Legalization of Marijuana makes a drug that is very dangerous to the human body easier to acquire and use. Over 25 million Americans have smoked marijuana, and more than 14 million Americans use marijuana recreationally and regularly. With addiction rates at an average of 10%, that is roughly 1.4 million Americans who will be addicted to marijuana, a drug that has terrible health effects on the human body (NORML). So, why would Vermont even think about legalizing such an atrocious, live-ruining drug? Marijuana is bad for Vermont.

Marijuana is one of the worst gateway drugs known and should not be legalized because of its potential for addiction to it and to “harder” drugs like cocaine and heroin. First of all, marijuana causes shocking health effects, especially if you use it at a young age. Marijuana affects memory and the ability to think clearly if used at a young age, if marijuana was legalized it would make it a lot easier for adolescents to get a hold of marijuana if their parents used it or a friend did. You have an increased chance of mental illness as well. a 2012 study found that increasing frequency of marijuana in young 18-22-year-olds have symptoms associated with depression and other mental health issues. (LAM) Tho, this symptom declined as the testers got older. So, marijuana has intenser side effects at a young age.

In 2005, 242,200 emergency room visits in the United States involved marijuana. I don't think either of us would like to be one of those people. Especially if marijuana causes long life term health issues, like  learning and memory hardship and impulse control issues. Impulse control is controlling your impulsive reflexes, things that happen automatically. These all relate to one thing. The brain. THC affects the brain more than it affects anything in the body. The science behind it is that marijuana affects mainly one part of your brain. That part is the hippocampus. Normally, as people age, they start to lose neurons in that part of the brain  which decreases their ability to learn. But, THC exposure to that part of the brain tends to make the user lose more neurons in that part of the brain which, as I have said, decreases your ability to learn.

Adults 26 or older who used marijuana before age 15, 62% went on to use cocaine at some point in their lives; 9% went on to use heroin at least once and 54% made some nonmedical use of mind-altering prescription drugs.(LAM) Marijuana is a gateway drug, an item that makes you dumber and it terms, slower with brain functions. Now, why would Vermont legalize this sort of life disabler that could and will ruin the life of some Vermonters just so they can get the financial benefit of selling Marijuana to innocent Vermonters?