Should Marijuana Be Legalized?

Timothy Williams discusses the fact that most of the African Americans arrested for small marijuana use cannot afford to pay the bond to be released from jail. Not only that they are unable to afford the court ordered fees and fines which inevitably leads to a warrant for their arrest. Even once released from prison African Americans will find it extremely hard to get a job because

The criminalization of marijuana use excessively hurts youngsters and people of color, supports enormous levels of violence and debasement, and neglects to control youth access. The NAACP has supported pot sanctioning measures in Oregon and Colorado not on the grounds that the group supports pot use, but rather on the grounds that individuals say current marijuana laws prompt an excessively high number of ethnic minorities being detained or generally negatively influenced. Legalizing and regulating marijuana will bring one of the country's biggest money makers under the law of the government. This will make occupations and economic opportunities in the formal economy rather than the illegal market. Rare law enforcement resources would be better used to guarantee public safety while decreasing court costs and correction fees. State and nearby governments would also get critical new sources of tax income from controlling cannabis sales. Each target study on marijuana has presumed that it is far safer than liquor and cigarettes for the consumer and the

First, legalizing marijuana in America will send a message to children that using the drug is acceptable. Because marijuana would be easier for children to obtain, there is a greater chance of a part of them becoming addicted to the drug. According to the Seattle Post Intelligencer, adolescents are at highest risk for marijuana addiction, as they are "three times more likely than adults to develop dependency" (U.S. Drug 65). However, this is transported from the fact that treatment admission rates for reporting marijuana as the primary substance of abuse increased from thirty-two to sixty-five percent between 1993 and 2003 (U.S Drug 66). Therefore, more young children ages twelve through seventeen entered treatment in 2003 for marijuana dependency than for alcohol and all other illegal drugs combined (U.S. Drug 67). With this in mind, not only are children at risk for becoming dependent

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

The current marijuana ban can be compared to the alcohol prohibition in the sense that if a substance becomes illegal, it does not necessarily indicate the demand will disappear (Stacy, Nguyen, and Block 245). The criminalization of marijuana has brought nothing but trouble upon America and its citizens. For example, the “War on Drugs” is a never ending battle with no victories or defeats because drugs, in all forms, are still purchased everywhere (249). About three

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

Marijuana is a drug that is illegal in forty-eight of the fifty states in America, including Texas. Some people argue for the benefits that come from Marijuana such as, medical factors which include Diabetes and Obesity. It would also allow the State and National government control over the drug production, sale, and price. There is also opposing views that legalizing of Marijuana would be a bad thing. They say there are several negative consequences if the state of Texas were to legalize the drug. The opposing side argues that marijuana has more harmful medical factors than helpful, has no financial benefit, and it would also create more discourse between citizens and drug cartels in bordering countries.

The legalization of Marijuana is a highly debated topic in the United States. Due to the recent interest it has become an issue which can only be handled at the law maker’s lately with more bills getting pushed by legislature to legalize it. Recently the District of Columbia, Oregon, and Alaska voted to legalize Marijuana bringing the total number of states in which in Marijuana is legal to five. In this paper we will present both sides to this highly debated topic. “Currently more than 60 U.S and International health organizations support giving patients legal access to medicinal marijuana prescribed by a physician” (Foundation, 2014).

With progressive advances in technology, advances in medicine and an understanding of the human body have also consistently increased. New drugs are available for safe consumption to combat a plethora of illnesses and disorders ranging from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to chronic depression. As a result of the growing options for prescribed remedies to health complications, there has been a blur on the line distinguishing beneficial medicine to recreational drug use. The growing call in the United States for a legalization of recreational marijuana has led to much criticism of apparent double standards between medications and marijuana. Critics of the current ban in most U.S. states claim that there is no substantial difference to medical pills and smoking marijuana for some sort of health benefit, but the primary use of marijuana is for leisure only and has copious negative health effects as a result. Medications legal in the U.S. all have a medical purpose that recreational weed falls short on in addition to chances of addiction without proper guidance from medical professionals that often come with many legalized pills; over the counter, or prescribed. The satirical cartoon does not effective describe any contradiction in the thinking of those that do not support marijuana.

In October 2015, Bernie Sanders said, “Too many Americans have seen their lives destroyed because they have criminal records as a result of marijuana use. That’s wrong. That has got to change…In my view the time is long overdue for us to remove the federal prohibition on marijuana.” In our everchanging society, there is still a violent stigma surrounding the usage of marijuana, because most people are not properly informed of the facts. Cannabis is the third most widely used recreational drug, after alcohol and tobacco (About Marijuana). Yet, it is the only contender out of those three that is not legal. While marijuana is very addictive, recreational marijuana should be legalized because of the benefits it could provide for our economy and society as a result of the loss of business for drug dealers, less arrests and freeing of space in prisons, and major tax revenue.

In 1973, marijuana was decriminalized in Oregon, Washington and became classified as a controlled substance for medical use. Cannabis marijuana is a drug derived from the group of planets that incorporates hemp, which can deliver a gentle feeling of euphoria. Alcohol is a flammable liquid that can be consumed in a beverage form, or could be used in industrial processes. In order to reduce crime and corruption, federal law prohibited alcohol use among people who are under 21 years old.

Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the world. With millions of people using it regularly and almost 100 million that have ever used it in this country, the laws behind this drug hold great influence and power. It is because of the emergence of new evidence though, that the justification behind prohibition of this drug is being rethought scientifically, socially, and economically. The use of Marijuana as both medicine and a recreational drug is being thoroughly questioned in the US. 20 states including DC now have Marijuana approved in some form, many of those for medical purposes. However, those users can still, and do get placed into prison by federal law. In 2012, the total number of marijuana arrests accounts for 48% of all drug arrests in the US. 87% of these arrests were for possession only, a total of 658,231. Another 91,593 were arrested for sale or manufacturing charges. This staggering fact means that a marijuana user is arrested for possession every 48 seconds.

6.7% of 12-17 year olds have admitted to daily use (International 1). This is a scary fact because the teen brain is still maturing at those ages and can be a very delicate time in that persons life. Since smoking pot can effect the brains memory it can make the teen less intelligent. That can lead to a loss in production and motivation, making it harder to achieve success in life. 94 million people in the US have admitted to trying it once in their life and 62% of them went on to try other drugs (International 1). Pot is considered a “gateway drug” to other drugs. Drugs are bad and if Americas youth goes on to trying different drugs, that can lead to many bad outcomes.

The marijuana industry is unique due to the fact that it has the ability to help people escape the grip of big pharma, however it has recently shown evidence of caring more about profit than the health of its patients. In addition to this, with legalization of the industry taking place across the nation, minorities are finding themselves once again alienated and unable to participate as a result of institutionalized racism. This racism can be regarded as a result of the War on Drugs and the prison industrial complex. Now is the best time to implement changes to the marijuana industry, as it is just beginning. From an analytical Marxist & critical race perspective, it is clear that the marijuana industry is growing dangerously close to becoming just another avaricious industry built on the systematic oppression of minorities. If this issue is left to due course of time, the industry will become just another problem too big to tackle due to its structural complexity.

Marijuana is the most widely used prohibited substance in America. Due to the increasing public view and acceptance of marijuana use recreationally and ineffectiveness of the current regulations in America, the issue surrounding legalizing this prohibited drug has received substantial public and political attention in recent years. Tax revenue could increase through taxation levied on marijuana products with its legalization and the Government could also save tax payer dollars currently being spent on marijuana regulation enforcement. Furthermore, the criminal element from the marijuana market could also remove through legalization. The legalization would reduce the size of America’s black market and its ramification for the society, also reducing the jail population. According to Timothy Williams, with marijuana use on the rise, law enforcement agencies made 574,641 arrests last year for small quantities of the drug intended for personal use, according to the report, which was released by the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch. The marijuana arrests were about 13.6 percent more than the 505,681 arrests made for all violent crimes, including murder, rape and serious assaults. Yet, it may also lead to some issues within health problems, such as increasing accidents and injuries due to the use of the drug. The legalization should be followed with all-inclusive policies to prevent the drug from being in the hands of minors while increasing understanding and