Personal Wellness Application Assignment 3-2

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University Of Arizona *

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178

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Medicine

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Apr 3, 2024

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Personal Wellness Application Assignment 3 University of Arizona HPS 178: Personal Health & Wellness Dr. Adaeze Oguegbu February 4th, 2024

PERSONAL WELLNESS APPLICATION ASSIGNMENT 1 Although marijuana is federally banned, it can be approved in different circumstances by local governments, so its legal status differs between states. Typically, marijuana is classified as being completely illegal, legal only for medical use, decriminalized, or legalized. Decriminalization refers to the drug remaining illegal, but not being prosecuted in possession cases under a certain amount. Legalization means the removal of all legal prohibitions (NCBI, 2012) 2 . As of November 2023, marijuana is legal for recreational use in 24 states and Washington DC, decriminalized or approved only for medicinal purposes in 15 states, and fully illegal in 10 states. The first states to legalize marijuana in 2012 were Colorado and Washington, and now, over 10 years later, over half of the US population lives in locations that have legalized marijuana (Washington Post, 2023) 1 . Image: Washington Post, 2023, map representing states that have legalized marijuana for recreational use.

PERSONAL WELLNESS APPLICATION ASSIGNMENT 2 Those who oppose the legalization of marijuana argue against it due to health risks, financial and resource impacts, and social or cultural issues. Chronic use of marijuana can lead to respiratory problems, mental health issues, and impaired motor, cognitive, and immune function. Legalization could cause the incidence of these side effects to increase. Some also argue that legalization would increase strain on the justice system’s resources as increased use of marijuana could lead to more behaviors that would come in contact with the justice system, meaning more resources would be used. Although legalization would allow marijuana sales to be taxed, bringing in revenue, those who oppose legalization say that this revenue would be off-set by increased healthcare costs and loss of workplace productivity. If legalized, the price of marijuana would decrease, which would encourage more use in young communities. One option to counteract this–implementing high taxes on marijuana sales–could strengthen cartels and other dangerous groups as they would focus on black-market sales to keep costs low (OJP, 2010) 3 . Additionally, some experts warn that–contrary to public belief–marijuana is addictive, and legalizing it would lead to increased rates of addiction and increased rates of marijuana involved motor accidents (NCBI, 2013) 4 . Many people argue for legalization of marijuana, saying that it will have beneficial financial, social, and safety effects. Legal marijuana sales could be taxed to bring in significant amounts of revenue. It would increase police and justice system resources as revenue and labor wouldn’t be used up by prosecuting and enforcing marijuana laws. Federal legalization would also provide a barrier to teen marijuana use as underground markets would be reduced and marijuana sales would more often be regulated and sanctioned. Regulation would also improve safety as the drug could be further tested for purity, and environmental impacts could be better managed. Having a widespread ban on marijuana exposes individuals to the criminal justice

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