Drugs are a major influential force in our country today. The problem has gotten so out of hand that many people are even considering legalization of one of the most used drugs, marijuana. The legalization of marijuana is a controversial issue that has been fought for and against for several decades. Marijuana is defined as a preparation made from the dried flower clusters and leaves of the cannabis plant, which is usually smoked or eaten to induce euphoria and to heal and soothe. (dictionalr.com) The first benefit to the legalization of marijuana would be the decreased spending on law enforcement. Many of America’s jails are filled to the brim with people who got long and unfair sentences for possession of the drug. Part of the …show more content…
If marijuana were legal, it would also bring a significant source of revenue to the United States. A lot of money currently is spent on drugs, and most of it goes to illegal operators outside of the country. If legalized, the pot revenue would go to Americans. In the current economic climate, this would definitely be welcome. A tax could also be put on the drug, and the companies that grew and possessed the plants would have to pay income taxes to the government. It is possible for marijuana to become one of the number one cash crops in though whole country. And with all the people who would smoke it, or use it in other ways, it could quickly become one of the main stimulators in our economy. The part of the government fighting the drug war could also focus on more important drugs like cocaine and heroin, instead of a drug that is proven to not be as harmful. In the 1930s, the American media spread numerous false stories that marijuana was an extremely dangerous drug and therefore marijuana and hemp were banned in 1938. It is clear that the ban on marijuana in the United States was unnecessary because most of the things we believe to be true about the drug were just scare tactics made up by the government at the time to get people to want to get rid of all drugs. Marijuana has been found to alleviate symptoms of serious diseases. Asthma, glaucoma, and muscle spasms are just a few. It has also been proven to help a
Marijuana use is on the rise, especially among teenagers and young adults. With the recent laws passed in eight states about legalizing medical marijuana , many stand divided when it comes to this never ending debate, but I firmly believe that this miracle working drug should be legalized throughout the United States.
We should decriminalize drugs in the U.S. instead of legalizing them. Decriminalization refers to the lessening of criminal penalties of certain acts. According to De Marneffe, “… the legalization of drugs … [is] the removal of criminal penalties for the manufacture, sale, and possession of large quantities of recretational drugs, such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine” (346).
The systematic scheduling of drugs in the United States is arbitrary which leads to a discriminative social injustice. Some psychedelic substances such as Psilocybin are schedule 1 drugs, while alcohol and nicotine are legal. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) both alcohol and nicotine are proven to be harmful and addictive (2017). Conversely, Psychedelic substances have not been proven to be addictive. This equates to a social injustice that discriminates over someone who may prefer the effects of psilocybin to nicotine, even under the science that has shown nicotine and alcohol have a higher potential for abuse. Unfortunately, many political factors come into play regarding the legal status of drugs and industries such as the pharmaceutical, tobacco and alcohol industries, who harbor the most money and have an influence in the legality of drugs whether they are safe or not. While legalizing psychedelic substances would most likely cut into profits for these large industries they would bring about economic benefits as well.
Just Say No.” This phrase was uttered in 1982 by Nancy Reagan, the first lady of the United States, in response to a schoolgirl’s question of what she should do if offered drugs (Weinraub A5). These words became the slogan for a nationwide substance abuse prevention program that followed the then recently enacted drug policies intended to discourage the manufacture, sale, and use of illicit drugs in the United States. These zero tolerance policies carried harsh penalties and strict enforcement for all drug related offenses. Almost four decades later, these policies are still in effect, as is their focus on criminalization as a means to reduce the availability and usage of drugs. Their ineffectiveness is evidenced by the facts that drug use rates have remained steady over the past four decades and incarceration rates have exponentially rose during that same period. I believe that a new course of action should be taken, and a bold new drug policy should be enacted. Decriminalization would result in a substantial decrease of the prison population, relieve the unnecessary burden that has been placed on our criminal justice system, shift the paradigm from drug enforcement to drug treatment, reduce the health risk of HIV, AIDS, and heroin related deaths; and provide unprecedented benefits from the regulation of the manufacturing and sales of substances that are currently illegal.
If the United States were to legalize marijuana, then our country would reap the benefits. “A mature marijuana industry could generate up to $28 billion in tax revenues for federal, state, and local governments, including $7 billion in federal revenue: $5.5 billion from business taxes and $1.5 billion from income and payroll taxes(Marijuana Tax Legalization).” This fact given from TaxFoundation.org shows how if the marijuana industry could help reduce the Tax debt within our country. Many other drugs such as tobacco and alcohol are permitted to be used within our country but do not give us the same opportunity as legalizing marijuana does. “A federal tax of $23 per pound of product, similar to the federal tax on tobacco, could generate $500 million per year. Alternatively, a 10 percent sales surtax could generate $5.3 billion per year, with higher tax rates collecting proportionately more(Marijuana Tax Legalization).” Marijuana can and should be used to this country full potential in eliminating tax
For example In a time of economic recession and government debt of record proportions, it is extremely beneficial to look into the possible advantages of such legislation. By comparing analyzing areas that have already legalized marijuana, such as the Netherlands and some states in the USA, I believe thatS ome areas that would be affected are: employment, the demand for marijuana, taxation rates and potential government revenue, incarceration and enforcement costs, and social issues such as rehabilitation programs. According to my research, the United States government would experience an increase of $25,963,686,520 towards their budget It’s not just the feds, however, who would benefit; legalization would provide top-down economic improvements in local communities, state coffers, and more. In addition to bringing in funds, it would save regional and state governments substantial sums in currently wasted law enforcement dollars. Taxpayers spend billions of dollars a year investigating, arresting, trying, and jailing people for marijuana while failing to decrease its availability or popularity. The cost to communities with heavy arrest rates is staggering in terms of lost wages, job opportunities limited by criminal records, denial of student loans, and strained
Across the world people are looking for ways to either smuggle marijuana into the United States or find a “plug” to sell drugs to them. Constantly people being arrested for the usage of drugs, the most common being marijuana. In 28 states medical marijuana is allowed, but only 9 states are allowed to use it without a prescription. Marijuana should be legal for medical uses, getting high or stressing off, and we would benefit as a country.
In the US thousands of people are jailed for having possession of marijuana and who pays for the inmates to be in jail we do and if its legalized then those thousands of people wouldn’t be in jail and will save millions of hard earned tax payer dollars. With the extra money the states are earning then they’ll be able to put the money to better use like roads, and better public facilities. Even though the unemployment ratehas been dropping in recent years marijuana will create thousands of jobs and dispensaries and things like that. With all the new jobs coming in the number will drop even more.
Marijuana is a drug that is always being talked about all over the media. It appears all over social media and is commonly discussed in popular songs. There is constant debate on whether it should be legalized or not. Also, they discuss if it were to be legalized, how they would make it work. All these questions are things the government takes into account every day. There is a big divide between people’s beliefs on this matter. While some people feel marijuana shouldn’t be legalized, I believe that it is a logical decision to permit the drug to be researched further because it has many medical advantages, other drugs in the same category are much worse, and taxing it’s sale could save our government’s financial situation.
To begin with, marijuana isn’t as harmful as once thought. According to Welch and Loria, in the article “23 Health Benefits of Marijuana,” there are many more benefits to consuming marijuana that science has tested and proven. One benefit of marijuana is for individuals that have the eye disease Glaucoma. This disease increases pressure inside the eye that causes fluid buildup in the trabecular meshwork. The pressure causes damage to the ocular nerve that can lead to blindness. THC, the active chemical in marijuana, lowers intraocular pressure in the eye that slows the progression of Glaucoma and prevents blindness in the individual. Marijuana also stops the spread of cancer. Cannabidiol, CBD for short, is a chemical in marijuana that binds to a gene called Id-1 and shuts it off. The Id-1 cells are breast cancer cells that replicate and spread cancer throughout the body. Within an effective amount of time, these cells spread throughout the body and replicates, causing other cells to mutated as cancer cells. So by effectively stopping the replication of Id-1, marijuana stops the spread of cancer.
Many people have their own beliefs about marijuana legalization in the United States. Legalization advocates say that marijuana would help with cancer patients and people with other painful diseases cope with the pain, nausea, etc. Also, it would create more jobs and free up the jails. On the contrary, those against legalization say it would give addicts more opportunity to experiment with other, stronger drugs. The legalization of marijuana would benefit and harm the United States in a multitude of ways.
There is no denying that there are problems with the marijuana laws currently in place in the United States. Left and right, there are people using marijuana with blatant disregard to the fact that it is, in fact, prohibited. The black market for marijuana is surging out of control. As a result of this, drug-related street crimes have become more prevalent, which, in turn, has increased the number of offenders in prison for those crimes. This is very costly to the United States government. Also, there are personal dangers involved with buying drugs on the black market. By legalizing marijuana, the government could help solve the problems caused by the laws that are currently in place.
While it’s true that everyone should be granted freedom of choice, individual freedom should only be given through certain boundaries that the law requires. If citizens are allowed too much individual freedom it will impinge on the rights of other citizens and that’s unjust. The Government should not legalize marijuana because it affects other citizens’ rights through secondary means.
America is a free country, let’s keep it that way. Legalization of marijuana will only impact the United States in a positive way. These positive effects has already been made evident in states such as California and Colorado. Marijuana has the capability of saving lives from a medical and economical standpoint. Americas expenditure on criminal justice would decrease, and the price of the tax on marijuana could help reduce America’s debt. Once marijuana is legalized the crime rate will decrease which is also helping our economy.
Legalizing marijuana is a heavy conflicting topic; some people believe it should be legal for recreational and medical use and others think it should be completely illegal. The benefits of marijuana mentally and physically are extraordinary and could affect America in a positive way. Legalizing marijuana would be beneficial to the United States and our citizen’s lives.