Marijuana and health

Marijuana and Health

Part of the anti-marijuana rhetoric that is used to maintain prohibition focuses on health problems related to marijuana. The prohibition argument is that marijuana should be illegal because it poses health risks. This claim ignores logic.

Marijuana only poses health risks to people who choose to use it. As is the case with other potentially harmful substances, such as alcohol and tobacco, individuals should be able to weigh the risks for themselves.
Think of it this way: numerous studies have shown that foods with a lot of cholesterol and fat are unhealthy. Should we outlaw bacon?
Marijuana can be used as medicine. There is an abundance of anecdotal evidence, as well as some scientific research, which supports the belief that marijuana can be effective as a treatment for some illnesses. Benefits of marijuana can include appetite stimulation for cancer and AIDS patients, and general pain relief for various illnesses. Yet our government consistently stands in the way of research and testing of marijuana as medicine.
Because marijuana is illegal, is cannot be controlled or regulated (Funny, don't they call it a controlled substance?). Because marijuana is not regulated, there are no safeguards against contamination by pesticides, herbicides, and other toxic chemicals. In this sense, it is actually the fact that marijuana is illegal that causes the health danger. If marijuana were legal, steps could be taken to reduce the health risks associated with its use by avoiding contamination.
The health risks related to marijuana result from the method of intake. The reason that marijuana poses a health threat is because most people smoke it, and smoking anything is hazardous to your health. But there are other ways to use marijuana which pose no health risk. One of the best ways to get high is by digesting the the drug. Indeed, there is anecdotal evidence that marijuana in food form (such as brownies) produces a more enjoyable high. But eating pot is not a choice for most people because it takes more marijuana to get stoned that way and marijuana is expensive. So most people who use pot choose to smoke it, and risk damaging their health, simply because it is illegal and therefore expensive. Legalize marijuana and the health risks will be reduced!

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