By James Westergard, guest writer.
Do you suffer from epilepsy, anxiety, chronic pain, cancer, etc.? Have you tried endless amounts of pharmaceuticals to only to be left with negative, sometimes life threatening side effects? According to Harvard University, 2.74 million Americans experience serious adverse drug reactions each year, of which 128,000 die. To me, that screams that we as a nation, need a serious transformation in the pharmaceutical industry.
Whether that be using it for medicinal purposes, to create a thriving job market with the farming of hemp and marijuana, in the production of clothing, paper, biofuel, etc., and even for recreational use, the crop has endless benefits. It is not a harm to society. And it’s time to start taking notice to the miracle attributes it secretes.
Marijuana, you could say, saved my life. From the first day I started consuming it, a great deal of the problems I was experiencing dissipated. At the age of 16, I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety, insomnia and social anxiety. I would see doctor after doctor, who gave me pills upon pills, of which many were “trial and error.” I felt like a “guinea pig.” At 17, my doctor privately suggested that I try marijuana, to which I complied.
Today, I’m 23 years old, and a daily smoker. Without it, I would be living a life of constant stress and anxiety, while not sleeping for days. Marijuana is not only a safe substitute to many pharmaceuticals. It is also a safer substitute to many other legal substances already prevalent in society, alcohol being my main concern.
The Centers for Disease Control states nearly 88,000 Americans die annually from alcohol-related causes, making it the fourth leading preventable cause of death in the U.S.
The Centers for Disease Control also states that there have been zero cases of marijuana related deaths in the United States. I’m not saying alcohol should be banned or illegal, seeing as the Government already tried that. However, I am theorizing that legal, recreational marijuana would play a major role to millions of people who are heavy drinkers, who then may try marijuana in its many different, safe forms, ultimately lowering alcohol related deaths.
Some might argue that marijuana is a gateway drug, and that it influences kids to smoke, or that it isn’t safe. As far as a gateway drug, I, myself, have been a daily smoker for quite some time now, and not once have I ever had an urge to try any other drug. I’m a living testimonial to this.
Future generations should grow up in a world full of legal pot-heads, versus a world full of alcoholics. Up to 86 percent of homicide offenses are linked to offenders who are under the influence, per the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Now, compare that to marijuana’s 0 percent, and the statistics should speak for themselves. If marijuana could save your child’s life, would you take a stand for legalization then?
If you suffer from panic attacks, cancer or chronic pain, with no sign of relief, take a stand to legalize this crop in efforts to better Americans’ way of life.
