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.

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.")

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.

To legalize or to not legalize drugs, that is the popular question lately. The current repeat visitor to each states legislative sessions is making marijuana legal. Currently in the United States there are twenty states with legal medical marijuana and the District of Columbia. Out of those twenty only Colorado and Washington have also legalized marijuana for recreational use. When it comes to legalizing drugs marijuana appears to be the most popular one being advocated for. However, does that leave the door open for other drugs to be advocated for as well? Should they all be legalized or just a select few?

The legalization of marijuana has been a debate that has been going on for the past decade. Many Americans (about 80 percent surveyed) do believe in the legalization while others disagree. With the correct facts in place, it is easy to prove that the legalization of marijuana is a huge benefit to the American people and those who disagree are disagreeing for the wrong reasons. One reason it should be legalized is marijuana can be used for medical purposes, others say it can help lower the debt in America by taxing marijuana. Many of these arguments favoring marijuana are outlined in this paper.

Today, the idea of marijuana (cannabis) being legalized has created major controversy within the United States. In the article, “Legislation to Legalize Marijuana Discussed,” Paul J. Nyden discusses the legislation of the legalization of marijuana use, especially for medical purposes. Nyden presents several reason’s to support his thesis, but the main issue is, should supporters of marijuana legislation in West Virginia back various reform laws saying they could offer people medical help, create new state tax revenues, cut prison cost, and enhance an industry already booming underground (Nyden). Some ideas used in Nyden’s article stating most people even delegates like Mike Manypenny, and D-Taylor backing the

In 1920 when alcohol prohibition began the war against cannabis had been going strong for a decade. In 1910 the Mexican Revolution created a surplus of Mexican immigrants in the United States; American citizens were frightened by the Mexican culture, including their recreational use of cannabis (Marijuana Legalization, 2015, para 7). Politicians continued to use fear and racism to grow disapproval and hatred of cannabis. Beginning in 1915 twenty-nine states passed the anti-marijuana law, which was first created and passed by the state of Utah when a group of Mormons who were visiting Mexico returned home with cannabis (Marijuana Legalization, 2015, para 9). The prohibition of cannabis

Marijuana is a very controversial topic in today’s society for a lot of different reasons. Much of the country is divided between whether or not the drug should be legalized, and as of today only 8 states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana. There is great deal of evidence that proves that legalizing marijuana would be a great move for the United States government such as the numerous health benefits of marijuana, the relative safety of marijuana when compared to other drugs, the immense amount of money the U.S economy could gain through the marijuana industry, the potential billions saved in law

In the recent years, there has been a push, nationwide, to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. In most states, medical marijuana is legal and in some states, so is recreational. But the legalization of recreational marijuana may have detrimental effects. In the recent election, Arizona had a ballot measure (prop 205) which called for the legalization of marijuana for recreational use. Prop 205 lost and recreational marijuana is not currently legal. However, it is likely that the advocates for this campaign will work to get their issue on the next ballot. If Recreational Marijuana is legalized in Arizona the number of deaths per year will rise because it is likely there will be an increase in the use of other addictive substances, there will be an increase in traffic violations and accidents, and the number of people effected by lung cancer and other medical issues will increase.

Marijuana, most commonly referred to as, "weed," is the country 's most utilized drug that society purchases, sells, and produces. While the controversy against marijuana being used for recreational purposes continues, numerous people believe that it could be used for medicinal purposes. Pro-marijuana advocates vote and support the idea of legalizing marijuana, so that researchers can study and better understand how cannabis effects the brain and body. One of the most frequent studies tested with marijuana is, the positive effects it has on health issues. This report seeks to provide this guidance by summarizing the most recently published scientific research (2000-2013) on the therapeutic use of cannabis and cannabinoids for 20 clinical indications(NORML.org - Working to Reform Marijuana Laws). Researchers have found at least two types of chemicals in marijuana that has medical potential. One of the chemicals

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.

The word marijuana has been drug through the dirt in recent years. The “War on Drugs” campaign has falsely made marijuana a villain. Sixty years ago marijuana had many different uses, and today marijuana has many more pros than it does cons. Marijuana should be legalized because positive results of criminalization of it are nonexistent, the medical effects are legitimate, and marijuana is less harmful than alcohol or tobacco.

The debate over legalization of marijuana for recreational use is an issue that has polarized many Americans. On one hand of the spectrum are the marijuana advocates that campaign for the government to lift the ban on the drug, citing beneficial uses for it for the economy and for medicine. On the other side are people who believe that marijuana legalization would serve as an addictive gateway drug for many people and would pose health hazards for people that uses it recreationally. My stance on this issue is that legalizing marijuana should be viewed as a correct decision and a step forward for America and I will elaborate why later on. By analyzing the economic aspects of marijuana legalization, I will argue my case that decriminalizing marijuana will generate billions in revenues for this country’s economy and on the same token save this country billions of dollars on prohibition enforcement. Therefore, I firmly support recreational marijuana being legalized because it is a drug that has the potential to boost the American economy and at the same time save billions of dollars on arresting and incarcerating people with illegal procession of marijuana.

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’.

Cannabis, formally known as marijuana is a drug obtained from the tops, stems and leaves of the hemp plant cannabis. The drug is one of the most commonly used drugs in the world. Only substances like caffeine, nicotine and alcohol are used more (“Marijuana” 1). In the U. S. where some use it to feel “high” or get an escape from reality. The drug is referred to in many ways; weed, grass, pot, and or reefer are some common names used to describe the drug (“Marijuana” 1). Like most drugs, marijuana has a very long history. People have been using the plant around the world for thousands of years. The oldest record of the marijuana plant dates back to 2727 B. C. in China where the plant was used as a medical herb for treating conditions like rheumatism, gout, malaria and even absent-mindedness (“Cannabis, Coca, & Poopy: Nature’s Addictive Plants” 1). Slowly, the plant started spreading around the world. By 1545, cannabis was starting to appear throughout the western worlds. Being introduced to South America by the Spanish to be used as fiber. The crop also had many other common uses around the world. In North America, cannabis was often used to make paper, ropes, clothing and other materials (“The Origins of Cannabis” 1).