Pros And Cons Of Decriminalization Of Marijuana Legalization

The question of whether or not marijuana should be legalized for recreational and medicinal use has been a three decade long conversation. There are many pros and cons to legalizing marijuana. There are many different ideas about the effects of marijuana, but as with any drug answers are going to vary depending on the person you survey. Age, health, and mental stability are all factors to consider how a drug can positively or negatively affect you, and marijuana is no different. To be legal or not to be legal is the million dollar question up for debate.

Legalizing marijuana will lead to many societal benefits that will reduce illegal activity while helping the government control the use of the substance and making a profit that can be used to help taxpayers. Marijuana is not a dangerous drug and should be legalized because it does not cause harm to anyone and by legalizing marijuana the government will take control of marijuana distribution and it can benefit a lot of people in many ways. If the government controls the market for marijuana people would no longer be in danger of trying to acquire it illegally and there would be tax for selling marijuana which will benefit both the government and society. By legalizing marijuana the government can make laws about its use.

Recreational marijuana legalization in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska have, technically, broken federal law. As long as the federal government does not do anything about the state’s blatant disregard for higher law they can do what they want. I think that because state and federal law contradict at the moment there should be clarification. States should only be able to pass a law such as this if it is also legal on a federal level, but if there are no repercussions for violating federal law where does it end? Recreational marijuana is a state issue, in my opinion. If it is to be legalized in America at a federal level then each state should be allowed to choose their side. At this point, federal government is showing its cracks. 4 of our states are currently not obeying the Constitution; federal law trumps state law. Our government needs to pull itself together and start paying attention to what the states are doing.

The dispute over the legalization of cannabis sativa, more commonly known as marijuana, is one of the most controversial issues ever to take place in the United States. Its use as a medicine has existed for thousands of years in many countries across the globe. Legalization should be considered despite efforts made by groups who say marijuana is a harmful drug that will increase crime rates and lead users to other more dangerous substances. The legalization of marijuana can improve our society by helping with our economy, freeing legal resources, and benefiting the overall health of the nation though medical uses.

Before 1937, marijuana was freely bought, sold, grown, and smoked in the United States. Since that time, all of these activities have been illegal, but many groups and individuals have fought to decriminalize marijuana. The congressional decision to classify marijuana as a Schedule I drug in 1970 has made the legalization campaign more difficult, since it officially established marijuana as a dangerous, addictive drug with no medicinal benefits.

To begin with, legalizing marijuana will have a positive influence on reducing crimes. Many people are convicted of crime for using marijuana. According to Brennan (2014), as referenced

Another benefit accrued through legalizing marijuana would be a significant reduction in crime rates. Since Marijuana is currently illegal, it is sold on the streets country wide. Thousands purchase the drug from dealers, putting their lives and reputations at risk, simply because it is the only method to attain it. Both drug dealers and gangs fight to sell the drug in the street, causing their deaths and the deaths of innocent people. Legalizing the drug help decrease the street wars and gang violence by taking the “right” to sell out of the hands of dealers, and into the hands of the government. Since the drug will be legalized, it will be available in the same locations as cigarettes and alcohol, decreasing crime

It is common knowledge that marijuana is a gateway drug, and a large percentage of users have tried or moved onto harder drugs such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, etc. Decriminalization of this drug would create a huge dent in criminal activity. You have to look at it like a two-sided coin, you are fixing one thing, but breaking another. Marijuana much like alcohol and cigarettes will get in the hands of young children and create even more problems. Driving under the influence of alcohol is a big enough problem as it is, in reality decriminalizing marijuana is going to create a scenario with even more impaired drivers than there currently

Marijuana can boost sales and taxes, promoting millions of dollars in additional tax revenue. Marijuana also creates a new industry. Job growth will spike, marijuana needs effective care being grown and packaged. By keeping marijuana illegal the government spends unnecessary money on enforcement; unregulated and untaxed. In this case law enforcement can focus on more important offenses; providing prisons with more space for those who deserve to be there. Our world could easily become safer with an advantage such as this. By limiting marijuana use, the government is also intruding on our personal freedom. It is an individuals job to decided wether or not one wants to consume marijuana. Ones freedoms should be taken into consideration, without compromising. Legalizing medical marijuana can bring positive

I have always been against the use of all illegal drugs including marijuana, but while researching this topic, I have learned a lot about some of the positives of legalizing marijuana use. Considering it is classified as an illegal controlled substance, I have always been under the assumption that marijuana was bad for people, no matter what my friends may have said about how good it was. I was peer pressured into trying it when I was fourteen. I knew right away that it was not for me. It made me pass out and sick to my stomach when I woke up. That reiterated my assumption that it was bad for people. I did not understand how people could like it. I figured other people must not have had the same reaction as I did after smoking it.

Think of legalization as a plus sign, and recrimination as a minus sign. Decriminalization takes away some bad stuff, but going the extra mile with legalization adds benefits. One of the most obvious benefits to legalizing marijuana is regulation. The drug would have to follow certain standards, and this could help save consumers from overly toxic strains and sketchily processed plants. Consider what happened with alcohol and prohibition; when alcohol was made illegal people turned to sketchy homegrown substitutes, and consumption actually went up, but when it was re-legalized and re-regulated more people didn’t get drunk, but those who did got drunk more safely. Another benefit to legalizing marijuana would be the tax revenue. The government taxes undesirable behavior, and since the consumption of weed would still be undesirable, albeit legal, the government could implement a heavy tax. Like with tobacco and alcohol, those who wanted it enough would be more than willing to foot the bill, adding money into the economy instead of taking it away by the means of jail time. I could also argue the benefits of medical marijuana, and talk about legalizations effect on drug cartels, but I have neither the time nor word count for

According to Council Bill 20-409 the targeted population of those affected by this bill “a person 18 years of age or older who possesses marijuana weighing less than one ounce shall not be guilty of a criminal offense. Such possession shall be a civil violation, subjecting the person to a civil fine of $100 and forfeiture of the marijuana” (Simple Possession of Small Quantities Of Marijuana Decriminalization Amendment Act, 2013). The bill also targets individual under the age of 18 years of age. “A person under the age of 18 who possesses marijuana weighing less than one ounce shall not be guilty of a criminal offense. Such possession shall subject the person to the same civil penalties in (3)(A) and the person under the age of 18 shall be

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

Cannabis is becoming increasingly widespread and increasingly common in modern-day society for both recreational use and for medication. The article by Craig Reinarman, ‘Criminalisation, legalisation and the mixed blessing of medicalisation in the USA’ generates many controversial issues of cannabis.

Currently drug abuse is the issue that has plagued almost all the societies in the world. This problem poses serious threat to the life of people both in developed and underdeveloped countries. There are different kinds of drugs such as heroin, cocaine, cannabis, hallucinogens, ecstasy, and methamphetamine and so on (McGeorge & Aitken, 1997). Young and age-old people largely use many of these drugs. People usually consider these drugs as a relief from their worries, but these drugs lead them towards addition and psychotic disorders that eventually destroy their health. Legislative authorities in almost every part of the world have been trying to save their generations from the abuse, but the use of these drugs never ended. However, these legislations help to minimize the numbers of drug users where their implementation is done properly (Hall et al., 2004). The aim of this research paper is to provide knowledge about the Cannabis Legalization in Australia and the people’s approach who favor or oppose this legalization. Cannabis drug use, impacts, cannabis legalization in Australia and its advantages and disadvantages will also