My name is James and I’m an addict. At least that’s what I was told. I had landed in another rehab after doing well for about 7 months. But when I finally relapsed it didn’t take long before I moved on to other, heavier drugs. It all started with a joint at Six Flags.
I was 17 when I tried marijuana for the first time, in a parking lot at Six Flags. This first time, I didn’t know enough to inhale—I had never smoked a cigarette either and the thought of breathing the smoke in deeper so it entered my lungs never crossed my mind. I was just trying something new, but the door had been opened.
Several months later, with another group of friends, I tried marijuana for the second time. This time I inhaled, and was glad that I did. It was like I found something I had always been looking for. Once it hit my system, something changed. I knew that everything was going to be okay. I wasn’t an extremely anxious person to begin with, but every ounce of stress was immediately gone. I knew that I was on to something good.
A New Friend in Marijuana
It wasn’t long before I was smoking every day. Sometimes a bowl in the morning was all it took. Weed made everything better. Food, movies, music. Things seemed to make more sense than they did before I smoked. Sure, my short-term memory was shot. But I loved the way marijuana made me feel, and that there were virtually zero health risks to go along with it.
I graduated from high school and went away to college. Sure enough, two of my roommates sold weed from the apartment, so it was free every day, and my everyday habit became an all-day habit. I still made good grades, and everything seemed to be going well. But internally something finally started to change. I was slowly becoming someone different.
Concerning my relationship with Mary Jane, there were certainly positives. Most notably when I had two separate strains of the flu, one during each of my two semesters as a freshman in college. After a joint or two virtually all of the negative symptoms were gone. Marijuana certainly has its health benefits, which I found out first hand.
The “Gateway Drug”
Fast forward 6 months and I was introduced to cocaine for the first time. It had been over a year since I first tried marijuana. Let me stop right here and say that I know that marijuana isn’t a “gateway” drug for everyone. That’s not the right term for what happened.
What did happen is over the next year I tried almost every drug in the book, and after moving to Florida for a few months in rehab, found myself with a needle in my arm shooting heroin.
I realize that that is not everyone’s story. But it is mine, and it did all start with a joint at Six Flags. The full legalization of marijuana is something I am against. But what I am most against is full, unregulated legalization of marijuana. Marijuana has its medical uses, especially in instances of glaucoma.
The Case Against Legalization
A Brief History of Marijuana Legislation
Recreational and medicinal use of marijuana in the United States began in the mid-1800s. Over time, it began to be associated with Mexican immigrants, many of whom brought the familiar drug with them from across the border, and with the African American community, which led to a negative outlook on the drug by society at large.
By the 1920s, the U.S. government decided to take a stand against cannabis use, and it became illegal by the first state. By the 1930s every state had criminalized marijuana.
There are a lot of ideas as to why this happened. Some say that big companies didn’t want the hemp being used instead of cotton, which had a lot of big money companies backing it. Others claim that the legislation against the drug had racist motives.
What the Studies Show
A study that analyzed the statistics on the use of marijuana notes that marijuana use has increased rapidly since 2010, and that users UNDER 18 have contributed most to that increase! The full legalization of marijuana could be well underway, which brings us to the first major argument against the legalization of marijuana.
One major public concern about the legalization of marijuana is that once it is legalized it will become more readily available to adolescents who aren’t of age to smoke recreationally legally. It makes sense that more widespread availability of the drug would lead to more adolescents using it. But an article from 2015 noted that since it was made available for recreational use, teen abuse of marijuana had, at worse, remained the same.
Another major issue with the legalization of marijuana is how it affects the driving of those who use it. It’s an accepted truth in the scientific and medical communities that the use of marijuana impairs driving. One study also noted that the use of marijuana increases one’s risk of being in an automobile accident twofold. I can say that I had my fair share of close calls while driving under the influence of THC, and was lucky to have not been in an accident during my years of smoking marijuana.
These are just a couple of the reasons why many people are opposed to the full legalization of the drug called marijuana, cannabis, or THC.
My Stance on Marijuana
I have a story that illustrates the negative impact marijuana can have on a person’s life. I lived it. I loved the drug, and part of me still does. But I haven’t smoked in 6 years, and don’t plan on smoking again anytime soon.
Other people need marijuana for medical reasons. Others can smoke weed recreationally without moving on to cocaine and heroin like I did. Maybe I just have a more addictive personality!
Rescheduling the Drug
What it boils down to is that marijuana should not be classified the way it is. The federal government still classifies marijuana as a schedule I drug, along with heroin, LSD, and cocaine. That is obviously preposterous. While I am against the legalization of marijuana, I am FOR it being rescheduled as the less dangerous drug that it is.
I am for the decriminalization of marijuana. I believe that, like the Prohibition of alcohol in the United States, the decriminalization of the drug has led to more problems than it has solved. People that really want to smoke are still going to smoke. I certainly did.
Decriminalization of Marijuana
I am also for the decriminalization of the drug. I didn’t include this in the introduction, but I was jailed overnight on one occasion for having marijuana paraphernalia in my car. The arrests of people for non-violent crimes involving marijuana are something that need to end.
Colorado is strict against drivers who are stopped with marijuana in their system, which makes sense. But states that arrest someone on the street because they have a joint in their hand need to reevaluate their stance on the drug entirely.
Where I do stand is somewhere in between decriminalization and legalization. There’s no black and white solution. There rarely is. However, in 30 years we may look back and see a solution that is working perfectly as we stand amazed that it took us so long to get there concerning cannabis.
Please don’t take anything you read here as medical or legal advice. If you need medical or legal advice, consult a doctor or lawyer. The articles and content that appear on this website have been written by different people and do not necessarily reflect the views of our organization.