Example research essay topic: Alcohol And Cigarettes Side Effects - 886 words

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Marijuana has been proven to induce less side effects, or negative factors than either alcohol or cigarettes. Smoking cigarettes causes cancer, in several different forms, is physically addicting, and has enough other chemicals in it to kill small animals. Along with the extremely addicting nicotine, and tar-filled tobacco, cigarettes contain other chemical s such as rodenticide, formaldehyde, and sometimes even ammonia. Still, it is legal to buy, and smoke. Alcohol, another prevalent "evil" in society, too can cause severe internal problems (liver disease), is psychologically addicting, and in large quantities can in fact be fatal (alcohol poisoning). Both these legal substances have proven more dangerous than marijuana.

Marijuana is not physically addicting. In most cases, especially if cultivated and smoked appropriately, it contains no other chemicals. One cannot "overdose" on marijuana or get "pot poisoning." However, the government manages to ignore such proven facts, and maintains the legal sale and use of alcohol and tobacco products. Approximately $ 5. 00 a day, $ 35. 00 a week, $ 140. 00 a month, and $ 7280. 00 a year; smoking a pack of cigarettes a day is costly habit. But theoretically, it is not that expensive to grow.

So, where do the disparities in prices come from? The federal government has an extensive list of taxes, and tariffs put on tobacco. The taxes on a pack of cigarettes make up for more than 50 % of the price. The tobacco industry is viewed as this inherent "evil", and the government does all it can to thwart the industry, including the taxation of all tobacco products. If the government were to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes, the same taxes, and tariffs could be applied to the sales of marijuana cigarettes. The revenue collected from this would be astounding.

With this revenue, more regulation could be enforced and it would soon be harder for kids and teenagers to acquire. And just like alcohol and cigarettes, a state license could be issued for the distribution, and a legal "pot smoking" age could be enforced. Historically, the prohibition of alcohol caused an increase in crime and violence, but did not prevent drinking. It was repealed in 1933. Like alcohol, marijuana prohibition does not work either. By placing marijuana in an unregulated underground market, prohibition creates additional health hazards from impure or contaminated pot.

Coinciding with this underground market, marijuana is lumped with harder drugs, thwarting realistic drug education and fostering irresponsible drug use. Then there are the criminal penalties for marijuana, which are usually far more damaging than the substance itself. Bail money, lawyer fees, a criminal record, property forfeiture, and prison, all penalties to non-violent, otherwise law- abiding citizens arrested for marijuana use. Every 43 seconds another passive, non-violent person is arrested for marijuana, that's tens of thousands a year. And each year tax payers spend $ 9 billion to hunt down, arrest, try and incarcerate marijuana consumers. The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) of Washington, DC said, "When laws are more damaging to individuals and society than the outlawed substance itself, then the law must be changed. " The people that fill our jails, due to marijuana, are incarcerated solely for possession, being under the influence, and selling it.

Since the marijuana is what scientists call a "downer", it makes the user physically slow, mellow, and there are hardly any sexual or violent side effects. Socially, alcohol the legal "evil" in society is cause for significantly more deaths, rapes, and burglaries. Having such less drastic social effects, it is astounding that marijuana be illegal when alcohol is so freely accepted. Common myths like, "It is a gateway drug. " plague textbooks and the mouths of teachers and parents alike.

Doctor Lynn Zimmer in her book Marijuana Myths clarifies this misconception by stating, "Marijuana does not cause people to use hard drugs. What the gateway theory presents, is a casually explanation... a statistical association between common and uncommon drugs. An association that changes as different and new drugs are introduced. " Myths like this obscure the mind of many teenagers and parents. But not all the theories of the downsides to pot are myths. A recent study done on regular pot smokers indicated a lower level of brain waves, as compared to non-smokers.

Another recent study also showed the same results in people who watch television for extended periods of time. Long term effects also have been reported and studied. For example smoking anything has been proven to cause cancer after long term use, and may cause birth defects if used during pregnancy. But unlike tobacco, marijuana can be equally potent if vaporized, or baked. The second highly reported negative of marijuana use is short term memory loss, which has also been proven to be offset, provided that that brain is stimulated by visual or musical stimulus. Hemp, Mary Jane, reefer, green, ganja, the ongoing list demonstrates how prevalent marijuana is.

Prohibiting marijuana is deeming it a greater evil than alcohol or cigarettes. Unlike alcohol and cigarettes, marijuana's rampant use is severely less detrimental to society, and legalization may provide substantial revenue. Therefore, the recreational use of marijuana providing social and economic benefits should be legal for all 50 United States. Until then, move to Amsterdam, pick up a bong, pack a bowl, take a hit; pot, it's what's for dinner.

Research essay sample on Alcohol And Cigarettes Side Effects