Should Marijuana Be Legalized?

According to Jessica Atkins many crimes in several states are increasing due to the “selling and possession” of the substance. Atkins also pointed out that marijuana is a “natural herb” and it is extremely less dangerous than any other illegal substance. With that being said many also worry about parents who also consume this drug and the effects it would have on their children. Dr. Melanie Dreher conducted many experiments and has inferred that children who are born to marijuana consuming parents show no factors of birth defects, also the child tends to be more intelligent than children not born to marijuana consuming parents. There is also a lot of benefits towards consuming medical marijuana also, it can benefit anyone who has a mental illness and could also help a woman's pregnancy with decreasing the sense of nausea and vomiting. Marijuana is a very controversial topic especially legalizing it but people need to realize that there are substances that are killing many people today that are completely legal under the federal law and it is injustice to keep a drug that has many benefits and could help people

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.

It is believed that THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) is to be the main ingredient that produces the psychoactive effect to patient. It is mostly smoked, smoked in blunts and/or use in pipe or a bong (DEA, 2011). Some people are also mixing marijuana with food or brewed as a tea. Most of the marijuana users are experiencing pleasure, memory, thought, concentration, sensory and time perception, and coordinated movement. Marijuana is a Schedule I substance which has therefore the highest potential for abuse with no medical use (CDC, 2015).

Should marijuana be legalized? Many Americans have been asked this question or have heard some type of news about the issue. Marijuana is commonly known as cannabis which refers to the dried up hemp plant cannabis sativa, even though marijuana is a plant and has no chemical additives it has been a tropic of controversy for many years but nowadays it is in the spotlight more than ever. For centuries, marijuana has been used by people throughout the world for religious, recreational and medical use. A few countries like the Netherlands and Uruguay have already legalized marijuana for recreational use and many other countries are taking a step towards doing so. Is it finally time for the United States to take a closer look into possibly legalizing marijuana. Marijuana should be legalized for medical and recreational purposes because it would aid in the War on drugs, it would become an important source of revenue for the government and reduce overpopulation of American jails.

When people hear the word Marijuana, many think of it as a negative object, that is not necessarily the case. In some circumstances Medical Marijuana can help many people that have illnesses or conditions that can help them relieves their symptoms. Many states have already made Medical Marijuana legal and more states are fighting to have it legalize. For many years people have turned to medical marijuana instead of painkillers and opioids which could end the “opioid crisis”.

Marijuana is a dehydrated, torn green and brown mixture of leaves, flower and stem. Marijuana comes from the main plant known as Cannabis Sativa. Marijuana Leaves and stems contain high absorption of active chemical known as THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). When using marijuana the Psychoactive Ingredient which is also known as THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) passes into the blood and goes straight to the brain and other organ of the body (Anderson L 2014).

The legalization of marijuana became a heated political subject in the last few years. Twenty-one states in America have legalized medical marijuana. Colorado and Washington are the only states where marijuana can be purchased recreationally. Marijuana is the high THC level part of the cannabis plant, which gives users the “high” feeling. There is ample evidence that supports the argument that marijuana is beneficial. The government should legalize marijuana recreationally for three main reasons. First, I will present two common arguments against the legalization of marijuana and then refute them. Second, I will explain how there is no proof of harmful effects from marijuana and that there are many health benefits prominent. Third, I will describe how legalization would bring in tax revenue for the government. Finally, I will go into detail on how legalization would decrease crime rates.

Marijuana’s medicinal properties are one of its greatest benefits. According to Joycelyn Elders, MD symptoms of diseases like AIDS, MS, and cancer can be relieved through medical marijuana use (Elders). The New Jersey Medicinal Marijuana Review Panel has added 43 new conditions that are now permissible to be treated with medical marijuana (Hefler). Not everyone is thrilled by this medical progress though. Governor Chris Christie “reluctantly signed” a bill to make PTSD treatable by marijuana claiming marijuana is a “gateway drug” (Hefler). The term “gateway drug” is usually brought out in discussions of marijuana to bring harder drugs in the conversation as a boogieman tactic. If anything pot has demonstrated itself to be a gatekeeper because in states where pot is legal opioid related deaths have dropped nearly 25 percent (Strouse).

Marijuana or cannabis is a preparation of the cannabis plant intended for use as a hallucinatory drug and a medicine as well. The principal hallucinatory constituent of marijuana is Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC. Twenty three states and the District of Columbia has legalized marijuana for medical or recreational purposes in the United States. Legalizing marijuana has many benefits to it. Not only has marijuana been proven to counter act some symptoms of cancer and other diseases, it can also boost the economy and increase tax revenues. Along with all these things legalizing marijuana can also lesson crime rate and allow police and federal agents to focus

Cannabis sativa, commonly known as marijuana, and a vast number of slang terms called weed, herb, pot, bud and Mary Jane is a green plant with a mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds that grows in different places around the world. Moreover, many recreational users smoke marijuana by hand-rolling cigarettes referred as “joints” also by using pipes, water pipes (bongs) or marijuana cigars often known as blunts. The main psychoactive mind-alternating chemical in marijuana, is responsible for the intoxicating effects sought by the users, is delta-9-tetrahydro-cannabinol (THC). Nevertheless, the chemical is stems from the leaves and buds of the female cannabis plant, containing more than five hundred other chemicals, that include over hundred compounds that are chemically related to THC, known as cannabinoids.

The proposition known as Prop 64 is the California Marijuana Legalization Initiative. This proposition was on the ballot November 8th, 2016 and supporters have also referred this initiative as the Adult Use of Marijuana Act. In which has been approved. Those who have voted yes supported legalizing marijuana usage for recreational purposes for those who are aged 21 years or older. This measure has created two taxes, one for cultivation and the other on retail prices. The money from the taxes will go to drug research, enforcements, youth programs, health and safety grants addressing marijuana, and preventing damage to the environment resulting from illegal marijuana production. Proposition 64 legalized permitting smoking marijuana in a private home, or at a business that has been licensed for on-site marijuana consumption. Although smoking while driving, in all public places, and anywhere smoking tobacco is, has remained illegal. Along with, possession on school grounds, daycare center, or youth center where children are present. For businesses to sell marijuana for recreational use, they need to have a state license and are not authorized to sell within 600 feet of a school, daycare, or youth center. In order to regulate this, the Bureau of Marijuana Control (BMC) are responsible to regulate and licensing marijuana businesses. ("California Proposition 64, Marijuana Legalization (2016) - Ballotpedia." Ballotpedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2016.)

Today, more than 1 in 3 people have tried the substance marijuana. People who try it might think smoking marijuana is cool. They might try it without knowing what it is or what affects is has on you. From pain relief to stimulating the appetites of patients on chemotherapy, marijuana seems to have plenty going for it as a medicine and also an illegal substance. Once someone smokes it for the first time, they might keep doing it again and again and they could get hooked on it for life. People who use marijuana usually never use any other type of illegal drugs, but more 7,500 get arrested for using

Marijuana is a versatile drug that can be prescribed in many forms, and in many doses. Marijuana can be taken and not produce the “high” feeling some people despise. Marijuana has many positives despite the few negatives.

Marijuana also known Cannabis is the most common recreational drug of choice in modern day society. Although marijuana is currently one of the most controversial drugs, it is statistically the safest of any drug in the United States and around the world yet it is still illegal. Aside the recreational use of marijuana; it can be used as a pain reliever and a relaxant. Marijuana is extremely beneficial to cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, and multi sclerosis patients in which it offers a strong sense of relief. I believe that marijuana is therapeutic drug that can be used recreational and medicinal. Although marijuana offers many benefits, there are still many issues that surround the use of the drug. The constant battle over legalizing marijuana stems from its classification as a Schedule I drug. Schedule I drugs are extremely high risk for latent substance abuse.

Cannabis consists of two main cannabinoid compounds, THC and CBD. Cannabinoid compounds mimic naturally occurring endocannibinoids with more powerful effects. THC has euphoric, stimulant, muscle relaxant, anti-cancer, anti-epileptic, anti- emetic, anti-inflammatory, appetite stimulation, Broncho dilating, hypotensive, anti- depressant and analgesic effects. CBD is the compound that relieves pain.