Pros And Cons Of Legalizing Marijuana

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.

More than 82 million American residents will have the opportunity to cast ballots on marijuana measures when they go to vote in the presidential election. Men and women can vote for whether or not they want to decriminalize the substance or legalize it, that option has been added to the ballad in nine different states. The states participating in the vote on cannabis laws are Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Maine, Nevada, and North Dakota. Each state has different propositions and rules to follow if they decide to legalize or decriminalize marijuana. The one requirement they had to follow in order to turn in their ballot answers, was that they had to vote in the presidential election.

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.

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.

For example would it lead to an increased abuse by children. “Long-term, regular use of marijuana—starting in the teen years—may impair brain development and lower IQ” (Marijuana: Breaking Down the Buzz). The only thing that is not considered is that taxing marijuana will bring an enormous budget to North Carolina which will be used to educate children and teenager even better which helps preventing them from abusing cannabis. The budget will also be used to control the selling of marijuana which would lead to better control of the substance. Another thing to consider is that not only children could suffer from the legalization of marijuana but also legal consumer. With legalizing cannabis also comes cheaper cannabis as well as higher concentrated cannabis or even oil. That means that many people using the substance could suffer from major illnesses and it would also increase driving under the influence because more people will be smoking cannabis. But if thing they have not considered is that there will be a limit for buying marijuana which would prevent persons from buying and smoking too much. And of course, if marijuana should be legalized, the driver controls by the police would be majorly increased which the tax revenue would make possible with any further problems. Even though there are some arguments speaking against the legalization of marijuana the financial gain could bring all of

The uses of marijuana amongst teenagers has increased over the years making it the most accessible drug in America as well as one the most beneficial due to its medical uses. According to the article of Marijuana Use Among Youths Is a Serious Problem, written by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) (2004), stated that the uses of marijuana has impacted the youth in many ways due to the unknown factors of marijuana such as admittance to treatment facilities, and being admitted into emergency rooms. The CASA took the con side of the argument dealing with the issues of marijuana use with teenagers. The second article Marijuana Should Be

Legalizing marijuana has always been an interesting topic for many people to dispute about. Some people say it is good, while others say it is bad. No matter what topic you speak about, it has its pros and cons. For example, marijuana can be used in great ways if legalized. Through money given from dispensaries to the crime rate lowered because of the ability to acquire marijuana in legal ways. Some bad examples are that it can be a gateway drug and can cause one to want a “better high” to people thinking it affects people's lives. Legalizing marijuana (medical and recreational) will help the United States with money, crime, and other numerous ways.

First, one of the biggest reasons for many to legalize marijuana is the boost in revenue it can cause. Legalization will allow the government to form new taxes and apply them to the sale and distribution of marijuana. For example, in Colorado, analysts say that taxing could lead to raising millions of dollars each year. States who have legalized marijuana show higher numbers of usage than states who have not. That is why there is a higher demand for weed creating better economic opportunities for these communities in the future. Secondly, legalization could lead to improvements in the criminal justice system and law enforcement. If marijuana was made legal law enforcement agencies could spend less time going after weed related crimes and focus on more serious and violent criminals. This is a better for the criminal justice system because when it comes to decriminalization there will still be discretion on how each officer deals with possession. Therefore, legalization will

The effects of marijuana on the undeveloped minds of teenagers include an impairment in concentration and the ability to retain information. This poses an extreme hindrance to learning and can potentially tarnish the intellectual ability of a promising young man or woman. This has been depicted in studies as students with an average grade of D or below were four times more likely to have used marijuana compared to students with an average grade of A. Another fallacy about marijuana and its perceived “harmlessness” is that it is a non addictive drug. This again, could not be farther from reality. “Of the 7.1 million Americans suffering from illegal drug dependence or abuse, 60 percent abuse or are dependent on marijuana” (The impacts of marijuana use). Although we are led to believe this drug can be used once and forgotten, it is a concrete fact that more than half of all americans addicted to an illegal drug are dependent on marijuana. On top of this “more young people are now in treatment for marijuana dependence than for alcohol or for all other illegal drugs combined” (The impacts of marijuana use). At this point the question shouldn’t be whether or not marijuana is an addictive drug, but rather is there anything more addictive than marijuana. Finally, an old theory that the new pro marijuana culture is trying to dispel is that marijuana is not a gateway drug, or a drug that leads to usage of other drugs. According to a study done by the Journal of the American

The legalization of marijuana will bring in much needed revenue to the US economy through tax revenue, the creation of jobs, decrease in the number of those incarcerated for marijuana possession, and help treat various health conditions that would otherwise cause an enormous amount of pain. Although marijuana is often looked down upon as a Schedule I illegal drug, this medicinal plant has been around for more than a decade and has been used for more than the "get high" purpose. Marijuana is non-toxic compared to multiple types of medications now on the market and it has never caused an over dose. It is also less expensive, if legalized than most of the overly priced medications provided by

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

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.

The topic of marijuana use in today’s society is currently a hot topic in both politics as well is in social settings. There are many positives and negatives towards whether or not marijuana should be legalized, as well as medical and recreational pros and cons. This paper will cover the pros and cons of all topics and my personal viewpoint on the topic.

Legalizing marijuana is one of the biggest controversial debates in America today. Although legalizing marijuana would be beneficial to America, the government will not allow it. Marijuana should be legalized because it can help in medical areas, help the economy, and lower crime rates

Marijuana has been used over the years for both recreational and medical purposes. In regards to both, the United States economy has spent billion of dollars annually enforcing the laws of the illegal use of marijuana. Legalizing marijuana would give an important