Kate Leslie L.

Millan STEM-MARCONI February 21,2020

A Position Paper on Marijuana Legalization

Marijuana should be legalized in the Philippines, more importantly, marijuana should replace alcohol
completely. As a preface to this paper, marijuana should not be used alongside alcohol. According to
alcohol.org(2019), the mixed usage of marijuana and alcohol could exacerbate the bad effects of both
drugs on the person using it. The user is more prone to overdose and be more physical dependent to the
drugs, can have potential issues with vomiting, can decrease judgement, and both drugs can stay longer
in the person’s body than normal if used together. One should be banned in our society, and should be
treated as a terrible crime. And it should be alcohol.

Marijuana is far less harmful than alcohol. The only reason why people see marijuana in a bad light
despite its less harmful nature compared to alcohol is because of the law regulations. But marijuana has
proved to have less drastic, less harm-inducing effects to the average person. For example, if we take the
long-term effect of both drugs into account, both seem to have an even ground. Long-term consumption
of alcohol can lead to alcoholic liver disease, which can progress to fibrosis of the liver, which in turn can
potentially lead to liver cancer. Since marijuana is usually smoked or inhaled, it can lead to bronchitis,
coughing and inflammation in the air passages. But marijuana can also be consumed in other ways, like
synthesizing marijuana into tablets and edibles. And according to Ruben Baler(2019), marijuana affects
the cardiovascular system, increasing heart rate and blood pressure, but a person can't fatally overdose
on pot like they can with alcohol.

Moreover, marijuana is significantly less addictive than alcohol. For a 1994 study, epidemiologists at the
National Institute on Drug Abuse asked about their drug use by more than 8,000 people between the
ages of 15 and 64. Of those who have tried marijuana at least once, a diagnosis for addiction ultimately
suits around 9 per cent. So put this in perspective, the cocaine addiction rate was 17%, while morphine
was 23% and nicotine 32%.

Violence from pure consumption of marijuana also pales in comparison to alcohol. The result aligns with
some previous work on the links between alcohol and abuse. Alcohol is a factor in 40 per cent of all
violent crimes, according to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, and a survey of
college students showed that mental and physical violence rates were higher on days that couples drank.
Marijuana users will tend to be more relaxed and at peace compared to people that drank alcohol.

Legalizing the casual use of marijuana can also disarm the drug cartels that plague the Philippines.
According to former Philippine National Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa(2016), the policy ‘s purpose is to
"neutralize illegal drug personalities nationwide". But nearly 4 years later, marijuana is still a thriving
underground business among drug rings. Legalizing marijuana can help reduce incarcerations, use of
scarce police resource, unprecedented killings and the amount of people dragged into worse addictions
because of their interaction with violent drug cartels for them to procure marijuana. Drug lords and
black markets could lose billions and could potentially be disempowered completely if marijuana will
become a more common, socially accepted activity, much like how drinking alcohol is today.

People with drinking problems substitute drinking with marijuana to lessen the adverse effects or
alcohol addiction. This is called marijuana management. Marijuana management can be used for people
that want to gradually abstain from alcohol use, and replace it with a drug that is much more
manageable. Quitting cold-turkey from a drug like alcohol can often be a painful process, and often an
impossible feat to achieve for chronic drinkers.

For decades, marijuana and alcohol have been portrayed as even-standing vices that deteriorate the
brain and propel the users to further harmful vices. But one is illegal and one is not. Why is that?

People who go against the use of marijuana use the fact that marijuana is classified as a gateway drug.
But marijuana is only a gateway drug because of the possible interactions with other drugs while
procuring marijuana.

Recently, the House of Representatives approved the 3 rd and final reading of House Bill 6517 or the Act
Providing Compassionate and Right of Access to Medical Cannabis and Expanding Research into its
Medicinal Properties and for Other Purposes on Tuesday, January 29, 2019. The legislation classifies
marijuana as a dangerous drug, but Section 16 provides for the cultivation of marijuana, opium poppy,
and related plants and materials "for medicinal treatments and research purposes," through medical
laboratories and research centers. This means that patients with debilitating chronic pain conditions can
be treated with medicinal marijuana that will be carefully handled, manufactured and administrated by
government and medical officials. This emphasizes the fact that drinking alcohol doesn’t have an ounce
of health benefit to it, and is merely addictive because of the taste and its ability to numb the senses.
But marijuana, however, can treat sclerosis, reduce anxiety if taken with a right amount of dosage, and
reduce pain for chronic pain patients.

A common argument against marijuana legalization is the potential increase in impaired driving cases.
According to ProCon, accidents related to marijuana rose to 62% following the legalization of marijuana
in Colorado. But it is also important to note that drinking alcohol impairs tasks requiring cognitive control
more than it does automatic functions, whereas marijuana at a comparable dose impairs automatic
functions more than those requiring cognitive control. Chronic marijuana smokers are less impaired by
both alcohol and marijuana than would be expected, however. This means that someone driving under
the influence of marijuana is less likely to recklessly drive compared to alcohol users. This is especially
important, given the amount of drunk driving accidents and deaths that happen in the country.
According to Researchgate(2014), E very year, there are approximately 1.24 million deaths due to
road traffic injuries, the majority of which occur in low- and middle-income countries. Compare that to
the measly 100,000 deaths in Colorado in a year.

Another argument is the accessibility of the drug could lure more children and teens into smoking
marijuana. This can easily be remedied by imposing an age restriction, and strict police intervention can
prevent teens from even trying it in the first place. Of course, this is not a perfect idea, because alcohol
has an age restriction but teens, and even children are drinking alcohol. But compared to alcohol, which
can cause liver damage and cognitive impairment (especially if the onset is early), marijuana is can be
less drastic and have less cognitive damage. Marijuana is less harmful, but it is not harmless. Stricter
implementation and distribution could lessen the amount of marijuana consumption in young adults and
children.

Both alcohol and marijuana are drugs, but one is less harmful than the other. But alcohol is much more
harmful to us than marijuana, yet it is a socially accepted activity and marijuana use is frowned upon. It
is time to take away the stigma and learn the facts. Alcohol impairs our senses more, and causes more
damage to the human body and psyche than marijuana. Marijuana should be legalized in the Philippines.

Sources:

Rappler.House 3rd Reading Bill Medical Marijuana. 21 Jan 2019.Web.

Livescience. Marijuana vs. Alcohol Health Effects. 23 Nov 2008.Web.

Alcohol.org.Facts About Marijuana.18 Apr 2015.Web. https://www.alcohol.org/mixing-with-m

ProCon. Should Recreational Marijuana be Illegal?. 13 Nov 2018. Web.

NCBI. THE EFFECT OF CANNABIS COMPARED WITH ALCOHOL ON DRIVING. 1 May 2010. Web.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2722956/