Legalization of Marijuana Essay

In America there are a lot of problems, ranging from violence to obesity. A growing concern of many Americans is the drug “epidemic” with the growth of the war on drugs. Marijuana, throughout history, has been demonized and illegalized, however now a newfound acceptance of the drug is growing rapidly with some states fully legalizing the drug recreationally, and others medically.

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 fact that cannabis is still illegal in forty-eight states is insane. Cigarettes, alcohol, and fast food kill hundreds of people every year and those are legal? I mean one- third of all AIDS cases in the US have been caused by syringe sharing (counterpunch). Study after study has shown that Marijuana is way less harmful than tobacco and alcohol (factslides). Cannabis has not even been directly linked to a death due to overdose, car accident, or cancer ever (Huffington). These are many reasons why many people support marijuana legalization and one of those reasons is because of the medical benefits. A drug that does not have severe side effects or could possibly kill you. Drugs like Cocaine, Heroine, Alcohol, Cigarettes. Those are the real drugs. Not Marijuana.

Illegal drug use is a huge part of American culture and one the most controversial of those drugs is marijuana; its technical name is Cannabis Sativa. But whether you call it cannabis, marijuana, pot, reefer, weed, bud, herb, Mary Jane, hemp, grass or wacky tabacci, it is still illegal in the United States. Actually, all over the world the deliberation rages about the harm or benefits that marijuana has to offer. Attempts to legalize it in the United States have been going on since the Marijuana Tax Act was introduced in 1937 and have thus far largely failed. The debate whether or not to legalize marijuana seems to circle around numerous points, including the recreational use verses being a gateway to

In today’s society you hear about marijuana all the time, from the morning news to the newspapers you read during the day. Everywhere you look there is something about marijuana, someone being arrested with it, or stories about how it should be legal. Marijuana is a big part of today world where you want it to or not, it is everywhere.

     In addition to wasting valuable taxpayer money, the criminalization of marijuana has prevented the government and industry from experiencing an economic windfall. In Canada alone, about 50, 000 people are charged with

In today’s society, marijuana or cannabis is commonly utilized by many teens and adults. Whether it is for medical reasons, socializing, obtaining a high, or escaping depression; marijuana has impacted the lives of us humans in a lively manner. Even though cannabis is an illegal drug, countless amounts of people do not stop from getting a hold of it. There is only so much the law enforcement can do if the people do not wish to listen. Although marijuana affects the natural brain functions such as: memory, coordination, learning, and the ability to problem solve; allowing it to stay illegal causes no difference in the use, but inflicts on other more important issues that need to be dealt with.Many people have a problem with legalizing marijuana, actually current drug laws are doing more harm than good. Legalizing Marijuana will actually help the U.S. with its major problems, Legalizing Marijuana will: Deal a massive blow to drug cartels, which would suddenly leave cartels without 75% of their income, Allows police, courts, and prisons to focus their resources on dangerous criminals, and it will also help the U.S economy and will help the law enforcement save money. This will help out the United States because it will resolve their problems and help them at the same time.

The prohibition of marijuana has an enormous social cost. The detrimental effects of prohibition run from wasted resources to shattered lives. The police all over America pledge thousands of hours to arresting, booking, and inprisoning marijuana smokers everyday. Many of whom are otherwise law-abiding citizens. In 2012, more than 658,000 arrests were made due to marijuana. The most disastrous of these arrests have spent over a decade in prison. These arrest take policemen not only away from their loved ones, but away from more serious and urgent issues. Furthermore, enforcing laws on possession cost over 3.6 billion dollars of the tax payers money every year. With that being said, the reason marijuana became illegal is because the government

For decades marijuana has always been a controversial subject to talk upon and share to the world. Since the marijuana tax act in 1937 was approved, it has become one of the most used substances since the late 1980s, even more so then alcohol. Since being legalized medically in California in 1996, the industry has grown tremendously due to the benefits it has and also being a safer substance than other legal drugs. In this modern day, marijuana has become the talk of the nation and the safety behind it has increase businesses and non-profit organizations for one day to be legal across the country and provide a safe consumption to patients.

Since the 1930s, the U.S. government as classified Marijuana as an illegal drug. Marijuana, according to the Controlled Substances Act of 1990, is a schedule 1 substance. This means there is no legal medical use and high potential for abuse. Today a large number of people including doctors would argue that the law is wrong, there are many medical benefits from the use of marijuana. This law is clearly outdated and needs to be reformed to fit today’s society. Not only does this law restrict medical benefits, it also has a negative effect on our economy, and law enforcement. Enforcing cannabis laws costs billions of dollars every year. This does not help our society. This enormous amount of money could be used to better our society, but instead is being wasted on Marijuana prohibition, which is a complete failure. In fact, even though marijuana remains completely illegal, nearly half the population has tired marijuana. As a teen I have witnessed this happen numerous times.

Marijuana, in a lot of people's minds, is a horrible drug that has very harmful effects, but little do the people know that it is actually one of the most helpful drugs in the world. Marijuana is shown to help with many illness’ including P.T.S.D., epilepsy, and even chronic depression. Many states have already learned of these health benefits, and have legalized marijuana medically. For some states it’s even allowed recreationally for everyday usage. Overall, the government is wasting their time busting drug dealers and spending lives and money when they should just legalize it.

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

Marijuana is the most widely used illegal recreational drug, almost 50% of high school students in the US and most European countries admitted to have tried it at least once, out of which many are regular users. The drug is famous because of its “high” where the user feels dizziness or light-headedness. The “high” is a different experience compared to other drugs as it causes a quickening of mental association and an increased sense of humor, which is why it is described as “fatuous euphoria”. Marijuana has always been a taboo in our society. It has been legalized in a few states but remains an illegal drug in rest of the country and around the world. Its popularity has been increasing drastically amongst teenagers over the recent years as a recreational drug because of the media and peer pressure amongst them. Like every other thing marijuana has its pros and cons, the cannabis contains various compounds that have shown effective treatment to fight several diseases and cancer. The image that has been built about it in our society needs to change as it is a plant that could be answers to several incurable diseases.

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).

According to a recent study taken by the Gallup Poll, taken by the US government, states that 58 percent a clear majority are in favor of legalization of recreational marijuana; compared to the 39 percent that say no and the additional three percent who are unsure. Although the majority of American’s are in favor of recreational marijuana federal law challenges the optimism of Americans. In 48 states marijuana is classified as a “controlled substance” putting Americans at risk of a felony charge and permanently altering the life of an individual. By letting the voters choose, we can truly see the democracy America has to offer while creating a flourishing economy simply by opening up options the public wants. But at what cause? Legalization of recreational marijuana is linked to poor grades and various amount of health illnesses. Although it may be true that marijuana is linked to poor health the economics behind legalization is far more beneficial than most realize. Legislators need see what America wants and needs, and by majority that is marijuana. As marijuana becomes a more prominent debate topic America is slowly losing out on the chance of an economic upsurge. While accepting the risk of health issues recreational marijuana needs to be legalized to create jobs for economy, end the war on drugs, and create a safer environment for all America’s citizens.