grow as a society one thing stands in the way of our freedom and the ability to continue on as a beautiful and growing country.  Marijuana is halting our innovation and slowly rotting the brains of American youth, and I am concerned with the awful activities the people have been involved in since the legalization of marijuana in Colorado. 

As more and more states continue to support the legalization of marijuana the more ignorance I see in America.  People do not realize since the legalization in Colorado some shops have gained up to $70,000 in tax revenue (Basu).  The idea of the government making money off such awful drugs is ruining our once pure country.  People even want to use marijuana for medical purposes.  Imagine whole hospitals being contaminated with drugs like this.  Doctors high on the job?  What kind of world would we be in?  As a long time advocate of the beautiful peacekeeping police forces in the United States, I think there should be even stronger limitations on marijuana and its uses.

I personally work alongside some amazing people in the Alcohol Industry and think we need to rid America of marijuana.  Alcohol is a great relaxer and makes people goofy and happy.  Alcohol has been a part of life and American history for hundreds of years.  Changing this now is just absurd, and we need to keep America clean.  Alcohol has only led to “approximately 88,000 deaths and 2.5 million years of potential life lost” (Facts).  Just think about the possible deaths that could be caused by marijuana. In Germany a study was done that already showed two deaths were caused by marijuana (Moye).  Imagine what would happen in the United States after legalization in more states!


If we do not work together to stop the legalization of marijuana in more states all hell is going to break loose.  We can not let the beautiful American dream be tainted with the idea of drugs and death.  Not only will marijuana ruin lives, but it will kill people.  Marijuana being one of the most dangerous drugs out there.  Just remember “marijuana does kill people through suicide, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, car crashes, and other accidents” (Sullum).

Of course I do not think all of this is true, and I do not work in the alcohol industry.  I think legalization of marijuana would be very beneficial for the United States.  In Colorado things like suicide rates have gone down, car crashes have gone down, and the tax income has grown tremendously.  Studies reveal that marijuana show no signs of chemical addiction even after habitual use unlike many other illegal drugs.  Though it is possible to become physically addicted it is nothing like tobacco cigarettes and other drugs (Szalavitz). It is impossible to overdose on marijuana while it is much easier to die due to alcohol poisoning thanks to binge drinking. The only two people who have ever been confirmed deceased due to marijuana already had underlying problems like a cocaine addiction and heart problems (Moye).  The tax income from marijuana would help the national debt and give our government more money to help its people.  If one shop in Colorado can make $50 thousand to $70 thousand per year in taxes imagine how helpful that would be throughout the whole country (Basu).  Though there should still be restrictions on it like alcohol’s minimum age requirement, I think if it is legalized it would be good for everyone.  All of these combined through the entire nation would together create a fantastic America.

 

Basu, Rekha. "Colorado's Marijuana Law Has Brought Tourists and Tax Revenues." Colorado's
Marijuana Law Has Brought Tourists and Tax Revenues. Des Moines Register, 17 Aug. 2014. Web. 04 Sept. 2014.
"Fact Sheets - Alcohol Use and Your Health." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 07 Nov. 2014. Web. 09 Feb. 2015.
Ferner, Matt. "Marijuana Legalization Supported By A Growing Majority Of Americans, Survey
Shows." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 03 Sept. 2014. Web. 04 Sept.
Moye, David. "Cannabis Use Triggered 2 Deaths, According To German Study." The Huffington
Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 26 Feb. 2014. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.
Szalavitz, Maia. "Is Marijuana Addictive? It Depends How You Define Addiction." Time.com.
Time, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.
Sullum, Jacob. "Marijuana Kills! But Not Very Often. Especially When Compared to Alcohol
and Tobacco." Reason. Reason.com, 12 Dec. 2014. Web. 9 Feb. 2015.



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