Should Marijuana Be Legalized? Marijuana is a drug that is also referred to as pot, weed, or dope. It is made up of dried flowers and leaves from the plant cannabis sativa. Marijuana is the most abused drug in America and is very popular among teens. Recreational marijuana is legal in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, California, Nevada, Massachusetts, Maine, and Alaska. Medical marijuana is legal in all of these states plus 20 more states (Governing Data 1). Despite this fact, the federal government outlaws the use of marijuana. However, they don’t interfere with the state laws unless they violate certain rules like selling to minors. Many people believe that the medical and recreational use should be legal in all 50 states, however, the belief …show more content…
Marijuana is considered to be a Schedule 1 drug due to its high probability of abuse and the dangers that come with using it. This places it in the highest level of controlled substances among LSD and heroin. Recreational marijuana should not be legal simply due to the fact that it is harmful to everyday life and health. Amsterdam is the most famous place in the world that has legalized marijuana. This experiment is not working there because citizens are reporting that students are showing up high and that children are being exposed to it more (Hawkins). Also, the crime rate is going up in the places where marijuana is sold in Amsterdam (Hawkins). The legalization of marijuana should not be experimented in …show more content…
It can be used for medical purposes as well. However, it should still not be legal. The first reason why medical marijuana should be illegal is that its function can be performed by other, not as harmful drugs. Marijuana is most commonly used for pain (Harding 1). It is also commonly used to treat muscle spasms caused by multiple sclerosis, nausea from cancer chemotherapy, seizure disorders like epilepsy, and Crohn's disease (Harding 1). There is no need for marijuana to be used in any of these cases because less harmful medicines can be used. For pain, medicinal opiates can be used or OTC drugs like ibuprofen. For multiple sclerosis, baclofen can be used to ease the muscle spasms (Senelick 1). To treat nausea from cancer, drugs like Benadryl or Zofran can be used (Mayo Clinic 1). Also, to treat epileptic seizures, Carbatrol or Tegretol is used to control them (Lava 1). Finally, for Crohn's disease, Azulfidine can be used first to treat it and reduce inflammation (Robinson 1). Therefore, the main things medical marijuana is used for has less damaging options to replace the use of medical
The truths about marijuana are slowly starting to resurface, the government keeps ignoring that cannabis could one day be as powerful for the U.S. Unfortunately, these truths about marijuana are under a lot of criticism because of the stereotype of what people see as a "marijuana or cannabis smoker." There is a great difficulty in this law because marijuana is still recognized as a harmful and dangerous substance in some states. This can cause problems because each state has their different views and opinions on the matter, and have their own rules and how the rules apply towards it. The twenty-six states and the District of Columbia currently have laws legalizing marijuana in some form, but California, Massachusetts, and Nevada just passed the law for recreational use. The states that have medical marijuana and recreational legalization are Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Nevada, and Alaska. The states that only have medical marijuana legal are Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico, Arizona, Hawaii (Ingraham). However, legalizing marijuana could have some benefits instead of being a drug with some bad reputations. Marijuana should be legalized because of medical reasons, safety reasons, and have some benefits to society.
There are many reasons why medical marijuana should be legal. One reason is that medical marijuana can help people that are hurt. Another reason is that medical marijuana can help get rid of nausea and vomiting by settling in your stomach. Finally Medical Marijuana can help relieve certain types of pains in your body. All in all
According to a survey by pubmed.gov, “92 percent said that medical marijuana alleviated symptoms of their serious medical conditions, including chronic pain, arthritis, migraine, and cancer.” 86 percent of the United States believe that Cannabis has valid medical uses, says statista.com. Definitions.com states that, “medical marijuana refers to the use of cannabis or marijuana, including constituents of cannabis, THC and other cannabinoids, as a physician-recommended form of medicine or herbal therapy.” Medical marijuana should be legalized, because it can be a safe and effective treatment for a plethora of illnesses.
Marijuana has been prevalent in the United States of America since its birth in 1776. Currently, there is a prohibition on marijuana, similar to the prohibition of alcohol from 1920 to 1933. Most arrests in the United States are first time nonviolent offenders who are in possession of the illegal substance, due to this prohibition. Despite being illegal at a federal level, Colorado and Washington have passed laws to legalize medicinal and recreational use of the substance. On top of that sixteen other states offer medicinal marijuana, including the nation’s capital, the District of Columbia. Marijuana should be legalized in the United States of America as a whole, because of the amount of revenue that it would generate, the medicinal benefits that it can offer to those who are sick, and the legalization would stop the incarceration of nonviolent offenders who wish to use marijuana.
Have you ever thought of other forms of medicine other than the ones we have today? How about the medicines used in earlier times? The use of marijuana as a remedy dates back to about 8,000 years ago. In fact, it was classified as a regular form of medicine, until it was made illegal for use in the United States during the year 1937. In more recent years, the use of marijuana as a form of medicine has become a very popular debate in the United States especially with some states actually making it legal. The use of medical marijuana should be legal in the United States because it is a known treatment for many diseases, chronic pain, and because it has worked effectively in other countries.
Marijuana, a speculated harmful gateway drug where ‘Marijuana raids are more harmful than the drug itself”(Ingraham, 2017). Is Marijuana really that harmful to be illegal? Marijuana is currently illegal in some states in the U.S. and Canada for recreational use, medical use or both. Some areas already legalized the use of Marijuana like California, Nevada, etc. which is causing controversy since other states and countries won’t. Marijuana should be legal as the facts and statistics are coming out, like, the health benefits, the Economic benefits and how a low-risk drug like Cannabis compares to other legal drugs.
As of October, 2015, marijuana is legal to possess in twenty states. These individual states have taken a stand against the laws of the federal government, and have passed legislation allowing the use and sale of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Two of the twenty, Washington and Colorado, have legalized recreational use. The movement of states to decriminalize marijuana has mixed reviews. Some see it as the freedom to decide what is a person’s right to put in their own body, while some see it as simply reaping the benefits of a plant. Opponents of the laws say that the drug is harmful and can cause damage to the user and innocent
Marijuana should be a medicinal option because it relieves major chronic pain to many symptoms. According to the Herald Editorial board, Marijuana shows a great impact on pain, “from a widespread number of causes, including cancer, spinal cord injury and disease, severe spasms, post-traumatic stress disorder, nausea, glaucoma, Parkinson’s and other debilitating ailments.” This drug is useful, as patients at times cannot use certain drug due to allergies or other complications. Marijuana helps elevated those who suffer severe pain that other drugs cannot, but doctors still prescribe stronger and more addictive opiates that are legal. If marijuana was a legal drug for the purpose of medication, marijuana can potentially save lives. Marijuana should be prescribed as there are fewer side effects compared to the drugs prescribed by doctors. Why would the government not allow doctors to prescribe patients with extreme health issues that can potentially help elevate their pain. There are individuals who suffer from epilepsy, epilepsy is a condition that causes nerve cell activity to disturb the brain. At times individuals can have up to 10 seizures a day, at any given moment. Having 10 seizures a day at random times makes it difficult for them to go on with their day, but marijuana can decrease the amount seizures into one day. It’s remarkable on how marijuana can reduce the amount of seizures an epileptic person has. Marijuana needs to be an option for medical purposes for the amount of benefits it provides.
Recreational marijuana is now legal in four states (as of June 19, 2015), Colorado, Washington, Alaska, and Oregon. Medical marijuana is legal in twenty-three states (as of June 19, 2015). I believe no more states should legalize it. California was the first state to prohibit marijuana use about a century ago. People should be entirely careful about using marijuana because of the negative effects it produces. Marijuana should be illegal because it is harmful to young people’s brains, it can cause breathing problems, it increases your heart rate, and it can become addictive. Some people think marijuana is okay (especially for medical purposes), because it can reduce nausea during chemotherapy and it decreases pain and inflammation in autoimmune diseases.
The legalization of marijuana has been a debate in the public eye within the United States for quite some time now; however, as time progresses many states continue to pass legislation. As of, March 2017, 26 states and the District of Columbia have laws legalizing marijuana use in some fashion and 24 remaining states with pending legislation. Although states are in debate for legalization it remains that federal law still prohibits any form of usage, selling, or buying. Federal law supersedes state law on this issue as it is written, “Legalizing Marijuana: Why Citizens Should Just Say No” from the Legal Memorandum Published by the Heritage Foundation,
The legalization of marijuana is one of the most talked about subjects in the news today. With millions of opinions on this certain topic I think the legalization of marijuana should not be allowed in America. Although some might disagree, marijuana is an unnecessary substance in life. With the legalization, it will affect millions of people between the ages of 1-100. Marijuana should be illegal in the United States because if legalized marijuana will lead to child use, addiction, and health problems.
Some medical reasons that marijuana shouldn’t be decriminalized are that it has long and short terms effects. Examples of the short term outcomes include memory loss, difficulty with thinking, loss of motor skills and increased heart rate. According to the National Institutes of Health show that someone smoking about five joints per week is taking in as many cancer causing chemicals as someone smoking a pack of cigarettes every day. There is no science proof that smoked marijuana can be used for medication. Since cannabis plants are polluted with a range of fungal spores, smoking marijuana may increase the risk of infectious organisms. Taradiff, J. "Marijuana and the War on Drugs. “Marijuana. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Thomas Gale, 2008. 157. Print.
Marijuana is a drug used to get an ultimate feeling of happiness or high. This drug has been banned for sometime now because it is viewed as unhealthy and disgraceful. However, some people need it for medical purposes, but even that is illegal in some places. The right to take Marijuana for medical purposes should be legal.
Medical marijuana should be legal nation-wide; it has way too many benefits for it to not be used as natural cure, for a number of medical conditions. For thousands of years, marijuana has been used to treat a wide variety of conditions. Used medicinally vs. abused moronically is a huge issue in our country. Up until 1937, marijuana was legal in the United States for all uses recreational or medical. Medical marijuana is a safe and effective treatment for the symptoms of cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, and other conditions.
The FDA has approved THC based medications that are used for these purposes (What Is Medical Marijuana).” Scientific evidence for Marijuana’s effectiveness in treating wide range of diseases continues to increase daily. Today we know that cannabis can be found effective for treating nausea and appetite loss, many forms of cancer chemotherapy, pain and appetite loss due to HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, and more. These all come with very mild temporary side effects, with no serious toxic reactions found in any case (Gieringer, Carter, and Rosenthal). The use of marijuana for medicinal purposes follows with a good argument as is evidenced by the many states already legalizing its use for medical purposes. As we continue to learn more everyday about the positive impact cannabis has it will only speed the process up in deciding the future of prohibition of marijuana.