Should Marijuana Be Legal?

In America there are a lot of problems, ranging from violence to obesity. A growing concern of many Americans is the drug “epidemic” with the growth of the war on drugs. Marijuana, throughout history, has been demonized and illegalized, however now a newfound acceptance of the drug is growing rapidly with some states fully legalizing the drug recreationally, and others medically.

In the society we live in, everybody wants to be right. People will have their own unique stance on any controversial subject, and marijuana is no different. Marijuana is a very important topic of discussion especially in the current election season. The drug is discussed on television, social media, and virtually everywhere on the internet. In the article “This Is Why Marijuana Should Be Legal Everywhere” associate viral content editor for The Huffington Post, Renee Jacques, challenges traditional notions of the prohibition of marijuana by brilliantly using rhetorical appeals to persuade you to join the majority. Contrary to Jacques, John Hawkins, writer for www.townhall.com, takes a different stance in his article “5 Reasons Marijuana Should Remain Illegal” holding tight to the traditional, negative view of the drug by using a mixture of logos and pathos to make you question why any human with a brain would smoke cannabis. Although both writers use rhetorical strategies to persuade you to their respective side of the argument, the differing degrees the authors use those strategies renders Jacques’ article much more persuasive to a general audience.

Thesis: There is a significant amount of attention in today’s world on weather or not to legalize marijuana. The prohibition of marijuana is holding up the improvement of social and economic developments.

Legalizing marijuana is a concept that can potentially benefit the public as well as the local economies. There has been a nationwide debate on whether marijuana should be legalized or not. The major consensus is that marijuana is not only bad for one’s health, but it is also dangerous to the community. These allegations are not true. Marijuana actually has health benefits that most people overlook. The following essay will address these health benefits in an attempt to present this concept in a way that the audience can better understand how legalizing marijuana can beneficial to an individual health, how it can give an increase to the economy.

This paper will look at the benefits and drawbacks to legalizing marijuana by looking in at Colorado.The state made forty million dollars by taxed marijuana in 2014 alone, also Colorado saved countless millions because of the extremely lower amounts of marijuana arrest and court cases. It is not clear how having new recreational marijuana stores opening will affect the cannabis market, or businesses expanding around them. Gov. John Hickenlooper says that the economy is thriving with record setting numbers of tourists (73.1 million). 49 percent of those tourist said that legal marijuana influenced their decisions to vacation in Colorado. The ER’s in Colorado have also seen a rise in numbers of marijuana related cases and those cases in non-residents have almost doubled. An unexpected situation that arose from legal cannabis was the amount of electricity that is being use to grow the drug. Some cannabusinesses have to go green with solar or wind power. There are many varying views on the effects of legal marijuana have developed in Colorado since marijuana became legal in 2014.

The role of how marijuana is used in the United States is being reexamined, rethought, and recalibrated, Barcott emphasize throughout his book. The new adjustment in America's relationship with cannabis cannot be measured in just monetary or social terms, “there are more profound movements going ahead here; social realignments, social alterations, and budgetary modifications” Barcott believes. Barcott show marijuana came to be one of the most vilified drugs in the market ever since the war on drugs was announced in the 1980s. However, the author shows how those who were against that movement are now cheerful that the way of that line of thinking is finally coming to a close. “Weed the

The use of medical marijuana (slang: Acapulco gold, ace, bhang, cannabis, hash, dope, ganja, grass, weed, hashish oil, hemp, home-grown, honey oil, indica, Jamaican roach, sativa, sinse, sinsemilla, tea, weed oil) has a been a major topic of debate for countless years. People all around the United States have seen propaganda of some sort regarding the legalization of marijuana. For example, with the ongoing discussion of legalization throughout the states, it’s abruptly mentioned in the news, everyday conversations, school topics for debate, and within stories of social media. In the article, “Is marijuana prohibition coming to an end”, Michelle Johnson a North Carolina journalist, states “Legalizing marijuana for a medical or recreational

The three main arguments of decriminalisation, regulation and relative ramification are all tied in, and affect society positively should cannabis be legalised. The economic, fiscal, social and health benefits proposed by these arguments, with reference to articles, will open the mind of those who are sceptical about legalising cannabis. It is not all about reefing and high times, besides the medical appeal, cannabis can have a mainstream appeal from a commerce perspective. The potential capital is undeniable and far outweigh that which is gained from prohibition. It is understandable for those against cannabis, the stigma surrounding cannabis is too ingrained, and even a legal tag would not completely remedy the hesitation of some. But not everything is made for everyone, pro or anti-legalisation, it is clear that cannabis is an untapped resource buried by the political and social bias and

Marijuana is a drug that is an ongoing issue in the United States for many years debating about whether it should be legal, so in 2010 the state of California proposed the “Tax, Regulate, and Control Cannabis Act” for voters to vote on which would make marijuana illegal. Charles Stimson, a former assistant U.S. Attorney specializing in crime, had strong opinions about what he thought about the issue and was paid to write an article by the Heritage Foundation where he could voice his opinion about legalized marijuana. In his article “Legalizing Marijuana: Why Citizens Should Just Say No,” Charles Stimson tries to persuade his audience, voters of California, that they should vote against legalized marijuana. He tries to persuade his audience

As some teenagers are pressured in to using marijuana, others are interested in experimentation. Many young people who are curious about drugs tend to try marijuana because it is viewed as the "safest" illicit drug. The popularity of the drug, talk of legalization, and media all contribute to marijuana being seen as a safe drug. Aforementioned, many young people use this highly accessible drug. People begin to think that if everyone else is doing it without harm, then they can too. It is well known that marijuana alone has never lead to death and has only been associated with fatal accidents when combined with alcohol or other drugs. These unthreatening ideas of marijuana combined with the constant debate about legalizing or decriminalizing the drug, persuade people to believe that it is safe and will not do them any harm. The most significant way this idea is developing is through the media. Although there are many anti-drug commercials and campaigns, the amount of television shows, movies and songs involving marijuana outweigh them all. In an article about marijuana in the media, Gary Oetjen, assistant Drug Enforcement Administration special agent, says that television is "glamorizing the usage of [marijuana] and these young kids believe they can get away

Lately it seems that drug policy and the war on drugs has been in the headlines quite a lot. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the policies that the United States government takes against illegal drugs are coming into question. The mainstream media is catching on to the message of organizations and individuals who have long been considered liberal "Counter Culture" supporters. The marijuana question seems to be the most prevalent and pressed of the drugs and issues that are currently being addressed. The messages of these organizations and individuals include everything from legalization of marijuana for medical purposes, to full-unrestricted legalization of the drug. Of course, the status quo of vote seeking politicians and

Since the paper has secured the historical backdrop of the issues and contentions about legitimizing marijuana, it will go more into insight about the issues and contentions by first outlining the persons supporting legalization. The general stakeholders include most recreational users, some police state officers and some farmers. The specific stake holders include the Drug policy Alliance, The Marijuana Policy Project and Republican Texas state representative David Simpson. These organizations and representatives aim to promote values, like liberty, health, and economic prosperity. The DPA is the country 's driving association advancing medication arrangements that are grounded in science, sympathy, well being and human rights. DPA supporters are people who accept the war on drugs is accomplishing more danger than great, like most recreational users. The DPA works to guarantee that the country’s medication arrangements stop detaining people , disappoint and generally hurt millions especially young teens and minorities who are excessively influenced by the war on illicit drugs (About Drug Policy Alliance). The marijuana policy project is an alliance and commitment to individuals who promote honesty, and advocate for terminally ill patients to use marijuana. It aims to remove penalties for possession and open a legal market where some farmers can cultivate and sell marijuana with professional help (Mission). The last stakeholder on the proponents’ side of legalizing

Media outlets are a modern-day tool for manipulation. Manipulation comes in many different forms, such as Documentaries, News Articles and magazines. Something they all have in common is the ability to brainwash audiences into believing their opinions. Throughout the last decade media outlets have used different techniques, such as selection of material and the specific selection of people being broadcasted to influence audience’s attitudes, values and beliefs towards medicinal cannabis. Evidence to support this can be seen in documentaries such as Canadian Marijuana Documentary: The Health, The Benefits, The Truth! (2013) and The Truth About Smoking Cannabis (2008) and articles such as The University of Sydney to study effectiveness of medicinal

Legalize, control, and discourage is a way to fix the problem. Evident by Colorado and Washington, “the legalization of marijuana can stop most of these possession arrests” (Levine). After the first opening of the first retail marijuana stores on January 1, 2014, Colorado had decreased crime rates, decreased traffic fatalities and increase in economic output (DPA). Since 2010, the marijuana possession arrest have went down 84% since its legalization. The tactic of legalizing, controlling, and discouraging has been proposed by the Economist, a weekly news magazine, in the late 80’s.

The legalization of marijuana is a very controversial issue that is being debated across the United States. In the article "Going to Pot?," by Damon Linker, Linker attempts to persuade readers that legalizing of marijuana can cause more harm than help. This publication was released in November of 2001. Although two other writers, Richard Lowry and Andrew Sullivan, try to change readers beliefs Linker maintains his stance against marijuana. Without discrediting their facts he explains and defends why he feels they are wrong. The article is formal and although religion is not talked about, morals and society standards are questioned. Throughout the argument, Linker proves that effects of marijuana are detrimental to our society and