Substance Abuse
Do you think that marajuana should be legal?
Hi Tucker , Thank you for submitting your question to AskNSDL. AskNSDL's policy is that we don't offer opinions on legal matters; however, I will suggest some web resources that provide different perspectives on this issue. Then, you can form your own opinion. Remember, though, that, no matter what you think about the issue, the law in the United States and many other countries is that marijuana use and possession is not legal. The National Library of Medicine (NLM) has compiled a very thorough index of information, research and organizations related to the topic of marijuana abuse. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/marijuanaabuse.html Scroll through the list and select titles that interest you. Here are two that may be helpful, but you will find many more at NLM. "Marijuana." The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) overviews the extent of marijuana use, its effects on the brain, lungs, heart, behavior, pregancy and the long term consequences of marijuana use. http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofax/marijuana.html "Marijuana: Facts for Teens." Here, NIDA lists common questions and answers on the topic. http://www.nida.nih.gov/MarijBroch/Marijteens.html I found a few more results from a Google search on the terms: marijuana "why not legalize". If you perform your own search, be sure to put quotation marks "" around the phrases. Here is one good result: "Why not legalize Drugs" - arguments against legalization of marijuana and other substances from South Carolina Controlled Substance Identification: http://www.scdps.org/cja/csid%20legalize.htm Now, for the other side of the debate, check out the following websites. NORML - National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws. There's a lot of information on this site. Navigate through the site by using the navigation bar on the left side. Especially check out the links for Personal Use, Industrial Use, and Medical Use. http://www.norml.org/index.cfm Marijuana Legalization Organization: http://www.mjlegal.org/ I wish you luck in your research. Be sure to check with the librarian at your school or public library for more resources on this frequent topic of debate. Joyce Administrator, AskNSDL-ESTME Week 2004