Rough Draft to Blog Entry

Running head: BLOG ENTRY 1

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BLOG ENTRY

Blog Entry

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Blog Entry

Question One: Topic

Legalizing Marijuana

Legalization of marijuana has emerged as the contemporary topic in the 21st century among policymakers, scholars, and healthcare specialists across the world, particularly in the United States. It is legal in 33 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

Question Two: Claim

The legalization of marijuana in the United States has the potential of drastically reducing crime acts in towns and cities and form a more productive society through its economic benefit and medicinal value. If Marijuana gets legalized, the approximated revenue generation through taxing the product would be $1, 400, 000, 000 (McCarthy, 2019). Almost 86% of American supporters of the legalization state that marijuana has medicinal benefits, hence need for the enactment of the law to legalize and protect weed business (McCarthy, 2019).

Question Three: Reasons and Rebuttal for The Claim

Marijuana has not proved to increase the risk of cancer. Cannabinoids such as CBD cause death of certain types of cancer cells.

Rebuttal: Many of the compounds that cause cancer present in tobacco smoke are also found in burning marijuana (Institute of Medicine, 2015). Studies reveal that lung cells of marijuana smokers have high levels of an enzyme that converts PAHs into a cancer-causing form.

Marijuana has not shown to cause mental illness.

Rebuttal: Daily smoking of high-potency marijuana increase risks of developing schizophrenia and depression, by almost five times compared to individuals who do not smoke marijuana.

Marijuana has not proved to cause long-term cognitive impairment.

Rebuttal: Memory impairment from marijuana use occurs because THC interferes with the memory formation (hippocampus) hence causing long-term memory impairment. For instance, rats exposed to THC in utero, soon after birth, or during adolescence, reveal problems with particular learning or memory tasks later in life.

The Author and Title of At Least One Secondary Source

The secondary source to use is authored by Evans, D. G. with work title called “Marijuana Legalization Will Cause Many Problems for Missouri Law Enforcement and Schools.” I will use this source to look for critical points to support my thesis, present opposing perspectives, and provide background information regarding the topic.

References

Evans, D. G. (2019). Marijuana Legalization Will Cause Many Problems for Missouri Law Enforcement and Schools. Missouri medicine, 116(3), 164. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6690273/

Institute of Medicine (2015). How Harmful is Marijuana?" Marijuana as Medicine? The Science Beyond the Controversy. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9586. https://www.nap.edu/read/9586/chapter/4

Niall McCarthy, N. (Jun 14, 2019). The Arguments for And Against Marijuana Legalization in The U.S. https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2019/06/14/the-arguments-for-and-against-marijuana-legalization-in-the-u-s-infographic/#112f8b19678b