How Marijuana Affects Society

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 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.

The controversial debate about the legalization of cannabis is one that has caused many to wonder if the drug would be beneficial or detrimental to society. So the questions the government are faced with are, why or why not should it be legalized and what have been the effects of the legalization? Research has now shown that marijuana has both adverse and rewarding effects on the function of society in the 3 states have passed amendment 64.

While there have recently been a couple of states that are shifting their laws to allow marijuana, there are still over 20 states in the U.S that have laws governing against the usage of medical marijuana. Marijuana has a number of effects on a person depending on how it is ingested. These risk factors include altered senses, impaired body movement and impaired memory. In the long run, marijuana is said to affect the brain's development. “When marijuana users begin using as teenagers, the drug may reduce thinking, memory, and learning functions and affect how the brain builds connections between the areas necessary for these functions” (“Drug Facts-Marijuana”). With that being said, it is easy to understand why marijuana is not completely legalized. On the other side of that argument, people are slowly starting to realize that marijuana can very much so help a patient cope with their diseases. Within the past 4 years, the usage of medical marijuana for children with severe forms of epilepsy has gained a great deal of attention. The most severe form of epilepsy is referred to as Dravet Syndrome, it is described as “a rare form of intractable epilepsy. Intractable means the seizures are not controlled by medication. The first seizures with Dravet Syndrome usually start before the age of 1. In the second year, other seizures take hold: myoclonus, or involuntary, muscle spasms and status epileptics, seizures that last more than 30 minutes or come in clusters, one after the other” ("Marijuana Stops Child's Severe Seizures"). America was first exposed to the idea of curing Dravet Syndrome through the usage of medical marijuana when the documentary “Weed” was broadcasted on CNN in August of 2013. The documentary featured the case of Charlotte Figi, a five-year-old suffering from Dravet Syndrome. Before Charlotte began

This substance has become an obtrusive issue in today's society. The benefits of using cannabis outweigh the negativity people see in the plant. It can also help with our daily life along with benefiting the economic tremendously. The legalization of medical marijuana makes unnecessary the use of marijuana as a street drug. Medical Marijuana, a common topic in many debates, has positive benefits along with negative apprehensions cannabis, they don't see the benefits it can provide, along with the facts to prove it, and also how it affects society today.

Cannabis, also known as Marijuana has many effects to it. In recent years officials have decided that it should be used for medical usage. They have found out that it helps many medical conditions. Medical cannabis has many things that could cure. Studies has shown that it slows the response time in the synapses in the brain it helps the brain heal. For example if someone was in a bad wreck it allows the brain to eventually heal. Because it is unlike other prescribed drugs weed has little to no side effects depending on the person. Compared to others it has the least amount of side effects with the best results possible. Multiple studies have shown among a variety of participants from the age of 3 to 93 that in multiple test subjects that have seizers in the womb and wasn’t able to speak walk or function properly on their own actually begin to learn to use their natural body functions, and It will help to heal the brain, body faster. Medical Cannabis has many cause and effects to it such as, it could help you medically, the cannabis could give you a bad reaction and it could be a gateway to other drugs.

The legalization of marijuana has upset many citizens, as is defies societal norms in the eyes of numerous people. In addition, this industry has led to a massive gray area in terms of the legal aspects, and it has also become a source of tax revenue, one that has become extremely lucrative in a short period of time. It has gone

The view on Cannabis, and its affect on society is important because society should not just see the bad in things but also the good in things, and their effect whether that positive or negative. Cannabis does not just affect troubled teens, people who suffer from migraines, and cancer patients. It affects many people from many different backgrounds. The view over the years on this has changed a great deal. Cannabis is usually seen as something that people use to get high and forget all their troubles, but that is not all Cannabis can be used for. It cures many diseases also. Do not get this wrong, if cannabis is overused or used for the wrong reasons it can be very bad, even physically harmful. But, when anything is overused it can be harmful, even good things.

According to USA Today, on average, there is about 700,000 people arrested annually on marijuana-related charges (Smith). Because of this, the topic of marijuana, specifically legalizing marijuana, has been on the minds of many Americans. Some of the American population does not see marijuana as an issue because they think it is not as harmful as some other drugs. On the other hand, scientists, doctors, and the rest of Americans view marijuana as a dangerous drug that should stay illegal because of the harmful effects that it can have on a person. Negative views of marijuana present themselves in New York Times articles through the idea that it can have harmful effects on the body. These negative views about marijuana have stayed the same because of the constant concern over physical and mental repercussions for those who use it.

The people who are against marijuana don't think that this source will help the country. They don't think that legalizing marijuana will recover America economically and that is a little truth. However, the income that the country will start to receive is very high. For example, right now the state of California receives around 14 billion dollars from medical marijuana a year. If the united states decided to legalized marijuana around four more billion would come in by year and this in California only. So do you imagine having all these kind of income in the 50 states. That would certainly help in some kind of way the economy of the United States. Also, every year America spends billions of dollar on prisoners who were incarcerated because of some non-violent crime related to marijuana possession. So if marijuana was legalized this prisoners wouldn't be incarcerated and the government wouldn't be wasting money on them and the country would start spending a lot less in such things. By legalizing marijuana each state can charged their taxes and they can regulated so that everyone can be able to buy it, but that their will be rules to

A massive number of people who smoke marijuana would be willing to pay just to smoke, resulting in making profit. “The number of people globally who had used cannabis in 2008 is estimated between 129 and 191 million, or 2.9 percent to 4.3 percent of the world’s population ages fifteen to sixty-four.”(World Drug Report 9) Pot smokers are willing to pay to smoke while the drug is illegal, so they would pay to smoke if it was legal too. All of the people who would pay to smoke marijuana would result in a huge profit which would benefit our government and country. Now think about some other reasons that marijuana should be legal. One of the big reasons it should be legalized is for the people who use it medically.

Marijuana is a monumental industry capable of reaping billions of dollars, but at its present illegal state is only helping drug dealers and growers while simultaneously costing our government money. Dr. Jon Gettman makes a claim in his 2007 case study that “the U.S. marijuana industry is a $113 billion annual business that costs taxpayers $31.1 billion in lost tax revenues (Krulik)”. 31.1 billion dollars is a huge loss to take for essentially, no reason. If we find cigarettes acceptable to be legal despite the very obvious health risks why would we not legalize marijuana too, even if there are a few minor risks. Gettman has also come to the conclusion that 10.7 billions dollars a year are being spent on marijuana related arrests, most of which are simply minor possession cases. Between the 31.1 billions dollars being lost on sales and the 10.7 billion dollars being spent on law enforcement of the plant, about 41.8 billion dollars in revenue are being lost solely because the government would rather keep marijuana illegal than oversee and regulate the growth, distribution and consumption. 41.8 billion dollars could save programs in schools, fund highways, and stimulate the economy in a way we may have never seen before. Legalizing marijuana would also be the start of a massive new market creating countless jobs. Just as cigarette and alcohol companies, marijuana could

In addition to our society striving to achieve exceptional outcomes for the greatest number of people, the government should take some measure to ensure that society’s freedom is restricted enough so everyone can stay healthy and safe. For example, marijuana is legal in some states; this is quite controversial since it puts the drug users at risk for many health problems including breathing, respiratory, and brain problems, yet the government still allows citizens to use this drug. It is a responsibility and freedom, however, to avoid health risks, meaning it is up to the person to ensure they stay fit and lively. If they decide to engage in such activity, the government is not responsible for their choices. On certain issues, government

Marijuana has been consumed ever since the human civilization started. However, according to Zimmermann (2014), large amounts of research on medical marijuana started around the early 1970s. Through articles and videos on the Internet, social media, and even school, people are becoming more aware of the presence of medical marijuana. Even children are being informed through D.A.R.E. programs offered in many elementary schools across the United States. This may come off as good, but the program is not telling the children about are the medical benefits that come with the use of marijuana. Medical marijuana is still a drug that should be taken with prior knowledge and caution among any users. However, the science behind the benefits of medical marijuana is becoming clearer through the research of scientists in Ivy League schools. This paper examines the science behind medical marijuana, while comparing and contrasting its positive and negative effects.

The legalization of marijuana has been a highly debated and controversial subject for the past century. Up until the early twentieth century, marijuana was cultivated and used widely throughout the U.S. for both medical and industrial purposes. Beginning in the early twentieth, the taboo of marijuana became popularized due the sensationalized reports of Mexican immigrants smoking marijuana and becoming violent with superhuman strength. This led to the U.S. federal government imposing a prohibition on the cultivation and possession of marijuana that is still in use today. Currently, nine states have or are set to fully legalize marijuana within the next year for both recreational and medical use, with twenty states legalizing the possession of medical marijuana.Despite the legalization of marijuana in multiple states, the federal government has yet to pass any form of law legalizing or decriminalizing the use of marijuana. This failure by our government has snuffed out the potential benefits that legalized marijuana can provide. Legalizing marijuana in the U.S. can provide a safer alternative to alcohol and tobacco, marijuana can provide health benefits to citizens who suffer from illnesses such as cancer or depression, and marijuana can provide benefits to the federal government by providing jobs and new industries.