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.

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

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.

In the United States, twenty-one states have no laws on legal marijuana use, even for medicinal marijuana. Another twenty-one have legalized marijuana for medical use only. As for the other eight, those states have legalized the use marijuana for medicinal and recreational. The states that have fully legalized marijuana have seen a boost in the economy due to taxes from marijuana sales. Along with helping the economy, marijuana is proven to provide medical aid for illnesses, such as cancer and Parkinson’s Disease. The legalization of marijuana for medicinal and recreational use will be a benefit to society.

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.

The use of medical cannabis seems to be extremely effective in treating a wide variety of neurological disorders Without the use of cannabis, the treatments of these disorders have to be altered to accommodate certain needs. Source C is a survey, statistic, conducted in California found that 92 percent of patients claim that medical marijuana worked for their specific issue. The results also found that a significant portion of people who used medical marijuana were for reasons that do not have effective alternative treatments, such as migraine headaches. Source E brings up that cannabis causes some of the same effects that other drugs have on the body, although there are not nearly as many long term effects that the drug has on the body, supporting Source C. The legalization of cannabis for medical use would allow these treatments to occur, and therefore allow more people around the country to have more functionable lives. The legalization of cannabis is not an extreme risk, but rather a positive influential decision for the better health of many in the American

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.

When it comes to dealing with marijuana and deciding between legalization, decriminalization, or leaving it how it is now the best option would be legalization. Decriminalization of marijuana would still not make it legal, but it would lessen the criminal penalty. Therefore, some states treat possessing a small amount of marijuana like a minor traffic violation. Whereas legalization would make marijuana legal like states such as Colorado and Washington have already done. But why is this the better option?

The use of marijuana is quite a controversial topic. Some people believe the use can be helpful, to society, while others greatly disagree. Three of the popular marijuana uses, which are smoking, eating, and vaping, are a great representation of this dispute.

There have been studies done that have proven that IQ’s of people 21 and older that use this drug have not been affected in the long term, even though while under the influence their IQ may drop temporarily. There have been many studies done on cannabis and they have found that the drug should not be considered a schedule I drug and that it should not be illegal but Nixon dispelled this information and kept the drug’s illegal status. In addition, it has been shown that misdemeanors have decreased and opioid use has decreased in places that marijuana is legal. It was shown in Colorado that opioid use went down by about 30%. This would mean that the overall safety of communities would be on the rise. Lastly, there are many addictive substances that are currently legal that could be compared to pot. Alcohol is legal and has the same short term effects as cannabis. Also, tobacco is the number one cause of death by an addictive substance, followed by alcohol, with marijuana in the rear. Although, this side provides many compelling arguments, the opposition has a significant number of relevant points as

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

Marijuana is a controversial drug because it can be both beneficial as well as harmful to the user. The marijuana plant can be utilized as an effective medicine to diagnose a number of issues. According to Business Insider, marijuana can treat glaucoma, improve lung health, control seizures of epileptic patients, decrease the symptoms of Dravet’s Syndrome, prevent cancer from spreading, and can contribute in a more than a dozen other ways as well. Since it has such effective medicinal use, marijuana should continue to remain as a viable medicine that can treat patients. There are advocates, which believe that marijuana should be legal for recreational use, such as a recent bill which passed in Colorado. However, if marijuana is used for non-medical reasons then it could lead to dependence and deteriorate one’s health. Web MD depicts that long-term users tend to have slower reaction times, sleeplessness, and suppression of appetite as well as dozens other symptoms. Californians should keep marijuana legal for medicinal use only and we should increase the awareness of the drug’s negative effects on people across the United States. Awareness of the negative drug effects will decrease the demand on marijuana and the crime rates in the streets.

In this paper I will argue in favor of legalizing the cultivation and sale of marijuana for medicinal and recreational purposes. Due to numerous studies supporting multiple links to treat certain illnesses, cannabis should be legalized. It may stop cancer cells from spreading. In addition, marijuana may control epileptic seizures. According to researchers in Virginia Commonwealth University “ingredients in marijuana and the cannabinoid receptor protein produced naturally in the body to regulate the central nervous system and other bodily functions play a critical role in controlling spontaneous seizures in epilepsy” (Robert J. DeLorenzo M.D.).

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.

Should Marijuana be Legalized? Over half of Americans answer ‘’Yes.’’ Marijuana is greatly frowned upon, not just in America, but all across the globe. But these laws against Marijuana are up for debate in several countries. Especially in the United States. There are sixteen states in this country that allow medical usage of Marijuana.