Should Marijuana Be Legalized?

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.

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Marijuana has earned itself a terrible name over the years. This plant has a long history with humans, from early medical uses to spiritual and even recreational use. In recent years, many states have seen the legalization of marijuana for medical uses. Most large scale experiments have been hindered because of the difficulty of getting experiments involving marijuana approved. Despite this roadblock for the research of marijuana, surveys and observations of the medical use of marijuana show that the plant may have legitimate medical uses. The lack of evidence showing that weed is a dangerous drug also pushes for its legalization for recreational use. Based on all of the evidence about marijuana for recreational and medical use, marijuana

On the one hand, the correct and clear legalization will allow improving the quality of life of patients, who suffer from painful, chronic diseases or whose treatments generate various side effects. For cancer disease it has been proven that medical marijuana decreases the nausea and dizziness caused by chemotherapy. Cannabis also has antispasmodic properties and the ability to relieve pain, which benefits a large universe of patients beyond those diagnosed with cancer. On the other hand, when the legalization is implemented, the acquisition of this medicine can be safely regulated. This control will prevent people who require the plant from having to obtain it under illegal standards, whose consequences can lead to incorrect doses, low percentages

One of the main reasons many people think that marijuana should be legalized is because it provides many health benefits. 23 states have legalized marijuana for medical uses. Marijuana has chemicals in it that could help treat many illnesses as well as their symptoms, which is a big reason why many people argue that it should be legalized for medical reasons. “Two THC-based medications, dronabinol and nabilone, are already approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat nausea caused by chemotherapy and to boost appetite in patients with AIDS wasting syndrome.” (NIH, 2015). There is scientific proof that this drug is beneficial for medical use because of the chemicals it contains. People on the opposing side see it as it is an illegal drug, there is no health benefits to an illegal substance, but they really are not looking at all the facts, it has been proven to have benefits and it is legal for medical use in almost half of the United States. “There is also some preliminary evidence that THC or related cannabinoid compounds such as cannabidiol (CBD) may also have uses in treating autoimmune diseases, inflammation, pain, seizures and psychiatric disorders,

In Society we have options and with those options we can choose whether to help our lives or ruin them. Marijuana is one of those options because to some people it's bad, but to others it is good. Marijuana should be legalized as it will bring many positives. However, it will bring some negatives as well. That may cause issues with the government or businesses. Legalization towards anything in society will always have positives and negatives.

The argument of legalizing medicinal marijuana and marijuana used for recreational purposes has been around for quite some time now. Recreational use is when one smokes cannabis just for fun and with the intention of altering the state of consciousness while medicinal marijuana is used for treating certain maladies and alleviating their symptoms. Though marijuana use is not as harmless as many people seem to believe. Like any other drugs, marijuana can affect the body and mind and may have a majority of side affects. It has an addictive nature and is also known as the gateway drug. It can even affect those around you in more ways than one. For instance if something were to happen to you or if for whatever reason you lash out at them. The

Marijuana seriously causes bad effects for human’s healthy when people overuse it a little too much. While tobacco has a bad reputation for pumping the huge amount of carcinogens into the lungs, marijuana is estimated to have different levels of carcinogens that are 50-70% higher than tobacco smoke (“Pros & Cons of Legalizing Marijuana”). The effect is extremely amplified by the fact that many marijuana smokers inhale more deeply than cigarette smokers. That is the reason why it increases the amount of time the lungs are exposed to cancer-causing chemicals. Besides

Many believe that Marijuana is addictive, and for that reason, should not be legalized. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Marijuana use can lead to the development of problem use, known as marijuana use disorder, which in severe cases takes the form of addiction.” According to recent data, it is suggested that around 30 percent of marijuana users may suffer from some degree of marijuana use disorder and people who started using marijuana when they were younger than 18 are 4-7 times more likely to develop this disorder (“Addictive”). Similar to addiction, this disorder is associated with dependence to marijuana, which means that the user may feel withdrawal symptoms when not taking the drug. These symptoms can include irritability, decreased appetite, and sleep difficulties. These generally last about a week or two after giving up the drug (“Addictive”). This happens when the brain’s production of endocannabinoid neurotransmitters slows or stops because it has adapted to large amounts of marijuana (“Addictive”). Marijuana disorder becomes an addiction when the user is unable to stop using even if the effects of marijuana interfere with many aspects of their life (“Addictive”). In 2014, it was estimated that about 4.176 million people in the US, roughly 1% of the total population, abused or were dependent on marijuana, but it is hard to estimate the number of people addicted to marijuana because epidemiological studies of substance abuse use

On the other end of the spectrum, many frequent marijuana users are against legalization for the many constraints it will place on their use. The way the states have been regulating the drug disallows anyone under twenty-one to obtain the drug, even for medical needs, and it hinders their ability to drive while the drug is in their system (Evergreen). The stipulations concerning driving will cause inconveniencies for frequent users due to the variations of time in which the drug stays in a person’s system, often ranging from hours, to days, or even weeks. (Evergreen). Many varying conflicts of interest collide when discussing how to legalize the drug. All sides must be considered. There must be stipulations to appease the government, laws for those who need it medically, those who want to benefit from the drug recreationally must be considered, those who do not want the drug at all, and those who want the drug for its business opportunities must all be recognized. The laws created will not be perfect and they will require all parties to afford a bit of flexibility.

Marijuana is currently illegal in the United States, and according to popular belief, is considered a dangerous substance like any other and decriminalization of this substance would send a message to the nation’s youth that marijuana use is acceptable, resulting in higher use rates. Some believe that it is dangerous and needs to be contained, while others believe it should only be a civil infraction, and not a crime punishable with steep fines and jail time. Marijuana offenders can experience jail time and fines up to $1000. First time marijuana offenders however, are offered drug treatment programs instead of prison time. There are several court cases involving the fight for, and against marijuana. Some of these include Ravin v. State and Gonzales v. Raich. The Gonzales v. Raich court case was the closest the Supreme Court had ever come to suggesting that marijuana use should be decriminalized in any manner. Marijuana should be decriminalized due to the consequences of possessing something that is basically harmless and could potentially have medicinal uses.

The debate over whether marijuana should be legalized has long troubled many American citizens. There are many political aspects that have to be taken into account when making a big federal decision such as this. However, long before America was even an idea, many cultures had harnessed the plant, and used it for many primitive medical procedures. Within certain states it is legal to use marijuana for medical treatments, but this is a relatively new idea in the United States. However, marijuana was not always deemed an illegal substance and because of its inherent medical value should be legalized at the federal level.

There is substantial evidence that certain components of marijuana can contribute to the healing and cure of many minor and major ailments. However, most of these studies have to be performed and proven off of U.S. soil or in secret since the FDA has not approved the medicinal use of marijuana and it has deemed a Schedule I drug by the DEA. Unfairly so, marijuana is treated as heroin in the eyes of the federal government. Marijuana can be manipulated by cross breeding to create certain strains with positive healing properties rather than other properties which cause the “head high”, often times considered psychotropic. The CBDs inside of marijuana have helped with epilepsy syndromes, cancer, bowel diseases, HIV/AIDS, and mental disorders

Marijuana has been vilified in America over the past 70+ years. Despite it’s many practical uses, medicinal and industrial, our Federal government insists on maintaining the status quo that the growth, possession and use of marijuana is criminal despite the evidence that the legalization of marijuana would have a positive influence on America.

Grass, hemp, wacky tabaccy, ganja, and many other names are what you might have heard as slang for marijuana. It is a cannabis plant that is most commonly used when the leaves are shredded and then hand rolled into cigarettes to be smoke. Many people see marijuana as a gateway drug, leading to other more hardcore drugs. Which is why it has been made illegal by the United States Federal Government in all 50 states. But some states have decided the federal government does not know what the people of their state do or do not need, so they have legalized marijuana for either just medical or recreational as well. This action by some states has lead to people wondering; does allowing a state to take action that opposes or violates federal law undermine the government’s authority? In order to reach an answer for this question we will need to look at both sides of the subject, the federal government and the states’.