Marijuana has caused a big uproar over the past few years. The fight for the people's right to the drug has shone a light on some of the pros and cons revolving around it. Let’s put it this way; marijuana is like the misunderstood kid that always sat in the back of the class with all the bad apples in high school.
Most people believe anything negative they hear about the so-called ‘gateway drug.’ The marijuana equals ‘pothead’ notion that so many of us have been brought up around has given the drug an undeserving rap sheet. Below are some of the most common misconceptions about Mary-Jane that people blindly believe.
“You can die from THC overdose!!”
Tetrahydrocannabinol, better known as THC, is the chemical responsible for the psychological effects of marijuana. With a title as scary and hard to pronounce as THC, one might think even a small amount of said chemical would send you plummeting six feet under. This couldn’t be any further from the truth; in fact, more people die from alcohol use than marijuana use. Of course, by no means does this mean there are no adverse effects of marijuana; they are just less dangerous than alcohol. ‘THC overdose’ actually isn’t a real thing, there have been no recorded deaths by such overdose, whereas, two thousand deaths in America can be attributed to alcohol. So, if alcohol, a psychoactive drug responsible for one in ten deaths, is legal, why should a psychoactive drug with no death toll be illegal?
“It’s a gateway drug”
The basic idea behind the ‘gateway drug’ argument is that almost one hundred percent of heroin users first used marijuana, for example. To the naked eye these statistics seem too immense to ignore. Though this is true, prosecutors must understand, the nearly one hundred percent of heroin users also used cigarettes and alcohol prior to heroin and probably drove over the speed limit a few times too; like most of us do. The same is true for most hardcore drugs.
The key to understanding how ludicrous this concept is, is that correlation does not imply causation. Just because two variables occur during the same period does not necessarily mean they are associated with each other. Not only is the argument of marijuana leading to use of other drug, a logical fallacy, it is also impossible to prove. Those willing to break the law to use marijuana are often willing to break the law in other cases, as well as lead reckless lives by using heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and other drugs. Because the substance is still currently illegal it is difficult to separate and analyze users.
“It’s illegal because it’s bad”
Marijuana’s illegality has been highly based off of its negative stigma and selective scientific research. The risks for using the drug are far less than those related to alcohol, cigarettes, and even prescription drugs. Marijuana has even been used for health purposes to reduce nausea caused by cancer treatments, seizures, and pain from other illnesses such as arthritis and multiple sclerosis. In the end the real question should not be ‘why should marijuana be legal,’ rather ‘why should marijuana be illegal.’
