Should Marijuana Be Legalized? Essay

The truths about marijuana are slowly starting to resurface, the government keeps ignoring that cannabis could one day be as powerful for the U.S. Unfortunately, these truths about marijuana are under a lot of criticism because of the stereotype of what people see as a "marijuana or cannabis smoker." There is a great difficulty in this law because marijuana is still recognized as a harmful and dangerous substance in some states. This can cause problems because each state has their different views and opinions on the matter, and have their own rules and how the rules apply towards it. The twenty-six states and the District of Columbia currently have laws legalizing marijuana in some form, but California, Massachusetts, and Nevada just passed the law for recreational use. The states that have medical marijuana and recreational legalization are Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Nevada, and Alaska. The states that only have medical marijuana legal are Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico, Arizona, Hawaii (Ingraham). However, legalizing marijuana could have some benefits instead of being a drug with some bad reputations. Marijuana should be legalized because of medical reasons, safety reasons, and have some benefits to society.

In addition, anecdotal evidence exists that marijuana is effective in the treatment of arthritis, migraine headaches, pruritis, menstrual cramps, alcohol and opiate addiction, and depression and other mood disorders. Marijuana could benefit as many as five million patients in the United States. However, except for the eight individuals given special permission by the federal government, marijuana remains illegal-even as medicine! Individuals currently suffering from any of the aforementioned ailments, for whom the standard legal medical alternatives have not been safe or effective, are left with two choices: Continue to suffer from the effects of the disease; or Obtain marijuana illegally and risk the potential consequences, which may include: an insufficient supply because of the prohibition-inflated price or unavailability; impure, contaminated, or chemically adulterated marijuana; arrests, fines, court costs, property forfeiture, incarceration, probation, and criminal records.

Ever since marijuana’s introduction to the United States of America in 1611, controversy of the use and legalization of the claimed-to-be Schedule I drug spread around the nation. While few selective states currently allow marijuana’s production and distribution, the remaining states still skepticize the harmlessness and usefulness of this particular drug; therefore, it remains illegal in the majority of the nation. The government officials and citizens of the opposing states believe the drug creates a threat to citizens due to its “overly-harmful” effects mentally and physically and offers no alternate purposes but creating troublesome addicts hazardous to society; however, they are rather misinformed about marijuana’s abilities. While

Marijuana is not a recent discovery, but the mysteries surrounding the controversial topic in question remains to be disputed since its prohibition. Classified as an illegal substance, cannabis has been restricted in Canada and around the world. Marijuana is a complex drug and its contradictory claims of medical purposes, and harmful destruction, fuel the debate on whether or not the legal constraints of consuming marijuana should be reconsidered. In consideration of academic journals and news article, citizen welfare, economy benefit, social progression and legal system implications, will be focused on. Despite opposing beliefs, prohibiting the recreational usage of marijuana does not counteract the dangers of the practise thus legalizing marijuana in Canada will allow greater benefit than harm.

Among its other legal drug counterparts, marijuana is by far the least physically harmful. Cigarettes, alcohol, tobacco, prescription painkillers, and even sleep aids are all highly addictive, and all can lead to death. Even Tylenol is so damaging that Vicodin and Percocet are being considered to be illegalized because of the Tylenol, not the opiates, in them. Marijuana has been shown to be effective in reducing the nausea induced by cancer chemotherapy, stimulating appetite in AIDS patients, and reducing intraocular pressure in people with glaucoma. There is also appreciable evidence that marijuana reduces muscle spasticity in patients with neurological disorders. A synthetic capsule is available by prescription, but it is not as effective as smoked marijuana for many patients (Alliance). In 1972, the US Congress placed marijuana in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act because they considered it to have "no accepted medical use." Since then, 17 of 50 US states and DC have legalized the medical use of marijuana. According to Joycelyn Elders, MD, Former US Surgeon General, "The evidence is overwhelming that marijuana can relieve certain types of pain, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms caused by such illnesses as multiple sclerosis, cancer and AIDS, or by the harsh drugs sometimes used to treat them. And it can do so with remarkable safety. Indeed, marijuana is less toxic than many of the drugs that physicians prescribe every

Marijuana as a medication is legal in 29 states and Washington DC (ProCon.org). Of that, most states list chronic or severe pain as a qualifying condition for the drug. Arguably the most popular medication for treating chronic pain is oxycodone (brand name OxyContin).

"The only way marijuana can kill you is if you take 25 pounds of it and you throw it out of a CIA drug plane and it hits you in the F@#%!N$ head. That's how you die from marijuana." -According to Joe Rogan, in "The Culture High". Americans consume 75% of the prescription drugs produced in the world, considering the United States is only about 5% of the population("What You Need To Know"). It seems that doctors in America are prescribing an excessive amount of pills to the American people, and many times when they don't need these pills. Many marijuana patients, on the other hand, have reported using fewer pharmaceuticals or no pharmaceuticals at all after starting a marijuana therapy program for headaches, nausea, bowel distress, muscle spasms, fibromyalgia, or chronic pain ("Patients Replace Prescription Drugs"). States that have already legalized medical marijuana have a 25% decrease in the opioid overdose mortality rate("What You Need To Know"). In 1899 when Bayer aspirin came out, marijuana was listed to cure over 100 diseases and was considered to be the best painkiller until prohibition in 1937, caused it to become illegal ("Marijuana Safer"). Aspirin has been around for now over 100 years and still kills over 500 people a year annually, which is incomparable to the over 5,000 years marijuana has been around with zero recorded deaths ("Marijuana Safer"). Marijuana listed side effects are paranoia, laughter, hunger, introspection,depression, creative impulse, tiredness, euphoria, and forgetfulness. Unfortunately, Aspirin side effects are too long to be stated. Before the prohibition in 1937 marijuana was considered one of the most effective and diverse medicines. After the start of prohibition, the United States government told public and private libraries to purge all their information on

The debate on whether marijuana should be legal has long troubled many. Currently there are 23 states that allow medical marijuana. In states where medical marijuana is legal there has been a 25% decrease in opioid deaths. Research seems to indicate that the decline is due to more and more people abandoning the harsher painkillers, and opting for the plant form of relief. “The difference is quite striking,” said co- author Collen Barry, a health policy researcher at John Hopkins Bloomberg, a school of Public Health in Baltimore. The difference showed up quite quickly and became visible the year after medical marijuana was accepted in each state (Main). Marijuana can be used for a multitude of illness some of those illnesses are multiple sclerosis, Aids, glaucoma, epilepsy just to name a few. There are those who are against medical marijuana, they argue that it is too dangerous to use, and lacks FDA approval. They also

The plant is believed to haveoriginated from the mountainous region of India. It is also believed that 80% of cannabis entering the UK comes from Morocco, and the herbal form comes from Jamaica. Cannabis contains more than 400 chemicals. The main psycholoactive ingerdient id delta-9-tetahydrocannabinol, or ‘THC’.

The use of marijuana for medical purposes and personal use can be recorded as far as 12,000 years ago. Marijuana is classified as a schedule 1 drug. Schedule 1 drugs are drugs are drugs that have the potential for abuse (Drug Scheduling,2016). The government contains the high-level drugs, this is the reason we have pharmacies. Pharmacies are regulated so that people can not get medicine that can be easily abused. Pharmacies require a medical prescription from a certified doctor for any drug that could be used improperly. Marijuana should be in the same category as prescription drugs because, like any medicine/drug it can be easily abused. Decriminalizing marijuana is not helping millions of people that could benefit from its medical benefits from legalizing it. Even though legalized marijuana may result in an increase in black-market drug trade, marijuana should be legalized because its sale could benefit the economy and can also be used for medical purposes.

Weed, bud, ganja, chronic, dro, herbs, grass, trees, pot, reefer; these are all names of the one drug that causes so much dispute, marijuana. Loved by so many, and hated by the law. It’s a two sided argument which everyone has their own opinion on. Is there any specific reason why weed should be illegal, or is the government just making money from catching people with it? Is there any real medical purpose for marijuana, or is it just a gateway drug for kids? These are the questions everyone should know the answers to. Whose side are you on?

Anyone who smokes marijuana is known to be stoners, hippies, or delinquents. With all the stereotypes, it is becoming harder to accept the facts about the substance. Legalizing weed would change our society in positive ways. Marijuana should be legalized in all states because of its medical, economical, and law enforcement benefits.

It is heavily debated as to whether or not marijuana should be legalized. There are numerous reasons for and against legalizing marijuana, some say that the government can tax it, some say that it helps with certain medical conditions. People also say that it is not a gateway drug and does not lead to drug abuse. Then there is the question of should we legalize it now even though there is no way to test the levels in your blood at a routine police stop. There are some really good points as to why marijuana should be legalized and some good reasons as to why it should not be legalized, the truth is that people are going to smoke marijuana whether it is legal or not.

Marijuana is a cannabaceae plant, which has always been associated with negative connotations until recently, when it has been discovered that this plant may be used to cure diseases and improve a country economy. Thus, the American opinion is split on the question of “Marijuana Legalization”. In fact, a survey undertaken by CNN/ORC International Poll states that 55 % of Americans believe that the use of marijuana should be legal, while only 44 % think it should be illegal (CNN). I also share the American majority opinion since there is some evidence that marijuana yields positive results.

Marijuana is illegal in fifty states because of its classification as an illicit drug, but controversial issues have been established that this “illicit drug” has improved the course of treatment for suffering patients. Marijuana has beneficial effects when used in medicinal scenarios for the treatment of pain; thus it should be an administered drug for patients who can benefit from the use of this drug. Marijuana has undergone analysis for its use as a medicine and the results have shown improvements in the patients who were treated with this drug. Doctors have expressed opposite opinions, making this issue very controversial.