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Using drugs is undoubtedly a bad thing that can seriously harm people's health. However, some drugs, under special circumstances, have the ability to ease the people's suffering. In this case, it is a doubtful question whether all drugs should be prohibited. In some cases, it is rather favorable to legalize certain kinds of drugs in order to use them for good reasons. Recently, the state of Pennsylvania has been discussing an issue of whether or not marijuana should be legalized. Taking into consideration the benefits of proper use of marijuana, it seems logical to support the idea of legalizing marijuana in Pennsylvania.
However, it is not all as good as it looks at the first sight. While the law has been signed at the state level, some people believe that at the local level it may face the objections due to various circumstances (Smeltz, n. p.). For instance, an attorney from Philadelphia Justin Moriconi is convinced that there will be communities which will probably pass the laws against marijuana organizations (Smeltz, n. p.). Fred Sembach, the chief of staff to Senator Mike Folmer, said that the problem with Pennsylvania is that it consists of many counties and communities, which undoubtedly makes a good ground for emergence of controversial opinions (Smeltz, n. p.). One of the arguments against legalizing marijuana is the thought of possible attack dangers for the places selling products containing marijuana (Smeltz, n. p.). Another argument is that people will not have the necessary access to it. However, Jeffrey Sheridan, the spokesman for Governor Tom Wolf, remarked that this opinion is wrong. He said that the people will not be limited in access, but will be given the proper access under doctors' supervision (Smeltz, n. p.).
Probably the most common, but at the same time the most acute issue discussed by the opponents of legalizing marijuana is the bad outcomes of marijuana overuse. For instance, Rep. Jerry Knowles emphasizes that there are two absolutely different groups of people fighting to support the legalizing (Craig, n. p.). One group, according to Knowles, is made of those who genuinely believe in the honorable mission of relieving the people's pain, especially the children's pain. Another group, as Knowles notices, consists of those who simply regard legalizing medical marijuana as a way towards complete legalization of it, not only with medical purposes (Craig, n. p.). Knowles argues that marijuana is oftentimes "a gateway drug," and the people who started with it frequently tended to the more serious and harmful drugs later. Thus, Knowles notices, the government should be really careful about the issue (Craig, n. p.). An article by Kim Ann Zimmermann's also supports the opinion of the bad use of marijuana (Zimmermann, n. p.). For instance, it is mentioned that apart from positive influence, marijuana also has a high rate of abuse potential (Zimmermann, n. p.). Also, Zimmermann mentions the side effects of using marijuana: it impacts the parts of the brain connected with memory, comprehension, acclimatization, time awareness, and pleasure (Zimmermann, n. p.).
Works cited
Craig, Daniel. "Pennsylvania: the next state to legalize recreational marijuana?" PhillyVoice. PhillyVoice, 23 Apr. 2016. Web. 5 Jul. 2016.
Harding, Anne. "Medical marijuana." WebMD. WebMD, 4 Nov. 2013. Web. 5 Jul. 2016.
Miles, Tyler and Vaughn, Joshua. "Medical marijuana: What happens next in Pa.?" The Sentinel. The Sentinel Newspaper, 29 Apr. 2016. Web. 5 Jul. 2016.
Smeltz, Adam. " Despite law, medical marijuana may see local challenge in Pennsylvania." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 24 Apr. 2016. Web. 5 Jul. 2016.
Zimmermann, Kim Ann. "Medical Marijuana: Benefits, Risks & State Laws." Live Science. Live Science, 14 Jan. 2015. Web. 5 Jul. 2016.
