Should Marijuana be legalized
for recreational use?
CRITICAL READING 101
PHYLLIS SALSEDO
D E C E M B E R 1 3 TH, 2 0 1 2
BY: EMILY MYRICK
My personal experience
 Marijuana has had a very big impact in my life in a positive manner. My
grandmother is seventy eight years old and is fighting for her life, and what the
doctors say to be her last years. At one point my grandmother was taking around
seventeen pills every day. The majority of these pills were pain pills, depression
pills, and heart medication. My grandmother was completely incoherent every day
because of all the synthetic prescriptions being put into her system daily. She could
not have a conversation with you because she could barely talk or pay attention. She
could not drive or even walk across a room because of the extreme drowsiness
encountered with her medication. My grandmother was not my grandmother in her
own body anymore. This broke me and my family’s heart to pieces and hated
watching her in this condition. My mother finally decided to take my grandmother
to a naturopathic doctor to see how she could get off all of these pills. The doctor
prescribed her medical marijuana for pain. About three months after she started
using marijuana she in completely off all of her medications except for her heart
medication. She is now able to have full conversations as well as something as
simple as taking a walk. My family and I are so happy to have her back. Even though
she is now legally using medical marijuana she still struggles with the cost of the
marijuana from the dispensaries. This is why I am for marijuana being legalized for
recreational use so people like my grandmother can afford to purchase her
medication as needed. As well as being able to purchase it locally and easily without
hassle.
Introduction
•As of 2012 more and more states are
starting to legalize marijuana for
recreational use.
•Marijuana is proven to be much safer
than many other controlled substances.
•Marijuana is also proven to help
individuals survive life threatening
diseases and even terminal illness.
•Marijuana could help the United States
by stimulating the economy by being
taxed.
•Marijuana has proven to be the most
effective controlled substance in various
states.
Cartoon
 More than 22,000
individuals in Arizona
have obtained their
medical marijuana
card this year
 80% of these
individuals are
between the ages of
31-80
 The majority of these
individuals have
internal illness and
disease
Video
 Pros and Cons video on legalizing marijuana for
recreational use
 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/14/fallon-
legalizing-marijuana-pros-cons_n_2131378.html
Legal vs. Illegal
 Alcohol causes 85,000
death annually in US
 Marijuana has zero
reported deaths
 Marijuana is proven to
be extremely safe and
has no reported negative
side affects
Marijuana is Safe
• Tobacco kills 435,000
people annually
• 106,000 die annually from
reactions to prescription
medication
• Marijuana is the safest
therapeutic substance in
American today
Marijuana is safe(cont)
 Marijuana is a much safer alternative than synthetic
prescriptions controlled by the Food and Drug
Administration
 Every prescription medication has at LEAST five
negative side affects, some of them being sudden
death!
• 100,000 Americans die every single year from
prescription medication, whether it be over dose,
allergic reaction, or side affects!
Boost Economy
• By legalizing marijuana
this will save US 13.7
billion annually just in
prohibition
enforcement costs
• Washington state has
legalized for
recreational use and is
expected to make 500
million dollars in tax
revenue
• People incarcerated for
marijuana charges alone
is costing prisons 1
billion dollars a year
Conclusions
 Based on all the research on marijuana, it could really
turn this country around. With marijuana being taxed
and sold America would bring in billions of dollars to
help our economy greatly. Opening up numerous
dispensaries would also create thousands of jobs for
Americans. It would be a much safer medication for the
terminal ill and those with serious disease than anything
the government could ever create. Marijuana is
completely natural and many would prefer to use this for
medical, therapeutic, and recreational use. The pros
greatly outweigh the cons of marijuana which is why I am
for the legalization of marijuana.
Works Cited
 "100,000 Americans Die Each Year from Prescription Drugs, While
Pharma Companies Get Rich." Alternet. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec.
2012.
 Bradford, Harry. "14 Ways Marijuana Legalization Could Boost The
Economy." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 07
Nov. 2012. Web. 08 Dec. 2012.
 "Data: Many Medical Marijuana Cardholders Are Older than 50."
Azcentral.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2012.
 "Seven More States May Legalize Medical Marijuana In 2012."
ThinkProgress RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2012.