Marijuana legalization is being hotly debated today with TV and any marijuana magazine giving it prime importance. Marijuana news makes it to the cover of almost all the leading media across the world. Many organizations have been pushing the government to legalize marijuana dispensary locations throughout the country. Marijuana or cannabis is a preparation of the cannabis plant which is intended to be used as a drug by humans. Many argue that marijuana is medically relevant and has many advantages while others insist that marijuana adversely affects the body and the brain.

The pros and cons of marijuana are being discussed here. If taken in moderation, marijuana is no more harmful than tobacco or alcohol. In fact, both tobacco and alcohol are widely and legally consumed, and a direct link between the two and cancer is a fact. Nevertheless, because of the strong lobbying, the government does not ban tobacco or alcohol but has limited itself to mandatory warnings on the packs or bottles.

Those favoring marijuana argue that if marijuana is life-threatening, then tobacco and alcohol are equally culpable and should be banned. But, would anyone want the government to limit or ban the amount of alcohol or tobacco consumption? Marijuana is full of medicinal benefits if used properly and has been tremendously helpful in diseases like cancer, glaucoma or AIDS.

Patients undergoing chemotherapy have especially benefited from medical marijuana and legalizing it will only give a boost to the health care of cancer patients. Illegal selling and buying of marijuana is the direct cause of the rise in crime and violence. Frustrated youth give vent to their anger in their inability to procure legal marijuana and resort to crime and violence. Marijuana legalization would put an end to the need of indulging in criminal behavior just to get hold of some cannabis.

Drug mafias would lose their hold on the minds of the impressionable youth, and drug-related issues would soon come to an end. The much- harassed police could then perhaps concentrate on serious crime! Marijuana is also a popular agricultural product and legalizing the trade of it as well as the tax collected on it would result in filling the government coffers.

It would encourage the young in the wrong ways of life as marijuana is considered to be the stepping stone to harder drugs. Once addicted to marijuana, the person will crave harder drugs like heroin, cocaine, etc. Even inhaling passive marijuana smoke is very harmful and passive smokers can suffer from terrible health issues just by inhaling the smoke.

Many argue that legalizing marijuana would only result in encouraging more crime as people involved with drugs are usually involved in other crimes too. Marijuana news is the hottest in every type of media, and it is good that the merits and demerits of the legalization of marijuana are being debated and show no signs of letting up.

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