Marijuana has been legalized in 34 states for medical purposes and 17 states for recreational use. We all know that overdosing marijuana, or any drug for that matter, is bad and dangerous, but marijuana does have some positive effects on the body and mind. The question is, though, do the positive effects outweigh the negative and should it be legalized, in all states, for medical and recreational use? I believe the answer should be, no, marijuana should not be legalized for medical or recreational use in the United States, and here is why (Hansen and Horus). 
First off, the negative effects. Marijuana has a lot of downsides that affect the brain like, impaired judgement, memory problems, and an underdeveloped brain. The drug changes the way you process information and how information is processed in the hippocampus, which causes poor judgement and being unable to make memories. With poor judgement people could get into serious trouble making bad decisions, and everything that happens while under the drug would be blotchy or completely unknown to a person. While it may temporarily relieve specific symptoms of depression the withdrawal may advance feelings of depression. Things get worse when it comes to the physical effects though (Pietrangelo). 
Marijuana can cause burning mouth, red eyes, the munchies, slowed reaction time, accelerated heartbeat, and a phlegmy cough, which are not too serious, but it also causes; bronchitis, lung irritation, increased lung cancer risk, and weakened immune system. The latter is more serious, it basically makes it hard to breathe and heightens your chance of becoming ill, now not all illnesses are as terminal as others, but it is still dangerous. But what about the positive effects (Pietrangelo). Long term effects can cause cognitive impairment, impaired driving ability, and chronic psychosis disorders like schizophrenia (McKenna). 
Like I said before there are a couple of positive effects of Marijuana, such as increased dopamine release, glaucoma relief, reduced nausea and vomiting, pain relief, and decreased risk of tumor growth (Pietrangelo). Though some of these can be extremely helpful in a hospital setting, there are already less damaging drugs that can do this too. Multiple types of antiemetics can reduce nausea and vomiting and glaucoma can be treated with Prostaglandins. All of these are over-the-counter drugs that can do the job just as easily with less of the negative effect (Glaucoma). 
In conclusion, I think marijuana should not be used for medical or recreational use in the United States. It causes more harm than it does good, and there are other drugs that can do the same treatment but with less damage to a person.