Recreational drug abuse is the cause of around 200,000 deaths per year (“Overdose Death Rates”) . Though for a lot of these drugs, overdoses are very rare, constant use of some very common drugs like marijuana causes numerous health problems. 3,880 men and women ages 20-92 suffer from marijuana induced heart attacks (Amy Malick “Pot increases heart attack risks”). So just imagine how many deaths we could prevent if drugs like these were illegal in all 50 states. For many reasons, marijuana and most other recreational drugs should be illegal. First of all, long term effects of marijuana can harm mental and physical health. In addition to long term, short term effects can be extremely harmful. And lastly, addiction can negatively affect a user’s personal life. For something that can cause such destruction to a person’s body, it should not be legal in the United States.
Long Term use of marijuana can have lasting effects on someone’s mental and physical health. As stated in the article, “What Are Marijuana’s Long Term Effects?”, marijuana use starting around adolescence can cause you to lose up to 8 IQ points because it causes “altered connectivity and reduced volume of specific brain regions involved in a broad range of …show more content…
Alice Walton stated in the article, “What 20 Years of Research Has Taught Us About The Chronic Effects of Marijuana,” that daily life can be effected by appetite changes, depression, insomnia, and anxiety. Also, many studies have shown that marijuana users IQ scores can significantly go down, which makes the user less eligible for better jobs. Alice also stated in the article, “What 20 Years of Research Has Taught Us About The Chronic Effects of Marijuana,” that some addicts can get to the point where if they go too long without the drug, they can suffer from withdrawals. All of these possibilities can greatly affect personal