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.

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

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.

The legalization of marijuana would make everyone's lives easier. About 40% of the population has already admitted to using it. Marijuana, also known as Cannabis, isn't detrimental to our health like many other already legal substances, such as alcohol and cigarettes. It has also done wonders in the world of medicine. It has provided relief to many patients who have terminal illnesses. Marijuana is also costing America an unnecessary amount of money. Millions of dollars are put towards law enforcement and jail to keep marijuana under control. If marijuana were legalized, all the money could be put toward something more important. As you can see, marijuana should be legalized because it’s not harmful, it has great medical benefits, and the prohibition cost is absurd.

.). With proof that US citizens continue using prescription narcotics at an alarming rate, the Drug Enforcement Agency (D.E.A) does not classify any of those substances as a Schedule I substance. However, the D.E.A. classifies marijuana as a schedule I substance; making it extremely difficult for it to be researched for its medicinal value. There is a need for the D.E.A. to reclassify marijuana; it should not be classified as a schedule I substance because marijuana has several medical uses.

Legalization of marijuana should be legislated for medical use across the country. Marijuana does not have a potential good value that it should have, in the eyes of the government and the public. In reality it is actually natural and a effective medicine. The debate about medical marijuana is spreading like a virus across the country. Marijuana can be that one thing to clear off US 13 trillion debt as well as it can decrease crime rates and create more possibility of jobs for people who do not speak English language. Research shows that medical marijuana is bad for health and the government is in lack of manufacturing and handling the marijuana drug, classified as B class drug in the United States. It is legal in 20 states as medical marijuana use. Both the sides have valid argument but the pros out weigh cons by many reasons. Unlike other most legal tobacco products, medical marijuana is less harmful and has the capability to reduce the pain within diseased people.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions as reversed President Obama’s 2013 policy that protects legalized marijuana programs from intervention from the federal government. What this does is hands the decision back to each state. Each state’s U.S. attorney will now decide whether to enforce the federal marijuana law. Attorney General Sessions stated that “it is the mission of the Department of Justice to enforce the laws of the United States.” According to General Sessions, the previous policy undermines the rule of law. Currently, individuals that are prescribed medical marijuana and the programs that supply it are protected from federal prosecution by the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment. The amendment expires on January 19, 2018. (Schladebeck & Blain 2018).

Opponents of legalization will typically admit that some of the arguments presented by proponents are legitimate and persuasive but believe that both the physical and societal results outweigh any right to personal autonomy or economic benefit. They begin by pointing out that any revenue gains that will be achieved by legalization will be completely mitigated by the cost that usage of marijuana imposes on the society. In 2016 alcohol and tobacco imposed a societal cost of almost $500 billion on account of related medical care, loss of life, and workplace productivity. It is also questionable that the government will actually be able to raise the revenues predicted because many growers and distributors sell their products on a cash basis and will not report this income to the state government. They also respond to the arguments related to alcohol and tobacco being legal by stating that marijuana is clearly addictive and allowing it to be legal simply because other addictive substances are currently legal, is like shooting yourself in the left foot simply because you have already been shot in the right foot.