Blunt Truth Research Paper

For many years, the prohibition of marijuana has led people to believe that marijuana was extremely dangerous, therefore, it could never be legal; but, most dangers spoken about marijuana are myths as it is found less harmful than alcohol, and even tobacco. In 2007, research done by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare came to the conclusion that alcohol was a large contributor to death and the cause of more than 3% of the overall disease and injury in Australia, while marijuana was accountable for no deaths and only 0.2% of disease and injury. Despite what many are told to believe, this research poses that marijuana holds way fewer risks than alcohol does, and alcohol is legal. Around 88,000 deaths occur each year due to alcohol consumption, and half of those are due to binge drinking. With this in

The legalization of recreational marijuana is an important debate, one that could really cause drastic changes in societies. Marijuana has entered a dark stage in the pathway of legalization, and it is correlating with the prohibition stage that alcohol rested in. The debate can often reach a nasty level between individuals taking sides with the topic. Legalization of marijuana can be very beneficial under regulated circumstances, therefore making all of the negative views less important.

The topic of legalizing recreational marijuana in the United States has been a very controversial one. States such as Colorado and Washington have gone on the offensive and have legalized recreational marijuana and have enjoyed the high revenues brought in from cannabis sale. On the other hand other states have kept low profiles because they are wary of the possible negative outcomes of legalizing recreational marijuana and are using the states of Colorado and Washington as guinea pigs to see what their next course of action on this controversial topic should be. This is not only a highly debated topic among politicians, but also by the people. According to a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center 52% of Americans

The statement “marijuana is a lot safer than alcohol” cannot go unchallenged and should be debated. One important subject is the risk that marijuana use (especially in young adults) can lead to some kinds of mental illness. “Studies support findings that risk of schizophrenia doubles in young abusers” (U.S. National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 2009). According to Joseph Califano Jr., CASA founder and chairman of Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) “If we were to make marijuana legal and taxed it, for approximately every dollar of tax revenue, there could be as much as seven dollars incurred in medical costs”.

Many people from all around the world believe that marijuana is an addictive drug that has ruined the lives of millions. The U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that more than 37,000 annual U.S deaths are the effects of alcohol alone. Alternatively, there is not even a category for the deaths caused by marijuana. Many of us think that marijuana kills brain cells but studies show teens that use marijuana as well as alcohol suffered significantly less damage to the white blood cells in their brains. Alcohol use contributes to aggressive and violent behavior while marijuana will only make a person feel more comfortable. “Alcohol is clearly the drug with the most evidence to support a direct intoxication, violent relationships, whereas cannabis reduces the likelihood of violence during intoxications” (Shuette, 2013). The government does not even track violent acts specifically related to marijuana use. Marijuana and alcohol should be switched where marijuana is legal and alcohol is not because it will benefit people more than alcohol will.

The legalization of marijuana will lead to a boost to the economy. With the United States being trillions in debt, an increase in tax money would be a big help to lower the national debt. Colorado, one of the first states to legalize marijuana for recreational and medicinal uses, is showing valuable data of an increase in tax money, “In 2015, Colorado collected more than $135 million in taxes and fees on medicinal and recreational marijuana. Sales totaled over $996 million” (Krishna, Mrinalini). Now, Colorado is joined by seven other states, Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada, in the full legalization of marijuana. With these states joining with Colorado, the United States is seeing sales “[grow] by 30%, to 6.1 billion, in 2016 and a projected 20.1 billion in 2021” (Krishna, Mrinalini). With that in mind, these sales are shared among only eight states, add another forty-two states and the rates could surpass the trillions. Considering the evidence, the act of not legalizing marijuana would be foolish.

The topic of marijuana has been a big topic for the past few years. The United States considers marijuana as a drug, in some other countries they say it is a natural herb that is grown from the ground. The issue at hand is “should marijuana be legalized?” the congress of the US stay in a constant debate on this subject. Why is the subject of marijuana such in high demand, if the US already considers it a drug? There are many facts that need to be looked at before a final decision can ever be made. In contrast since the past two weeks the state of Colorado became the second state in the US to legalize marijuana. Obviously it is possible for marijuana to be accepted into society, obviously there are as much pros as

Not only are the toxic levels of alcohol much greater than those of marijuana, but the consequences of drinking long-term are far more damaging as well. Next to smoking tobacco and being overweight, drinking alcohol is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Not including all the accidents and homicides that are attributed to the use of alcohol, the number of people that suffered alcohol induced deaths was 20,687 in 2003 alone (Foland). Those who choose to drink face the risk of many different health conditions, including some cancers, liver cirrhosis, liver disease, and heart disease---not to mention the risk of physical dependency (“Alcohol vs. Marijuana”). The effects on the brain are just as detrimental. In contrast to the old myth that drinking alcohol kills brain cells, recent studies have shown that instead it prevents new cells from being made. This process of making new cells, called neurogenesis, was found to be decreased by over fifty percent in abusers of alcohol. Marijuana seems to have the opposite effect. The same study showed that the use of marijuana actually increased neurogenesis, thus increasing the making of new brain cells (Wenk). Recent studies

“According to the Colorado Department of Revenue, the regulated marijuana market generated more than $156 million in state tax revenue and license fees in FY 2015-2016.” (The Impact of Legalization in Colorado,2017). The amount recognized in the quote was not including local taxes. The taxes generated from recreational marijuana use can be used for the state of Colorado to spend on many valuable things in the state. Such as schools, public transportation, or natural parks. This benefits the economy by creating more money for the state to spend and putting more money into circulation.

Medical marijuana, like alcohol, cigarettes and other drugs, is significantly taxed, which generates governmental funding. Although the state of Colorado has legalized recreational marijuana as well as for medical purposes, a Time magazine article in September of 2015 reported that the collected taxes for the drug, in the prior fiscal year, more than doubled expectations, fetching more than $70 million for public coffers (Basu, 2015). Additionally, the previously-expended public funds saved by no longer policing the possession and use of marijuana have freed government currency to be used elsewhere. According to the Colorado Center on Law and Policy, the decriminalization of marijuana saved the state between $12 million and $40 million in 2013 (Way, 2013) It is indisputable that the legalization of medical marijuana, coupled with the decriminalization of recreational marijuana, would produce an almost immediate significant economic advantage for public

Marijuana legalization has been a controversial topic requiring a public policy solution in the political realm. There have been various arguments made for and against the legalization of marijuana. There are several states that have legalized marijuana use for medicinal purposes while others have let their guards down completely allowing citizens to use it not only medicinally, but recreationally as well. While the use of marijuana is still illegal at the federal level, there is much discussion by other states regarding policies to support marijuana legalization and many policy makers proactively planning for the possibility

According to Mitch Earley, Ph.D., a psychology professor at the State University of New York at Albany and the editor of “Pot Politics: Marijuana and the Costs of Prohibition”, says, the United States government spent over five-billion-dollars on marijuana prohibition in 2000 (Earley 24). Earley also stated that legalizing marijuana would generate over six-billion-dollars in revenue annually if it were taxed like tobacco and alcohol (Earley 29). The national reporter for The Huffington Post, Matt Ferner wrote "Why Marijuana Should Be Legalized: 'Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol.” In this article, Ferner concluded that Colorado will revenue about 60 million-dollars and experience a stimulation in job growth. In the same article, Ferner stated that “marijuana use among high school students in Colorado has decreased significantly since the state began regulating the sale of medical marijuana.” Not only will America have the ability to profit, but simultaneously regulate who purchases

Marijuana also known as Cannabis Sativa goes by many street names which include: pot, weed, and refer, Mary J, to just list a few. For many years marijuana has been an ongoing debate. The debate is whether or not marijuana should be legalized for recreational use. Many people want it legalized for recreational use, while others don’t. The people that want it legalized want it legalized because they want to be able to smoke it with no penalty and because they feel like there is no harm that can be done to the body. The opposing side feels like it is not only harmful to individuals consuming marijuana, but also society as a whole. I will be displaying research from both sides.

In America, 1 in 3 people have tried the recreationally used drug called Marijuana at some point in their lives. Cannabis is the scientific name known as: Mary Jane, Ganja, Reefer, weed, Pot, etc. This drug is still illegal in America, New York is becoming the 23rd state to legalize it for medical use, Colorado, Washington, Alaska, and Oregon being the only ones to have it completely legalized. Questions as to why ‘noble weed’ has not been legalized in America yet has aroused a controversy since the 70’s. There are many arguments made about marijuana legalization. Most arguments that are made have been pro legalizations, while the con arguments have had more important and reliable information to keep it illegal. Marijuana has caused a large controversy in America, such as it’s effect on the economy, physical, mental and emotional

2014, excellentessaywriters.wordpress.com/2014/01/23/legalizing-marijuana-individual-and-societal-benefits/.This means that not only is it fully illegal to have privately and use, but doctors cannot prescribe it. Almost 40 states in the union allow some form of legalized marijuana. Most of these states passed laws in the last ten years. However, very few states allow it for purely recreational use. As a start the usage of marijuana can have so many benefits that come with it. A state that legalizes marijuana by allowing limited private sales creates a privilege to sell it. That privilege is worth money, and maybe that could mean lots of money. In 2012, Colorado legalized the recreational use of marijuana. The state has garnered over 10 million in taxes from retail sales in the first 4 months. The first 40 million of this tax revenue is attributed for the public schools in the state,buildings, and structures, as well as for youth educational campaigns. You could call this the “present day gold rush”. There's a lot of green going for Colorado’s legalization of weed. Colorado, which was the first state to allow retail for the recreational use of marijuana