An Issue of Marijuana Legalization in Hong Kong

Marijuana has been a controversial topic in many places around the world due to some people’s perspectives on the drug itself and its use. It’s been banned in many countries. Some people prefer marijuana for medical or recreational uses, due to its ability to give the user a sense of being ‘high’, a state where users see the world in a distorted form, while also feeling happy and less stressed out. Which temporarily removes their feeling of depression and stress. While the rest think the usage of marijuana is bad for those who use it, as it has several side effects such as increased heart rate and anxiety.

Stress is a common problem in busy cities nowadays. Not only does it affect the mental wellbeing of people, it also controls how they act and perform in their lives. Stress is very unhealthy, it causes people to have mental breakdowns, they get agitated easily, and sometimes a cause for suicides. Overall, it affects the city’s very own social aspect. Helping people cope with stress helps the city to become a better place. Not only do people feel happier about their lives, but it also helps the economic aspect of the city in a way that people are more motivated, and more active. Improving their work-life balance. Hence why dealing with a city’s stress should be very important. But why should Hong Kong have the need for such drug? A newspaper article in 2015 pointed out that Hong Kongers work at least 2, 300 hours per year, which surpasses the 1, 700 hours people in other countries work for. 25% of Hong Kong’s population suffers from depression and anxiety, which is 250% higher than the global average. 60% of the people feel highly stressed about their jobs. While 50% also state they feel they have poor mental health. A small 18% even shows that they need actual psychological treatment. People in Hong Kong have been working excessively enough, that they have an uncompensated overtime that amounts to around $10 billion, the article says. Some people say that they feel like having panic attacks since they feel uncomfortable talking about workloads to their own bosses. Others state that they don’t prefer talking to colleagues about delegating work as they feel that they might be judged, and then end up socially isolating themselves. In a more recent article regarding kids’ depression, 3, 177 young people aged between 6 to 24 were interviewed and asked about their mental health. 31. 6% suffered from mild to extremely severe stress, while 38. 7% suffered from moderate to extreme anxiety.

One third of the future generation are already facing mental problems at a dangerously young age. This could develop much worse to affect their lives permanently in a bad way, possibly limiting their social life since most schools are teaching their students to prepare for examinations and tests as mentioned in the video included in the news article. A child was also interviewed about how he had nightmares regarding school. He further stated that he gets around more than 40 pieces of homework every week. Not including the added tutorials after school. His parents commented that they don’t know how to help their own children. Further showing why stress is an important problem that should be dealt with in Hong Kong’s society. Some people do not have a lot of time to do relaxing exercises like yoga due to a tight schedule. But the legalization of marijuana could be a way to deal with the stress of Hong Kong.

Why marijuana and not anti-depressants? Firstly, marijuana is much more affordable and cheaper. As marijuana can be grown anywhere, and not a synthetic drug made in labs. A cheaper option leads to a more maintained path to drug therapy. Secondly, along with being a cheaper alternative, marijuana also poses lesser severe risks compared to anti-depressants. For example, anti-depressants cause anxiety, fatigue, experiencing difficulties sleeping and sometimes physical pain.