Many people can and will agree on the fact that smoking marijuana is a learned behavior. Some people may even go so far as to say that it's an inevitable activity for certain subgroups of teenagers. One thing that some people may even accuse those who smoke pot of, is being addicted to the substance. To me, this is almost a ludicrous thought when people are applying it to a general population. Yes, there are people who genuinely get addicted to the substance. No, just because you've smoked marijuana twice in the span of a week does not mean that you're addicted.
The culture of America is to put a stigma on recreational drugs, with marijuana being in the limelight. However, and while I'm not condoning the use of marijuana, there are deadlier legal things out there like cigarettes and alcohol. I haven't been brushing up on my medical knowledge, but from my understanding, the health deficits of both of those far exceed those applied to marijuana.
Also, while not exactly of the same caliber or category, what most people believe is 'marijuana addiction,' can be easily applied to those who are relatively serious about a sport. They'll spend hours doing it a week and yet no one bats their wrists and scolds them for it. While yes, it's more productive, people discourage/ban the use of marijuana due to reasons that more so coincide with health issues.
What I think is that we as a society need to reestablish the thoughts that the general populace have conceived about this so that we are more accurate in our rhetoric. Addiction is not something to shrug off, but people are confusing addiction with something lesser and I think that there needs to be more of a distinction between those who simply smoke an excessive amount and those who are truly addicted.
I totally agree with you on this one. I don't smoke, but I seriously don't understand why it's illegal.
ReplyDeleteMarijuana has very few negative side effects in and of itself - while tobacco has extremely serious side effects on the body. People under the influence of Alcohol can do serious damage to themselves and to those around them simply because they can't think straight.
In my experience, people under the influence of Marijuana are pretty much smart enough not to go out and do anything that could harm themselves or others They usually just relax with friends, eat, and play video games or whatever.
I think the government should legalize marijuana and tax it like they do with tobacco. It's a win-win situation for everyone - smokers aren't breaking the law anymore, and the government makes a TON of money. It makes no sense at all as to why it's illegal. Just my opinion!