Should Marijuana Be Legalized?

Since the first efforts to legalize marijuana in the 1960s, Americans have become progressively more accepting of requests to liberalize laws restricting possession and use of marijuana, but the shift has not been a straight line. After 11 states decriminalized marijuana possession in the 1970s, recoil led by suburban parents led too much harsher implementation of drug laws. But since California legalized medical marijuana in 1996, outlooks toward the drug have relaxed significantly.("A Brief History of Public Opinion on Marijuana Legalization.")

Decriminalization provides a solution the problems related to drugs. Decriminalization is not making drugs legal, it is treating the drug addicts as a patient instead of making them feel like they are criminals and putting them into a jail although selling drugs is still illegal. Drugs must be decriminalized because decriminalization has proven that the death rates and crime rates have decreased and the use of drugs have decreased in decriminalized countries such as Portugal, Uruguay and drugs have decriminalized in some of the states in Unites States of America.

Support for marijuana legalization is rapidly increasing throughout the United States. “A slim majority, 53% of Americans, say the drug should be made legal, compared with 44% who want it to be illegal” (Motel). What would change if marijuana was legalized federally in the United States? Would everyone be sane? A lot of things in the United States could happen by legalizing marijuana. There would be less marijuana related crimes. With all the laws that are being passed, would it be harder to tax? Would it benefit the economy? marijuana should be legalized, federally.

Although there has been a “war on drugs” since the late 1900’s, the legalization of marijuana has been a popular topic within the past couple of years. This topic is very controversial due to the fact that many people are unable to see past the bad rap that cannabis has accumulated over past years. Among the other aspects that have already given marijuana a bad reputation, some people are trying to find more and more reasons to postpone the legalization of marijuana. Since the legalization of cannabis in Colorado, Washington and Oregon the debate of legalizing this “drug” in every state became a very important topic. Cannabis has shown how effective it can

Colorado schools have earned $13.6 million of funding in the first five months of 2015 from the recently legalized sale of recreational marijuana. This is a major increase from 2014 with a total of $13.3 million being paid for the entire year. All of this rapidly growing revenue is being generated through the taxes paid by the marijuana sales industry. This substantial sum is a part of an approved excise tax of 15% on wholesale marijuana sales which orders that 15% of the taxes be used strictly for the construction of new schools. This, of course, comes from the total marijuana tax revenue which has already reached over $60 million in 2015 alone as of August. This unprecedented increase in state revenue and school funding is one of the most obvious benefits to the legalization of recreational marijuana.

But what needs to be known before a user can safely and completely make the decision if trying Marijuana is a good idea? Many do not want the drug to be legalized because they claim that Cannabis is a “gateway drug”, meaning it will cause people to try harder drugs once their body builds up a resistance to Marijuana, because a stronger drug will be needed to reach a high state. This argument is often falsely related to the medical side of the debate over legalization. It is claimed that this would be a reason not to legalize the drug. This argument, though true, is misleading and should actually be used for a reason to legalize Cannabis. It must first be understood that drug dealers use Marijuana to prey on people who like the high feeling. They convince those doing the drugs to try harder ones such as but not limited to Molly, Heroin, Meth, or LSDs. All drugs that are addictive. Peer pressure is what leads to Cannabis being a gateway drug, a unfortunate scenario that could be eliminated by putting Marijuana on the free market. If it was legal to intake users would no longer have to turn to drug dealers for their supply, therefore eliminating situation in which they could be influenced by peer pressure. So with all this in mind the fact that it is a gateway drug does not mean that it is medically unacceptable. In fact, I strongly believe that health should not be the reason why it it’s illegal and placed on the harmful drugs list because it is 0% addictive and has never

Colorado attracts millions of tourists every year mostly because of ski resorts, touring and outdoor trips. This list has been enlarged by a legalized access to recreational marijuana in January 2014. People from other states can now stop by marijuana dispensary and purchase up to ¼ ounce of retail marijuana at once. According to the Marijuana Policy Group research, out-of-state visitors purchase 44% of metro area retail demand and about 90% of retail demand in mountain counties. This demand from tourists has increased income of Colorado marijuana dispensaries dramatically. However, as there are only 2 states in the US, which legalized marijuana for recreational use, it is hard to judge whether it is good or bad for our society, but its legalization would definitely have a positive impact on the US economy.

Marijuana can be viewed in two ways: an addictive illegal high or a medical treatment drug. Marijuana first and foremost is an illegal drug, and can land you up to 7 years in prison just for possession or up to 14 years in prison for the supplying and production of the drug. However, marijuana is not all bad. It can be used for medical purposes (shown in certain states of the USA). Many people are unaware of this, so this leads us to the question: Marijuana; legislation or a continued ban?

The notion of legalizing marijuana has been a very controversial issue. In most states the use and possession of marijuana is illegal, but today some states have legalized marijuana such as Colorado and Washington since Nov. 2012 due to Colorado’s Amendment 64 was enacted for its recreational use. Marijuana has always been seen as a bad drug but marijuana is misunderstood by the nation. Marijuana has never been issued to be dangerous, it is safer than a lot of other drugs being used today. Till this day there is a constant reminder that drugs are bad, yet no matter what legal or illegal marijuana is being consumed by many. Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States, in which it’s why marijuana should be legalized

Marijuana is the most frequently used illicit drug and has been used by nearly 100 million

I once heard an inmate patient of mine say “Weed might be illegal but that doesn’t make it bad. Is everything that’s legal, good for you?” This statement begs attention when the argument of whether or not marijuana should be legalized is of topic. According to The Foundation for a Drug Free World, marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States; however after years of studies this drug is still illegal in almost all states while alcohol and tobacco continues to claim thousands of lives every year (n.d). Don’t get the wrong idea, this is not to persuade you into thinking that smoking weed or eating a marijuana brownie does not have its disadvantages. However the idea is to get you to understand and see that smoking

Cannabis has many slang terms such as weed, pot, dope, Mary Jane, reefer, however it is most commonly referred to as marijuana. Marijuana and its many forms can be taken in multiple fashions. The most common of them is smoking them as a joint or a blunt, but it can also be vaporized, eaten, applied as a cream, and even consumed as a tea. With elections coming up, marijuana use has recently been making headlines for its popularity in propositions and proposed bills, which would legalize recreational use of marijuana in many states if passed. These bills however, do not take into consideration the many negative effects of marijuana use on the body, the wide availability to underage children, and potential harm to others. All of these

Herbs have been used for centuries as spices, flavoring and medicine. The use of cannabis has been questioned for years, whether or not it is a brilliant idea to legalize its beneficial purposes. Cannabis should be legalized because it has great medical benefits, will boost the economy by creating more job opportunities, and will replace the productions of resources that can harm the planet.

Should marijuana be legalized? The answer would vary widely depending on the circumstances and who you ask. Marijuana use is prohibited in the state of North Carolina, and is currently only legal in four states and the District of Columbia (State Marijuana Laws Map). It is hard to believe that the same government that banned the drug in the 1930’s actually encouraged the growth of the plant in the 1600’s (Guither). The antagonist against legalization claim that it is highly addicted and will lead to other drug use. Another claim is that it makes an individual violent, although there is not much data to support the allegation. I use to agree with the government and others stance on the subject matter, but I now feel that there is not much difference between Alcohol and Marijuana. As with any substance, whether it is alcohol, drugs, cigarettes or food there is a chance for addiction to occur. However, it should be an individual’s free will to make their own personal decisions.

Marijuana is a very prominent and controversial issue in society today. Although many slanderous claims have been made about cannabis in recent history, the truths are slowly starting to resurface. Unfortunately, these truths are under heavy criticism due to the stereotypical view of what people view as the typical “pot smoker.” This skewed perception of a lazy and unmotivated America is the result of over seventy years of propaganda and misinformation spread by private interests who needed cannabis illegal for their own personal gains. As a former marijuana consumer and current administrator for a marijuana activism website, I strongly believe that marijuana should be legalized for all uses.