Why Marijuana Shouln't Be Legalized

"Why Marijuana shouldn't be legalized"

The effects marijuana can have on the human body are disturbing. Many people view marijuana as a safe drug but is there really such a thing as a "safe drug." New studies show that marijuana may be more dangerous than previously thought. Recreational use of the drug can have the same serious side effects that patients with immune illnesses face. Marijuana use has been shown to affect health, brain function and memory.

The biggest argument against the legalization of the drug is the effect it can have on the immune system. Just one marijuana joint a day can damage the cells in the bronchial passages which protect the body against inhaled microorganisms and decrease the ability of the cells in the lungs to fight fungi, bacteria, and tumor cells. This can be very dangerous to someone who already has immune deficiencies. There is an increased chance of dangerous pulmonary infections such as, pneumonia; this could be fatal to someone with AIDs. Smoking regularly (one joint a day) can have a major impact on your body. Marijuana can weaken the smokers natural immune mechanisms including macrophages (killer cells) preventing their body from being able to defend itself. The people who marijuana negatively affects the most are the ones being prescribed the drug for treatment. Patients with pre-existing immune deficits from AIDs, organ transplants, or cancer are using marijuana as treatment when it is thought to contribute to these illnesses. Marijuana has been shown to progress HIV into full-blown AIDs. Also patients will be less likely to defend themselves against the cancers and conditions which consistent marijuana use has been linked to.

Repertory illnesses such as pulmonary infections and repertory cancers have been linked to regular marijuana use. Also there are some scary effects of long-term marijuana use such as, chronic bronchitis, impairment in the functions of the smaller air passages, inflammation of the lungs, the development of pre-cancerous abnormalities in the bronchial lining and lungs. Cigarettes which have been proven to cause lung cancer contain some of the same toxins as marijuana. One marijuana joint has four times as much tar as one cigarette. There are also several reports linking marijuana users to cases of lung cancer (which causes 125,000 deaths a year), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and increased incidence of respiratory tract infections. It appears that use of marijuana may have the same effect as regularly smoking cigarettes.

Marijuana can also affect your mental state. The use of marijuana has been suggested to cause toxic psychosis, panic attacks, flashbacks, delusions, depersonalization, hallucinations, paranoia, depression and related illness such as bipolar psychosis and schizophrenia. The drug may also affect your short-term perception, judgment, thinking, memory, and