1Debbie Kim

#1553
Topic: Benefits of Marijuana

General Purpose: To convince

Specific Purpose: To change my audiences mind about the common misconceptions of

marijuana and convince them that marijuana is beneficial to health and economy.

Thesis: There are many false misconceptions of marijuana that need to be correctly
addressed because marijuana is not addictive or harmful; rather, it is beneficial.

Introduction

I. If I were to ask any of you guys or any Wheaton student what their thoughts
about weed were, the general response I would get is something along the lines of
its bad for you, its a drug, something that gets you high.

II. As Wheaton students, many of us tend to have a negative view of marijuana

because of its association with drugs in general. Frankly, not many of us really
know what it is. Im here to tell you why that perception should be altered.

III. Well be discussing:

A. The common misconceptions of marijuana and why theyre untrue.
B. The benefits marijuana brings.

[Marijuana tends to have many negative perceptions because of its association with other
drugs but those perceptions are untrue and exaggerated.]

Body

I. The two most common beliefs about marijuana are not true.
A. Marijuana is highly physically addictive.
1. According to PsychologyToday, marijuana is not physically
addictive unlike other drugs such as heroin, crack, and meth. Those
drugs have severe physical withdrawal symptoms like the shakes,
heavy sweating, and are very uncontrollable. However, marijuana
is a mental addiction, leading to subtle symptoms such as cravings
and the feeling of missing it (Archer). This can be related to being
addicted to a TV show or any food. Mental addictions are not hard
to get over, as long as willpower exists.
2. Personally speaking, I used to smoke a lot of weed in high
school. I started junior year and continued to do so all the way
through senior year and even the summer before I came to
Wheaton. I would have considered myself a pothead back then.
 However after coming to Wheaton, I have not smoked since. So I
can testify to the statement that marijuana is not addictive.
B. Marijuana is harmful.
1. There are no toxins in marijuana. THC is the main chemical
responsible for the high in marijuana and it isnt toxic. These
chemicals bind to certain nerve receptors in the brain releasing
dopamine, a harmless euphoric hormone (Cox). According to Dr.
Elders, alcohol, heroin, and crack can kill you, but the only way
marijuana cannot (Szalavitz).
2. In 2012, UC San Francisco performed a study concluding that
smoking a single joint everyday for 20 years is benign, meaning
there are no effects on pulmonary function (Pletcher).
3. There are also no addictive chemicals in marijuana, leading to
less consumption and usage. This is why experts believe that there
is such a less physical effect to weed smokers than cigarette
smokers It is evident that there really is no physical damage done
to the lungs of weed smokers (Brownstein).

[Now that weve corrected some of the false misconceptions of marijuana, we are going
to take a look at how marijuana can be beneficial]

II. Marijuana has both health and economic benefits.

A. Marijuana has many beneficial health effects.
1. An experiment performed by UC San Diego demonstrates that
marijuana alleviates pain. This experiment consisted of placing
an ingredient in chili peppers underneath the individuals skin
and tested to see if marijuana relieves acute pains it did
(Hecht).
2. Marijuana also is related to preventing cancer cells from
spreading. A study performed at the University of Madrid in
Spain showed that THC inhibited tumor growth in their
experimental patients brains (Walia).
3. Marijuana is also related to Alzheimers Disease. An
experiment performed by the American Chemical Society
concludes that marijuana can block an enzyme that progresses
Alzheimers (Eubanks).
B. In addition to health benefits, marijuana has brought positive economic
successes as well.
1. Colorado was the first state to sell marijuana recreationally,
which started January 1st of this year. On that day, the state of
Colorado made more than $1 million dollars and over $5
million that week with only 24 dispensaries open. It is expected
that within a year, Colorado will make about $70 million, all in
tax revenue. Tax revenue is the income that is gained by the
government through taxes. The state of Colorado plans to use
 $40 million on education and $30 million on marijuana
regulation (Eubanks). This is a huge benefit economically.
2. The state of Washington also legalized selling marijuana. The
state of Washington also has had great successes in tax
revenue. While the state of Washington is making money
through legalizing recreational marijuana, other states are
spending money to prevent citizens from smoking weed
(Shane). This shows Washingtons economy thriving and other
states economies losing money.

[So, what have we learned?]

Conclusion

I. We have examined:
A. The two main misconceptions of marijuana and why theyre false.
B. The positives marijuana brings.

II. Many Christians tend to be ignorant to marijuana, drugs, and everything else
in that nature. However as Christians, I feel that we should be more educated on
what marijuana actually is instead of turning a blind eye and listening to what our
parents or bible school teachers say. That way, we can help our brothers and
sisters in Christ and have a better grasp at understanding what it truly is and how
it can be beneficial.

III. Out of the 20 states that have already legalized weed for medicinal use, and 2
of those 20 have legalized weed for recreational use, dont be surprised when
someday all of America legalizes weed (Lee).

References

Archer, D. (2012, May 05). Is marijuana addictive?. Retrieved from

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/reading-between-the-headlines/201205/is
marijuana-addictive

Brownstein, J. (2014, January 14). Marijuana vs. alcohol: Which is really worse for your
health?. Retrieved from http://www.livescience.com/42738-marijuana-vs-alcohol
health-effects.html
Cox, L. (2012, November 05). What is thc?. Retrieved from Archer, D. (2012, May 05).Is
marijuana addictive?. Retrieved from
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/reading-between-the-headlines/201205/is
marijuana-addictive

Eubanks, L., & Rogers, C. (2006). A molecular link between the active component of
marijuana and alzheimer. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 3(6), 773-777. Retrieved from

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/mp060066m?journalCode=mpohbp

Eubanks, T. (2014, January 14). Economic benefits from legalizing weed will draw
interest. Retrieved from http://www.dailynebraskan.com/opinion/eubanks
economic-benefits-from-legalizing-marijuana-will-draw-interest/article_62bfa21c

7d8f-11e3-96b9-0019bb30f31a.html

Hecht, P. (2012, July 12). California pot research backs up therapeutic claims. Retrieved
from http://www.sacbee.com/2012/07/12/4625608/california-pot-research
backs.html

Lee, J., & Gelles, K. (2014, January 6). Where is marijuana legal? Retrieved from
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/01/06/marijuana-legal
states-medical-recreational/4343199/

Pletcher, M., & Vittinghoff, E. (2012). Association between marijuana and pulmonary
function over 20 years.PubMed, 307(2), 173-181. Retrieved from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22235088

Shane, S. (2014, January 24). Why Colorado and Washington were wise to legalize pot.
Retrieved from
http://smallbusiness.foxbusiness.com/entrepreneurs/2014/01/24/why-colorado-and
washington-were-wise-to-legalize-pot/

Szalavitz, M. (2010, October 19). It marijuana addictive? Depends on how you look at it.
Retrieved from http://healthland.time.com/2010/10/19/is-marijuana-addictive-it
depends-how-you-define-addiction/

Walia, A. (2013, August 23). 20 medical studies that prove cannabis can cure cancer.
Retrieved from http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/08/23/20-medical
studies-that-prove-cannabis-can-cure-cancer/).