Marijuana

9 Pages 2324 Words

heart
disease, and are three times more likely to die of heart disease if they develop it. Does it
make sense that tobacco is legal and marijuana is not, when so many people die from
tobacco smoking each year and there is not one reported case of anyone ever dying from
marijuana use in its 10,000 years of consumption? You have probably heard that "one
joint is that same as 10 cigarettes," but this statement is misleading. Although marijuana
contains the same amount of carcinogens as an equal amount of tobacco and more tar,
tobacco is still worse. Every yr 350,000 Americans die from tobacco-related disease
according to the American Lung Association. A tobacco smoker consumes much more
tobacco than a marijuana smoker consumes marijuana. This is probably because tobacco
has a 90% addiction rate while marijuana is less addictive than caffeine. Also, tobacco
contains nicotine that may harden the arteries and may be responsible for much of the
heart diseases caused by cigarette smoking. Marijuana on the other hand contains the
chemical THC which opens up the lungs and aids in the clearance of smoke and dirt. I
think it is safe to say that tobacco smoking is much more dangerous than marijuana
smoking. Another bad habit is alcohol, which in my opinion is the worst of all. 8,000
American teenagers are killed each year and 40,000 maimed from driving under the
influence. The mortality figures for alcohol use are 100,000 annually, compared to the
zero marijuana deaths. The amount of marijuana needed to kill someone is 1 to 40,000,
while the ratio for alcohol fluctuates between 1 to 4 and 1 to 10. Not only do many
people die each year from alcohol poisoning, but alcohol has caused thousands of fatal
car accidents. Although, marijuana, when used to the point of intoxication, impairs
judgment and reaction time, actual studies suggest that the effect alcohol has on one's
driving ability is much greater tha...