Should Marijuana Be Legalized?

Almost everyone in their lifetime has been involved with a person that was addicted to drugs. Most people, when dealing with a family member or a friend addicted to drugs, want to help the drug addict in any way possible. However, many people’s attitudes change when the drug addict is not directly related to them. According to Department of Justice statistics, forty-eight percent of all prisoners in federal prison were incarcerated for drug-related crimes in 2011(Carson). Therefore, rather than being helped, drug users are being incarcerated. If our goal, as a country, is to reduce the rate of drug use and help drug addicts receive treatment, then why are we merely incarcerating those who use drugs? Although many people are against decriminalization of drugs because they are afraid of how it will affect them, few people think of how decriminalization will affect drug addicts and our country as a whole. Drugs should be decriminalized because it would benefit the economy, drug addiction treatment, drug addicts, and increase personal freedom for all United States citizens.

Cannabis; also known in popular slang terms as Marijuana, pot, ganja, grass, weed, dope, and Mary-Jane, are all words associated or referred to as the infamous herb. Marijuana, which refers to the green dried leaves and flowers of the cannabis plant, contain a non-narcotic chemical called tetrahydrocannabinol, (THC). THC is the chemical that is responsible for giving users physiological effects, and used for medical patients that are suffering from illnesses such as pain, nausea, PTSD, lack of appetite, arthritis, AIDS/HIV, cancer, multiple sclerosis, seizures, Crohn’s disease, depression, and more. The potential life changing benefits marijuana have are undeniable, and Marijuana should be legalized so ruined lives and

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.

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.

Many people oppose marijuana because it is a schedule I drug and they do not know much about it therefore it is scary to them. Schedule I drugs are drugs that have a high potential for abuse or have no current acceptable medical use. On that list of schedule I drugs are heroin, LSD, marijuana, MDMA or ecstasy, peyote, GHB, psilocybin, quaaludes, khat, and bath salts. There is one drug on that list that does not belong and it is marijuana. Marijuana is still on that list even though some states have already legalized the recreational and medical use of marijuana. I think marijuana should be legalized nationwide for both recreational and medical use. The benefits outweigh any possible risks for the use of marijuana. If marijuana were to be

There has been a debate over the legalization of marijuana since it was made illegal in the 1920s. There are opponents on both sides of the issue. There are many benefits to the legalization of marijuana, but there are also detrimental effects to society that are caused by marijuana use. These issues need to be debated to determine if the legalization of marijuana would benefit the United States. According to a 2003 Zogby poll, “the government should treat marijuana more or less the same way it treats alcohol: It should regulate it, control it, tax it, and only make it illegal for children.” (Nadelmann, Ethan)

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.

The decision whether to legalize marijuana, the third most popular drug in America is still a very debatable issue today. Some supporting arguments for legalizing marijuana include that the drug is not any more harmful than alcohol or tobacco if used in moderation, there are medical benefits of certain use, police and court systems would be freed up, it would create a source of additional tax revenues, the FDA could regulate quality and safety, less people would be subject to lifelong criminal behavior due to arrests associated with marijuana that trap people in the system, and the plant also has several industrial/commercial uses, over 25,000 products can be made from crop. Opposing arguments include that marijuana is a stepping stone/gateway to harder drugs eg. heroin and cocaine, driving and other dangers would increase, and that it would increase the chance of kids gaining access to the drug at an early age (Messerli, 1).

Marijuana usage should be legalized in the state of Georgia. The legalization of marijuana is going faster than many thought possible. Eight states are considering replacing criminal penalties with fines, and are considering decriminalizing possession. Medical marijuana is on the table for seventeen other states also (Ross, J. K. 2014, 05).

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

Cannabis, otherwise known as Marijuana, is illegal in most parts of the world including the United States. However, the drug is now gaining acceptance worldwide as evidenced by the number of countries that are reducing or lifting penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana. In the United States, there are a growing number of Americans demanding that marijuana be legalized medically. Although the federal government is presently opposed to legalizing marijuana, its legal status is changing on a state level.

All over the nation we are seeing economic growth due to the legalization of marijuana. In 2014 expected tax revenue from the marijuana industry is an expected $67 million just in Colorado alone. Now in Washington their government is allocating a 25% excise tax on marijuana. While in Colorado they assigned a proposition to enable a 15% excise tax, and a 10% sales tax on recreational marijuana. Marijuana is stimulating businesses all over, whether it be real estate, construction, or candy! Business owners are using the legalization of marijuana to their advantage. With the legalization of marijuana businesses like Whole Foods and The Body shop, that import an estimated 25,000 hemp product, can buy their hemp products from national

The possession, use, cultivation, transportation, and sale of marijuana are illegal under the federal law in the United States. However, the federal government announced that states are allowed to pass a law to legalize marijuana for medical and recreational use, provided that they develop a system to regulate the activities. Under the Controlled Substances Act, passed in 1970, Marijuana is classified as a substance of schedule 1, the highest listing under the legislation. The classification implies that the substance is deemed as possessing a potential for grave abuse, according to the federal government. Nonetheless, the state laws do not always agree with the federal standards, and, as a result, state-level proposals for marijuana decriminalization have led to mixed reactions from the people from all over the nation. Washington, Alaska, Oregon, and Colorado are among the United States that have legalized marijuana for both medicinal and recreational purposes (Cerdá et al. 23). The benefits that the authorities and communities stand with the legalization of the substance are greater than the costs, and, as such, the substance should be legalized across all states in the U.S. though it is of paramount importance that sufficient provisions be put in place to regulate the use of marijuana.

There are many places where we can find marijuana successfully legalized, both by individual states here in the United States and by Federal governments abroad. I’ll start by introducing an example here in the U.S.: Colorado. On November 6, 2012, the citizens of Colorado voted in favor of Amendment 64 which allowed for the personal use and regulation of Marijuana (Ferner, 2014). Through this legislation came the Colorado Revised Statutes which regulates the medical and retail marijuana industry (Colorado Department of Revenue, 2015). These statutes outline everything from how much an entity can produce legally to the penalties involved if they don’t follow the rules. Colorado has seen great financial success from this, as it has taken in $53 million dollars in tax revenue in 2014 (Colorado Department of Revenue, 2015).

The cannabis plant or marijuana is intended for use of a psychoactive drug or medicine. It is used for recreational or medical uses. In some religions, marijuana is predominantly used for spiritual purposes. Cannabis is indigenous to central and south Asia. Cannabis has been scientifically proven that you can not die from smoking marijuana. Marijuana should be legalized to help people with medical benefits, economic benefits, and criminal benefits. In eight states, marijuana was legalized for recreational use. If every state legalized marijuana, there government can potentially tax it, making a profit, in the end helping the economy come out of debt. The legalization of marijuana is looked at as a bad thing for the world, when in the end