Today, all throughout the United States there is more public agreement for a marijuana law reform than ever. New ballots prove that more than half of the country is promoting the legalization of marijuana. “The Drug Policy Alliance asserts marijuana should be dislodged from the criminal justice system and standardized like alcohol and tobacco” (“Marijuana Legalization,”2017). Currently eight states along with Washington, D.C., accede adult use of recreational marijuana. Twenty-eight states have affirmed the use of medical marijuana (Wallace,2016). Pros “The pros to legalizing marijuana include; reducing harm, creating jobs, saving money, and promoting consumer safety” (“Marijuana Legalization,”2017). The illegalization of marijuana usage unevenly …show more content…
With all the research I have done, I believe that the pros outweigh the cons. With it being legalized there will be more jobs available, money being saved, and consumer safety being promoted. Also many people who have health issues that could potentially benefit from the use of medical marijuana will have easier and quicker access to get the treatment they need that could possibly save their lives. Also no one has ever died from an overdose, or extreme amount of marijuana in their system. Yet, nearly 38,329 people died from drug overdoses back in 2010 (“Pros and Cons,”2014). And 60 percent of those deaths were related or in correlation with prescription drugs. In that same year 25,692 people were killed due to alcohol consumption or alcohol related causes. Another reason is nearly 40 percent of Americans admit to trying or using marijuana. Marijuana is becoming more and more omnipresent every year (“Pros and Cons,”2014). There is a reason as to why people are feeling safer and safer aspiring the drug. Also if you are okay with alcohol and cigarettes, then there is really no reason as to why you are not accepting of marijuana. “Statistics show that marijuana is four times less addictive as tobacco, and about half as addicting as alcohol” ("Legalization of Marijuana," 2016). Of course there would have to be laws regulating sales, legal age, legal amounts, and driving motor vehicles while under the influence. With proper regulations and laws, sales would go well, and safe marijuana would be sold. This is why I believe marijuana should be
Cannabis has been illegal since the Marijuana Tax act of 1934. Yet out of a population of 284 million American citizens, 70 million Americans claim to have smoked cannabis at some point in their lives. Prohibition of cannabis is therefore apparently ineffective at changing the habits of a population, just as prohibition of alcohol was ineffective in 1919-1933. Making otherwise law-abiding citizens fugitives does nothing more than fill the prisons and alienate the populace from their government. In fact the total cost to taxpayers of solely marijuana-related incarceration (in local, state, and federal prisons and jails) of 15,400 people exceeds $1.2 million per year.
Marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America (behind only alcohol and tobacco), and has been used by nearly 100 million Americans. According to government surveys, some 25 million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year, and more than 14 million do so regularly despite harsh laws against its use. Our public policies should reflect this reality, not deny it.(keith stroepe). Marijuana should be legalized for medical use across the country. Marijuana has been used medically, recreationally and spiritually for about 5,000 years. Under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, marijuana was classified as a Schedule I drug because it was considered to have no “accepted medical use in treatment in the United
The legalization of marijuana is a very debatable subject, some people think it is bad and should be illegal, and some people think it is good in some ways if used properly. It should be legal because it has few negative effects, it serves other purposes than getting people stoned, and it is better than other drugs.
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 dispute over the legalization of cannabis sativa, more commonly known as marijuana, is one of the most controversial issues ever to take place in the United States. Its use as a medicine has existed for thousands of years in many countries across the globe. Legalization should be considered despite efforts made by groups who say marijuana is a harmful drug that will increase crime rates and lead users to other more dangerous substances. The legalization of marijuana can improve our society by helping with our economy, freeing legal resources, and benefiting the overall health of the nation though medical uses.
Reading ‘The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace’ by Jeff Hobbs gave me food for thought about marijuana abuse. In my opinion marijuana should be legal in state of Connecticut but many people argue that it should be illegal because teenagers might use it even more. On the other side, it will cause many more problems for our federal system. There is no magic bullet for preventing teen drug use, but parents have a considerable amount of influence on their teens, even though it doesn't seem that way. Also, the federal system must cooperate with the people and be able to respect our freedom. Many people asked why marijuana should be illegal and responded, “Because it’s bad” which
With all of the complex issues facing the nation today, it seems as if the legalization of marijuana is being set on the back burner of legislation. There are so many opinions, sides, and overall arguments for and against it that many vote seeking politicians and policy makers have put up a strong resistance to this issue. In this paper I will illustrate the reasons why I think marijuana should indeed be legalized and also the arguments from people who disagree and feel that it should stay an illegal drug.
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The legalization of marijuana would make everyone's lives easier. About 40% of the population has already admitted to using it. Marijuana, also known as Cannabis, isn't detrimental to our health like many other already legal substances, such as alcohol and cigarettes. It has also done wonders in the world of medicine. It has provided relief to many patients who have terminal illnesses. Marijuana is also costing America an unnecessary amount of money. Millions of dollars are put towards law enforcement and jail to keep marijuana under control. If marijuana were legalized, all the money could be put toward something more important. As you can see, marijuana should be legalized because it’s not harmful, it has great medical benefits, and the prohibition cost is absurd.
The issue of the legalization of medical marijuana in the United States has been around for many years. Currently, twenty nine states have legalized medicinal marijuana. This problem is based off of interpretation due to its controversy. Therefore, “There is no single simple procedure for resolving interpretive issues or settling interpretive disputes” (Rudinow, J., & Barry, V. E., 2008, p.39).
Marijuana is one of the most discussed and controversial topic in the United States today. Many believe that Marijuana has medical benefits and should be legal, while others say it has a high risk of being abused and should remain illegal. The current drug laws are doing more harm than good. Legalizing Marijuana would benefit the country in many ways. Marijuana should be legalized for its medical benefits, additional revenue to our economy, and it is less harmful than legal substances and most medications.
Compared with harder drugs as cocaine and heroin, marijuana, also named as cannabis or hemp, is considered as a soft drug with less addiction and harm. In the 19th century, it was one of the most important crops in the American continent to the common wealth (Newton, 2013, p.32), but it has been banned to grow in most countries since the 20th century (Newton, 2013, p.45). Given the clamour for “decriminalization” of the personal possession of small amounts of marijuana is growing (Single, 2013, p.456) and the problem of pushing drugs is exacerbated in sight, the proposal of legalizing this illicit drug has been disputed among the governments. This essay tries to weigh up the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana from the perspective of the
The legalization of marijuana has been a large debate for many years now. Medical marijuana should be legalized in the united states. It’s proven to be less harmful than cigarettes and alcohol, two legal drugs that cause more deaths a year than marijuana. The legalization of marijuana would also help the government by a way to earn money through taxes.
Legalizing marijuana has both pros and cons, but which position should you take on this issue? You have the freedom to choose whatever position you would like to take, but before you do that listen to both sides of this argument first. So, why should one choose to be for legalizing marijuana? Well, there are plenty of reasons to support this position like the fact that this drug is considered not addictive. The article “Is Marijuana Good?” supports this by providing statistics that state that only nine percent of people who used marijuana once became dependent on it, compared to the 32 percent of tobacco users and 23 percent of heroin users (Mathews). Marijuana is considered a “gateway” drug though, meaning that it is a drug that will lead into further, heavier illegal drug use with other
Marijuana should not be legalized because it will increase health issues, its use will rise rather than decline, and taxation will result in economic failure. In recent years, however, society has become very moderate, and this is why society’s views can be swayed by the benefits of legalization. Nowadays, legalizing marijuana is not that big of a deal as it was in the 60’s and 70’s when hippies and peace organizations were advocating for marijuana use. However, if marijuana is legalized it has been said that it might be the gateway drug to legalizing all illegal drugs.