Why Marijuana Should Be Legalized for Recreational and Medical Uses by E. W. Marijuana is one of the most beneficial and therapeutically active substances known to man, and therefore why should adults capable of making rational decisions be unable to enjoy its benefits? Therefore, marijuana should be legalized for both medical and recreational use. Marijuana has many positive effects, and I believe that citizens ages 21 and over should have the option to enjoy it at their leisure. Marijuana has many uses in the medical world, such as controlling neuropathic pain, or weakness, numbness, and pain from nerve damage. CMCR (Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research) conducted a study in 2010 which found that THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) was equally, if not more, effective in controlling neuropathic pain than other drugs currently in use. They also studied the pharmacological uses of marijuana in treating nausea, muscle spasticity, and other conditions, and marijuana was proven effective in the treatment of all of those conditions. Plus, evidence suggests that marijuana may improve the function of the immune system in patients with HIV and/or AIDS. Veterans with PTSD are unable to obtain medical marijuana, even though it is very effective in treating the symptoms of the condition. Marijuana is proven to help alleviate the anxiety and stress that come from PTSD, but PTSD isn’t a qualifying condition for medical marijuana. I believe that to be a valid reason to legalize medical marijuana use and sale. A single cigarette contains over 4,000 chemicals, and a sizeable number of those are toxic. It also contains carbon monoxide, and nicotine which is highly addictive. Marijuana has over 400 chemicals with pain killing, antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties. It also can alleviate chemotherapy symptoms. And yet the first one, which has no positive health benefits and many harmful chemicals, is legal and the second which has less harmful chemicals and positive implications, is illegal. Doesn’t make much sense, does it? Why should legal adults be unable to make a decision of how to spend their free time? Why should veterans with PTSD or someone else with a non-qualifying medical condition be unable to obtain a drug that can help them? The solution is simple, legalize marijuana. Immigration Editorial By: A. A. T. “You who are so-called illegal aliens must know that no human being is illegal. That is a contradiction in terms. Human beings can be beautiful or more beautiful, they can be fat or skinny, they can be right or wrong, but illegal? How can a human being be illegal?” -Elie Wiesel, writer, Nobel Peace Prize winner and holocaust survivor Immigration. To many it means travel, to others it means survival. Yeah, everybody gets the whole “ leave for a better life,” but some people don’t understand it the way others do. There are people out there who are naive and think all Latin Americans that cross the border are just trying to take American jobs, but that’s not true. I’m here to tell you to wake up and realize that life as an immigrant is very hard, but many are forced to choose it over the alternative. Approximately 16.6 million people in the US live in mix-status households that include at least one undocumented immigrant. To many U.S. leaders, this is a problem because they can’t keep up with deportation and accommodation with green cards, work visas, etc. To many, these people look like any other working class citizen trying to pay the bills. It’s almost as if, as long as they respect laws and don’t draw too much attention, Americans don’t even take a second look. They turn a blind eye when it’s in their favor. The disappointing truth is that many young women are traveling dangerous roads while pregnant with a child they are hoping to provide some sort of a future by being born in America. Even then, naturalization doesn’t always save them. Many women are deported back and children are left with older siblings or even alone. This is many children’s biggest worry, they don’t want to, and shouldn’t be left alone without a legal guardian. Men travel long roads from their home countries to be able to provide food and shelter for their loved ones. They work hard so that their children can live a life. Sending money home provides some relief from the poverty in their home country. It tears families apart, but someone has to provide for the family. To say this is a potential problem wouldn’t be wrong, we need to acknowledge the fact that yes, overpopulation can happen and so can plenty of other things. We live for the future and that’s fine, but these people can’t live for that. They struggle through life from paycheck to paycheck in the jobs that are undesirable to Americans, it’s just surviving, not living. However, If we embrace them, they can help us to create a better, safer future, working for a better nation. Our country is a mixed nation with people who all want a life by keeping a job and feeding their families. Guns:Helpful or Harmful? Written by A. H. There is a lot of controversy about whether guns help human civilization or harm it. To prevent guns falling into the wrong hands,there should be more gun control laws. Guns are too easy to obtain in America. You can buy them online or acquire a gun illegally through the black market . It is impossible to tell who is a criminal even through background checks. Having a gun is very common in the U.S. People can buy permits to walk around with a gun on them and it is very hard to tell if they are a criminal with bad intentions or just a citizen with a gun. If there are fewer guns wouldn’t there be less gun violence? There need to be more restrictions on people who buy guns. Any guns made for killing people should not be sold to the average citizen. It is impossible to make sure background checks are one-hundred percent accurate. Gun violence is a very serious issue. In the United States about three-hundred thousand people own firearms. Over thirty-one thousand people are killed yearly from guns. Out of those, over three thousand are children under nineteen. The violent crime rate has gone down though. According to the FBI in 1991 violent crime was at its worst, it has dropped an amazing forty percent since then. There are many obstacles in trying to eliminate guns all together; one of the main obstacles being the second amendment. This solution probably would not work anyway because having a gun is a good weapon of self defense and the people would fight to have their guns. Guns are also used for recreation like hunting animals. People would also attempt to make or sell guns illegally. Having a gun is a right, and people intend to stretch it to its max. Many would retaliate if guns were abolished. If guns were abolished in the U.S., we would have a period of depression similar to the one the eighteenth amendment brought. If guns were made illegal, we would suffer financial and economic consequences. Having and using a gun is not bad; we just need to think about our fellow citizens. Be more responsible and safe with your guns. | |