Opioid Argumentative Essay

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Today’s opioid epidemic is out of control. According to American Society of Addiction medicine, “Of the 55,403 drug overdoses in 2015, 20,101 overdose deaths were related to prescription pain relievers, and 12,990 overdose deaths related to heroin in 2015.” Opioids have led to many unnecessary addictions and deaths that may have been prevented by the use of medical marijuana. There are many opinions on medical marijuana. Opponents believe medical marijuana is a gateway drug and is just the start of drug legalization for recreational use. However, I believe that medical marijuana is a better option to many prescription opioids because it is not known to have a lethal overdose side effect like many other prescription medications, it could …show more content…
Although there are facts to support this, I would argue that many of the people who use marijuana, do not go on to use other, more harmful drugs such as cocaine or heroin. According to The National Institute on Drug Abuse, “The majority of people who use marijuana do not go on to use other, "harder" substances. Also, cross-sensitization is not unique to marijuana. Alcohol and nicotine also prime the brain for a heightened response to other drugs and are, like marijuana, also typically used before a person progresses to other, more harmful substances.” This evidence suggests that a majority of people who use marijuana are no more likely to use other, more harmful substances, than those who use tobacco or alcohol, and yet tobacco and alcohol are widely available to people of all ages in our society. I would also argue that many other factors including a person’s environment are far more likely to affect one’s drug use opposed to whether or not they have tried alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana. Imagine that amount of tax money lost by the federal government if they were to outlaw tobacco and alcohol. We all know that those two substances are not healthy for people but they continue to be available because of the revenue that is gained from
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