Cons of Marijuana Legalization

Immediate Effects of Marijuana1

• loss of restlessness
• excitement
• hallucinations, paranoia, psychotic episodes
• impaired coordination
• impaired motor ability
• mood swings
• increased appetite
• impaired ability.

Long Term Effects of Marijuana:1

• the loss of brain cells
• lung cancer
• chronic bronchitis
• energy loss
• slow confused thinking
• apathy
• and blood vessel blockage.
• Use by adolescents can disrupt emotional development, delay puberty, and can delay the monthly cycle in females.
• Marijuana may produce a mild physical dependence that causes minor withdrawal symptoms when discontinued, including nausea, insomnia, irritability, and anxiety.

Physical effects of marijuana

• diarrhea
• cramps
• weight loss or gain
• impaired sex drive

Gateway Drug

Marijuana can be a gateway drug, which means it can lead to the use of many other harmful drugs--Children ages 12-17 are 85 times more likely to use cocaine Marijuana has also been linked with teen violence, suicide, crime, and unsafe sex-HIV transmission.3

Marijuana V. Tabacco

A marijuana cigarette(joint) contains 50%-100% more tar than that of tobacco.
Smoking one joint is equal to smoking 7-10 cigarettes.
New harvesting methods made marijuana 20x more effective than it was 30 years ago. It can be laced with other drugs and the smoker won't even know.2 Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may experience the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers have. These individuals may include: daily cough and phlegm, symptoms of chronic bronchitis, and more frequent chest colds. Continuing to use marijuana can lead to abnormal functioning of lung tissue injured or destroyed by marijuana smoke.

Crime

Legalization of marijuana would not cut down on all crime, alcohol still causes family disputes, rape, robbery, reckless driving, and murder.

Effects during Pregnancy

Research has shown that babies born to women who used marijuana during their pregnancies display altered responses to visual stimuli and increased tremulousness which may indicate problems with neurological development. Marijuana exposed children have also been found to have more behavioral problems and to perform tasks of visual perception, language comprehension, sustained attention, and memory poorly. In school, these children are more likely to exhibit deficits in decision-making skills, memory, and the ability to remain attentive. 5