preview

Should Marijuana Be Legalized? Essay

Better Essays

Due to the elevated desire of marijuana in the United States, “advocates think legalization reduces crime, raises tax revenue, lowers criminal justice expenditures, improves public health, bolsters traffic safety, and stimulates the economy” (Dills, et al.). Twenty-eight states have now been legalized for medicinal use of marijuana; of those twenty-eight states, six states have also legalized recreational marijuana. Marijuana is described as “The dried leaves and female flowers of the hemp plant, used in cigarette form as a narcotic or hallucinogen” (“Definition of Marijuana”). The overall effects of marijuana on the brain and body, the difference between recreational and medicinal marijuana and how marijuana has stimulated the economy and the role of government in the legalization of marijuana are all reasons why marijuana should be legalized in the United States. Marijuana can be used as both a medicine and recreational drug, classifying these differences is what can be difficult. Medical marijuana is “when THC enters the body it attaches to and stimulates cannabinoid receptors in the brain. The stimulation of these receptors affects the body in various ways. Among its effects are reduced pain and increased appetite” (DePietro). Medical marijuana is used to treat chronic pain, nausea, and muscle spasms, but it also has many other uses. Twenty-eight states have legalized marijuana for medical use, where a doctor must dispute the prescription of the drug. Many marijuana

Get Access