Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Jack Helmers
Ms. Wilson
English II Honors
The decriminalization of marijuana can improve and save the lives of teenagers. 70% of
teens claim to have anxiety and or depression disorders. Marijuana has been linked to relieving
anxiety and depression in nearly all cases. Marijuana also has been proven to relieve even
chronic pain. It is also much safer to use than opioids. There are zero documented cases of
overdose from marijuana, whereas opiates cause 30% of overdoses in the US. Marijuana also has
many other medical benefits such as relieving nausea for cancer patients going through
chemotherapy. It helps people with Parkinson's, veterans with PTSD, and many other conditions.
Anxiety and depression are very prevalent in teenagers. In clinical study patients with
depression have said symptoms have been reduced by 89%. 93.5% of patients with anxiety have
approximately 90% of people who have died by suicide were suffering from a mental illness at
the time. The most common mental illness reported was depression . . . suicide is the 2nd leading
cause of death among children and adolescents ages 10-24.” Depression is the main cause of
suicide. Suicide is a leading cause of death in teens. Marijuana lowers depression. This mean
marijuana can save lives but only if we let it. When it comes to anxiety there is not much of a
difference . Kidshealth.org also wrote “Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental
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health conditions. They affect people of all ages — adults, children, and teens. There are many
different types of anxiety disorders, with different symptoms. They all have one thing in
common, though: Anxiety occurs too often, is too strong, is out of proportion to the present
situation, and affects a person's daily life and happiness.” Anxiety puts a strain on happiness and
can lead to many severe complications. Harvard published an article saying symptoms of anxiety
include “Exaggerated worry about health, safety, money, and other aspects of daily life that lasts
six months or more. Often accompanied by muscle pain, fatigue, headaches, nausea,
breathlessness, and insomnia”. Other anxiety medications have been proven to alter the mood
and behavior of patients. One anxiety medication Xanax has been linked to countless overdoses.
These medications are also very expensive which means people with little money can not afford
the expensive medication. They suffer or are bankrupt by medical bills. Marijuana is a safe
effective much cheaper than other means of treating anxiety and depression.
Pharmaceutical companies are profiting hundreds of millions of dollars off opioids and
are urging doctors to keep prescribing them. These companies care little about their actual
customers. “In 2016, more than 42,000 people were killed by opioids” (Opioids and
Adolescents). Marijuana provides the same medical benefits with much less risk of addiction and
death. These pharmaceutical companies then donate millions to political candidates’ campaigns.
In turn, then the elected politicians continue to let pharmaceutical companies plague our nation
and lives with addiction and death. “Opioid products, they alleged, were defectively designed
because companies failed to include safety mechanisms, such as an antagonist agent or tamper-
resistant formulation. Manufacturers also purportedly failed to adequately warn about addiction
risks on drug packaging and in promotional activities. Some claims alleged that opioid
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them as safer than alternatives” (Haffajee).This vicious cycle benefits only those involved and
ruins the lives of the people affected by the laws prohibiting the use of marijuana. “among
adolescents is increasing. In 2015, 4,235 youth ages 15-24 died from a drug-related overdose;
over half of these were attributable to opioids.” (Opioids and Adolescents). Instead of doctors
prescribing lethal opioids like fentanyl and oxycontin, they could prescribe medical marijuana.
Marijuana has also been proven to provide major pain relief to patients taking it.
successfully for fibromyalgia, endometriosis, interstitial cystitis, and most other conditions
where the final common pathway is chronic pain. A highly promising area of research is its use
for PTSD in veterans who are returning from combat zones. Marijuana also helps with anxiety,
In conclusion the medical benefits of marijuana far out way the risk. Marijuana has
shown great results in treating anxiety and depression as well as with pain relief. Marijuana is a
safer for affordable alternative to other pain depression and anxiety medications. The opioid
epidemic is fueled by pharmaceutical companies that only care about profits. Marijuana works
and can help improve and save the lives of millions of people.
Works Cited
Rich, Alex K., and Alexander Stingl. “Legalization of Marijuana: An Overview.” Points of View:
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search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pwh&AN=23554883&site=pov-live]
“Drug Companies' Liability for the Opioid Epidemic | NEJM.” New England Journal of
Medicine, www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1710756.