Marijuana Should Be Legal?

The flame ignites, the smoke builds, the mind relaxes. It’s a process that at one point, could have

Marijuana is classified as a Schedule 1 controlled substance and is a mood – altering drug that can produce a calm feeling. Marijuana contains THC, otherwise known as, tetrahydrocannabinol. The plant can be smoked, brewed, eaten, etc. Marijuana also has medical use for pain management, and other chronic conditions, such as cancer. “Cannabis can be traced back to 2900 BC to the Chinese Emperor Fu His” (Davis, 2015). There are positive and negative aspects about this “drug” and what it is capable of doing. However, through the eyes of the media, and the public forming their own opinions about it, it seems to have raised some moral and ethical issues.

The legalization of marijuana became a heated political subject in the last few years. Twenty-one states in America have legalized medical marijuana. Colorado and Washington are the only states where marijuana can be purchased recreationally. Marijuana is the high THC level part of the cannabis plant, which gives users the “high” feeling. There is ample evidence that supports the argument that marijuana is beneficial. The government should legalize marijuana recreationally for three main reasons. First, I will present two common arguments against the legalization of marijuana and then refute them. Second, I will explain how there is no proof of harmful effects from marijuana and that there are many health benefits prominent. Third, I will describe how legalization would bring in tax revenue for the government. Finally, I will go into detail on how legalization would decrease crime rates.

Attitudes toward the legalization due to the shifts over time take into consideration a shockingly exact reproduction of four decade of American social history. In November 2012, voters in Colorado and Washington State passed a law allowing, dispersion, and ownership of marijuana for medical and recreational use. This paper does not address the subject of whether cannabis ought to be legal; it concentrates on the configuration contemplation of making an adjustment in cannabis strategy. Regardless of whether marijuana authorization is positive or negative for general well-being and public security largely relies on upon administrative choices and how they are actualized. This paper contends that current federalism precepts neglect

Marijuana boasts a long and pertinent history of medicinal use, based in the earliest known civilizations. The first recorded use of medical cannabis dates back to 2800 B.C., when the Chinese Emperor Shen-nung used it as a muscle relaxant and painkiller.1 The ancient Egyptians also found medical benefits in cannabis, as evidenced by their usage of it to quell the pangs of childbirth. Numerous other civilizations, including the Assyrians, Persians, Zulu, Spaniards, and countless others, have since established traditional medical applications of cannabis.2 Underlying this historical trend is the simple fact that the medical benefits of marijuana have and continue to serve numerous cultures.

According to research, the history of medical marijuana dates to 2900BC, when a Chinese Emperor Fu His, who was credited with bringing civilization to China, appears to reference cannabis as a "popular medicine that possessed both yin and yang". Throughout history, there are recordings of marijuana being used for healing purposes. In 1500BC, China added marijuana to its pharmacopeia due to cannabis ' healing properties. Some say that when Jesus anointed believers he used cannabis oil. There are records of cannabis being used to repress sexual longing. During 1799 when Napoleon invaded Egypt, he took a "scientific expedition team", and they returned to France with cannabis. The cannabis was investigated for relieving pain as well as a sedative. During 1850, marijuana was added to the US Pharmacopeia and then removed in 1942. Marijuana was classified as a schedule I drug in 1970 which classified it as having "no accepted medical use" (ProCon 2017).

To understand the controversy about marijuana, it is helpful to first look at its history. Marijuana (or Cannabis as it was originally known) has been found as far back as the 3rd millennium BC in burial sites in Romania. Over the centuries it has been found to have been used for medicinal purposes in China and other countries, as well as for religious and spiritual ceremonies in many different countries. Cannabis was brought to America in the early years, grown as a crop, and used medicinally. In the early 1900s, along with prohibition of alcohol, the attitude about the use of cannabis started to change for many people. On the other hand, the U.S. pharmaceutical farms were expanding production and by 1918 were growing 60,000 pounds

Marijuana is one of the most highly addictive substances utilized worldwide in today’s society. According to David Evans, “clinical dependence has been found to afflict roughly 10% of all marijuana users. Most are in their late teens and twenties. The risk of dependence is higher among those who try marijuana at a young age. In 2009, individuals between the ages of 12 and 25 comprised 65.3% of all substance abuse treatment admissions for marijuana; daily use was reported by 49.6% of this group. More young people are being treated for marijuana dependence than for any other drug. Marijuana is far more powerful today than it was 30 years ago and it serves as an entry point for the use of other illegal drugs.”

American citizens have been hiding in the closet of “parental shame” since the beginning of cannabis prohibition. At first, moms and dads were desperate to hide their personal cannabis use out of fear of shame, incarceration, or even worse, accusations of child neglect. Public perception of the “stoner” has all but crippled the progress of those fighting the cause. We live in a society where alcohol consumption is not only accepted, but glorified. Even the morning talk show hosts on a popular national news network spend their morning sipping on wine yet the mainstream media would like us to think a parent who tokes a joint will simply “forget” their children even exist.

so expensive to obtain that its usage as a medical remedy in the U.S. came to a

The major debate in America today, is whether Marijuana should be legalized or kept illegal. Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in America, of the nearly twenty million current drug users, 14.6 million are using marijuana (National 73) . Therefore, if marijuana is legalized in America, the number of users will skyrocket. Hence, marijuana should stay illegal in America for the reason that if it is legalized, more adolescents would acquire the drug easier, roads will become more dangerous and finally, more marijuana means higher chances of addictions and use of other harmful drugs.

With the legalization of marijuana having just come around on a state level, arguments have appeared about the legal status of other drugs. Cigarettes, among the list, have been appearing in recent news as questions arise on the topic of whether or not cigarettes should be legal.

Marijuana should be legalized because according to "High Times" (2012), “Marijuana use has positive attributes,

A special interest group that manipulates the news about crime is the pharmaceutical industry. Marijuana in the United States, with the exception of a few states, is illegal and pharmaceutical corporations want to keep it that way. They influence the news and legislators by providing information on the effects of marijuana as well as give money to other corporations to keep prohibition of marijuana around. Even though marijuana could be used for medicinal purpose, self-cultivation of marijuana pose a risk financially to pharmaceutical companies and the government. Pharmaceutical companies wouldn’t make as much money if people can grow their own marijuana and it is thought to be a drug that cannot be control through taxation which is an issue for the government. For many, marijuana is used as a pain relief mechanism and drug companies are stating that private consumption of marijuana is dangerous since a certain amount is not agreed upon for safety. Also, drug companies would lose money on other painkillers in the industry, such as ibuprofen, if people used marijuana instead.

Cannabis, formally known as marijuana is a drug obtained from the tops, stems and leaves of the hemp plant cannabis. The drug is one of the most commonly used drugs in the world. Only substances like caffeine, nicotine and alcohol are used more (“Marijuana” 1). In the U. S. where some use it to feel “high” or get an escape from reality. The drug is referred to in many ways; weed, grass, pot, and or reefer are some common names used to describe the drug (“Marijuana” 1). Like most drugs, marijuana has a very long history. People have been using the plant around the world for thousands of years. The oldest record of the marijuana plant dates back to 2727 B. C. in China where the plant was used as a medical herb for treating conditions like rheumatism, gout, malaria and even absent-mindedness (“Cannabis, Coca, & Poopy: Nature’s Addictive Plants” 1). Slowly, the plant started spreading around the world. By 1545, cannabis was starting to appear throughout the western worlds. Being introduced to South America by the Spanish to be used as fiber. The crop also had many other common uses around the world. In North America, cannabis was often used to make paper, ropes, clothing and other materials (“The Origins of Cannabis” 1).