Utilitarian View On Legalizing Marijuana

A controversial topic often being advocated for by sitting governors is whether the legalization of marijuana is more beneficial or harmful to the economy. Marijuana, also known as weed, is a mixture of the dried and shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the cannabis sativa plant. It’s the most widely used illegal drug in the United States, even though studies have shown results that the benefits of using marijuana for medicinal or recreational reasons far outweigh the negative matters that may be associated with its use. While marijuana is still a controlled substance under federal law, thirteen U.S. states currently have compassionate use laws in place, which allow for regulated medical marijuana use. By legalizing marijuana, the government is helping the economy by reaping medical and financial benefits, not only at the state level, but also at the federal level. Taking into account the numerous studies done with marijuana on whether it is for recreational use or medical purposes, the government cannot go wrong in legalizing marijuana because of such an impact it will have. Marijuana should be legalized for recreational purposes because it will help society economically and socially.

Over the past few years, the issue of the legalization of marijuana has become a very controversial topic. When confronted with the issue, it feels almost instinctive to feel as though marijuana should forever be illegal. However, when the issue is really dissected and thought about, it becomes apparent that ther

There is an intensive debate in society, today, about legalizing marijuana. Supporters of marijuana highlight that legalizing will not increase its consumption, and in fact will provide individuals with a legal choice. Opponents argue that legalizing marijuana will increase consumption, which would expose consumers to health risks as extreme as cancer. I believe marijuana should be legalized by the federal government. It is already being consumed in the society, and legalizing marijuana will facilitate monitoring its growth, usage, and help collect taxes. Marijuana has overwhelming support in the medical field as an alternate medicine. Also, marijuana will provide a legal alternative to individuals who rely on illegal and dangerous drugs, such as cocaine and heroin. Legalization will significantly reduce marijuana trafficking and curtail black market activities. Furthermore, legalizing will divert the cash stream from black markets to the states and the federal government, in the form of taxes. The additional revenue can be used to do additional research on

Did you know that almost half of the population in the United States belongs in jail, according to the law on marijuana? It’s true. In 2008 Time Magazine reported that researchers had found more than 42% of people surveyed in the United States had tried marijuana at least once (Lynch, 2008). So if marijuana use is so common in the United States, why should it not be legalized? In this paper I will discuss both the supporting and opposing positions on the legalization of marijuana. I will also explore the moral and ethical views for legalizing marijuana.

Abraham Lincoln spoke of prohibition as an “attempt to control a man’s appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes” (Lincoln). The prohibition and eventual repeal of the prohibition of alcohol taught the United States a valuable lesson about making essentially non-harmful entities illegal. Yet, even today the current prohibition on marijuana reforms has put the United States in a similar situation. Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, “95 million Americans age 12 and older have tried "pot" at least once, and three out of every four illicit-drug users reported using marijuana within the previous 30 days” (ONDCP). The decriminalization and eventually legalization for the recreational use of marijuana will bring forth benefits in all aspects of life in the United States. Many oppose the idea of marijuana legalization, but there is strong evidence to support the endless benefits its of legalization. 1. For starters, cannabis is proven to not be a life-threatening drug. 2. Furthermore, legalization will result in enormous societal benefits such as tax benefits, decreased criminal behavior, and the creation of new jobs and businesses. 3. Ultimately, the legalization of marijuana will bring forth safeguards and regulations to help insure the safe use and regulation of the product.

Some of the most significant controversies in today’s society has been on how to deal with the use of marijuana. Marijuana is a mind-altering psychoactive drug that comes from the cannabis plant. Its primary effects come from the chemical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or “THC.” Marijuana can be smoked, vaporized, or ingested in foods or teas. While some people view marijuana negatively, others might view this drug positively because of its medicinal benefits. According to research, there are more tendencies to overuse marijuana due to addiction because of the components of marijuana. Marijuana consists of toxic chemicals such as ammonia and hydrogen cyanide, which can cause irritation to the bronchial passages, the lungs, and elevate the

Cannabis sativa, commonly known as marijuana, and a vast number of slang terms called weed, herb, pot, bud and Mary Jane is a green plant with a mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds that grows in different places around the world. Moreover, many recreational users smoke marijuana by hand-rolling cigarettes referred as “joints” also by using pipes, water pipes (bongs) or marijuana cigars often known as blunts. The main psychoactive mind-alternating chemical in marijuana, is responsible for the intoxicating effects sought by the users, is delta-9-tetrahydro-cannabinol (THC). Nevertheless, the chemical is stems from the leaves and buds of the female cannabis plant, containing more than five hundred other chemicals, that include over hundred compounds that are chemically related to THC, known as cannabinoids.

Legalization of marijuana is one of the most controversial topics in American society today. Surveys done by the US Government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive showed that 95 million Americans have used marijuana. There are two opposing sides that have strong stances on whether it should become legal or should remain illegal. We have one side that is anti-marijuana and the other is pro-marijuana. Each side provides valid and strong arguments supporting their views. The purpose of this paper is to carefully examine each opposing side and try to find some way to come to a compromise.

Marijuana has been an ongoing controversial issue for quite some time now. According to the national institution on drug abuse, “Marijuana—also called weed, herb, pot, grass, bud, ganja, Mary Jane, and a vast number of other slang terms—is a greenish-gray mixture of the dried, shredded leaves and flowers of Cannabis sativa— the hemp plant.” (National Institution on Drug Abuse). Today twenty-three states and the District of Columbia currently have laws legalizing marijuana in some form. Four states including Washington State, Oregon, Alaska and Colorado, have legalized marijuana for not only medical use but recreational use as well. Certain people may view marijuana as a relaxing herb as

The majority of Americans favor the legalization of marijuana. “A new survey finds that 53% favor the legal use of marijuana, while 44% are opposed.” (“In Debate Over Legalizing…” 1). Over the course of the years, the amount of supporters has increased. More information regarding the benefits marijuana has to offer patients suffering chronic pain has been released, and is a well known topic among a majority of americans. Potential risks from usage of the drug do exist, however, individuals should consider the immense amount of benefits that can be offered as well. Marijuana is not an unknown drug to Americans. Plenty of testing has been performed on the drug, allowing consumers to be better informed on the medication they are prescribed. It is unfair to take the opportunity to find relief away from terminally ill patients in order to keep drugs away from others. The truth of the matter is marijuana will never go away. Instead of criminalizing the act of using marijuana, the government could benefit from legalizing the drug. Regulation of marijuana would help decrease and keep crime out, and reduce the national debt. The patients are not the only ones benefitting from the legalization of marijuana. Once approving legalization, the government’s work would be done. The choice would then be left to the patients, and whether or not they decide to resort to marijuana as medication. Legalization would be a wonderful opportunity that could benefit more than bring harm. The government might as well approve legalization; several problems could then be resolved. Whether legalized or not, marijuana is already around and will never go

Marijuana is a mixture of dried-out leaves, stems, flowers and seeds of the natural hemp plant that many people around the world ingest to “get high.” It is usually green, brown, or gray in color and can be ingested in different ways, such as smoking it or sometimes baking it into “edibles.” The chemical in marijuana that creates distortion or makes the user “high” is tetrahydrocannabinol, otherwise known as THC. The amount of THC in the plant can vary, but over the years it has increased. Louis and Anne Pagliaro emphasize that in 1974, the amount remained at 1% but in 2008, it was tested at 9.6% (“Handbook” 102-103).

Marijuana has been on both the good and bad side of people’s opinion. However, the pros outweigh the cons. The research of the paper is both from the opinion of the writer and other people’s ideas as well. Marijuana is important for many reasons such as medicinal purposes. It can be used to treat people that are sick. Some questions that may occur are: What kinds of things can marijuana treat? What other things about marijuana make it so great? Are there any arguments that is not that great of a thing? All these should be covered in the paper. The method is research articles and finding good supporting details. To show that this topic is very important and worth making an argument out of. Marijuana is not as bad as everyone thinks and is very significant. Some results I found were that it is very even on each side of the spectrum. A lot of people want marijuana legalized and a lot want it to stay illegal. Marijuana can and should be legalized because it increases the economy, it can be used for medicinal purposes, and it decreases the crime rate. Some of my keywords are marijuana, crime, economy, and medicinal. The conclusion is that the pros outweigh the odds. Marijuana can have a very big impact in someone’s life. It can heal them when they are in pain. It can pick someone up and put them on their feet by providing jobs. It can also

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.

In a time where the war on drugs is at an all-time high, the legalization of marijuana is a topic that will consistently start an argument that results in agreeing to disagree between the parties involved. This plant, which is commonly referred to as a ‘gateway drug’, has primarily been used in the past as a recreational drug. However, it is now also used as a medicinal drug that is able to alleviate symptoms of serious illnesses such as cancer and HIV/AIDS (Thames et al. 122). While it is both medicinal and commercial at this point in today’s society, it is becoming increasingly difficult for those states that wish to remain prohibited for the sake of morals deny the fact that they can benefit from the financial aspect of the industry. Legalizing marijuana can be seen as a benefit to the government and its citizens if the adequate limitations are put in place for regulation.

For thousands of years people have tried to find ways to get passed the depression and struggles of their lives. With the pain of the world stopping people from happiness and enjoying simple pleasures, sometimes there is a need for help. Marijuana brings millions of people relief from the sadness they feel on a day-to-day basis. This natural plant that helped so many people has puzzled the leaders of our nation for a long time.THC in marijuana causes people to experience a mild-huluciginic or high feeling . The effect that marijuana has on a person has stopped the product from being legalized. Many other important information about the plant, like the speculation of it being a gateway drug, have put another hold on its legalization. Even though there are speculations about the plant, the type of benefit that it brings to the table most definitely out way its disadvantages. marijuana has been used in the treatment of a variety of ailments for millennia, and that practice continues today in many U.S. states and in nations throughout the world. While Marijuana is effective as a medicine it is also lucrative. The economic hopes that Marijuana brings to the table are endless. The debate about marijuana legalization has been ongoing for many decades, and each point of view offers a variety of arguments (see MacCoun and Reuter, 2001; Caulkins, Coulson, et al., 2012). Some of the arguments involve what philosophers call deontological moral concerns—roughly, concerns about the