Why Marijuana Should Be Legal

The legalization of marijuana is a topic that is growing more and more very day. While you can make arguments for both sides, I think it should be legalized. Now you might say that it is bad because it impairs your judgment, but doesn't alcohol do the same thing? Some people also make the argument that it causes a decrease in brain function over time, but there is no scientific data to support this claim. Furthermore, the medicinal uses of marijuana outweigh any minor side affects it may cause. Medical marijuana has been used to treat spasms in multiple sclerosis, nausea from cancer chemotherapy, as well as seizure disorders and help for pain with Crohn’s disease. Not only that, but marijuana is natural. It is a plant that grows in the ground. It is not a manufactured medicine like morphine or codeine that is now more synthetic than natural. It makes sense to make it legal because if people want to smoke marijuana, they will find a way to smoke marijuana. No law is going to stop them from obtaining it. Another reason it makes sense to legalize it is because it would be taxable by the government and therefore bring a profit in. It would 1) be an added bonus for those who use marijuana that the price would drop since it wouldn't have to be brought in from other states, and 2) since it's now legal, the price would drop because it wouldn't be dangerous to buy it anymore. The states that have legalized marijuana have brought in a substantial amount of revenue to their state because of it. I believe that the legalization of marijuana is not an if, but a when. 

Love Keeps People Alive Longer

The Article “Now, there's proof: Love keeps people alive longer”, by Dr. Keith Ablow is about the human need for deep, meaningful relationships. Dr. Ablow is a psychiatrist and member of the Fox News Medical A-Team. Dr. Ablow makes the argument, and backs it up with a Harvard research study, that people live longer when they have deep, meaningful relationships. He says that ”They show that feeling and expressing love is the single most important variable in remaining emotionally and physically healthy and living longer.” This article hits home for me due to the recent passing of my grandmother. She was loved by very many people, and she loved them just as much. Her husband died 40 years ago, and she just recently passed at the age of 97. I do believe that she lived as long as she did because of the relationships she had with those she loved. Not just the relationships with family members, but with anyone she ever met. I believe that Dr. Ablow and the Harvard researchers are correct when they say that true relationships do help people live longer. It is a shame that the current generation is so caught up in the “likes” and “retweets” and how many people view their snapchat story. I’ve noticed that younger generations don’t have as many good friends and relationships, they just have a lot of acquaintances. With all the different forms of communication today it is hard for kids to have meaningful relationships. They don’t have face to face conversations and I believe that’s going to hurt this generation in the long run. What struck me the most is this: “it is the quality of relationships—not the quantity of them—that matters”. It isn’t about having a bunch of friends, it’s about having a few really good friends. 

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