Should Marijuana Be Legalized?

The role of how marijuana is used in the United States is being reexamined, rethought, and recalibrated, Barcott emphasize throughout his book. The new adjustment in America's relationship with cannabis cannot be measured in just monetary or social terms, “there are more profound movements going ahead here; social realignments, social alterations, and budgetary modifications” Barcott believes. Barcott show marijuana came to be one of the most vilified drugs in the market ever since the war on drugs was announced in the 1980s. However, the author shows how those who were against that movement are now cheerful that the way of that line of thinking is finally coming to a close. “Weed the

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.

Marijuana is a substance that has become very much a part of American culture. Nearly 65 million Americans have either used it occasionally or regularly. The use of marijuana hit mainstream America about thirty years ago and it has been accepted by a large segment of society ever since (Rosenthal 16). The debate on whether this substance should be legalized or not remains a very hot topic today. Despite government efforts

About 30 million Americans use marijuana every year. Marijuana is one of the most commonly used drugs in the United States, and in California. The legalization of recreational marijuana has affected many as that they’ve sought out to decriminalize its use. In Jesse Wegman’s article, “The Injustice of Marijuana Arrests," he indicates that the criminalization of marijuana has been one of the major causes to why there are so many people in prisons or with a criminal record. He states that, “More than 8.2 million people have been arrested for marijuana.” He argues that so many resources and time are spent on charging people with marijuana offenses. In Alex Padilla’s voter guide, “Official Voter Information

The legalization of marijuana became a heated political subject in the last few years. Twenty-one states in America have legalized medical marijuana. Colorado and Washington are the only states where marijuana can be purchased recreationally. Marijuana is the high THC level part of the cannabis plant, which gives users the “high” feeling. There is ample evidence that supports the argument that marijuana is beneficial. The government should legalize marijuana recreationally for three main reasons. First, I will present two common arguments against the legalization of marijuana and then refute them. Second, I will explain how there is no proof of harmful effects from marijuana and that there are many health benefits prominent. Third, I will describe how legalization would bring in tax revenue for the government. Finally, I will go into detail on how legalization would decrease crime rates.

Marijuana prohibition stands as one of the most unwarranted policies of the United States. Every year we are spending billions of dollars on the War on Drugs with little benefit. Data released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation show there were an estimated 1,552,432 arrests for drug-related crimes in 2014 – a slight uptick from the 1,531,251 drug arrests in 2013. Marijuana offenses accounted for 48.3 percent of all drug arrests. Most marijuana-related arrests were for possession of the drug. By mere possession, there was one marijuana arrest every 48 seconds in 2014. Including arrests for distribution, there was a pot-related arrest every 42 seconds. This prohibition makes no sense, especially in a country where alcohol use is

Decriminalization provides a solution the problems related to drugs. Decriminalization is not making drugs legal, it is treating the drug addicts as a patient instead of making them feel like they are criminals and putting them into a jail although selling drugs is still illegal. Drugs must be decriminalized because decriminalization has proven that the death rates and crime rates have decreased and the use of drugs have decreased in decriminalized countries such as Portugal, Uruguay and drugs have decriminalized in some of the states in Unites States of America.

It is time for cannabis to become legal. Galloping polls show that 50% of the U.S. population agrees with the use of marijuana. In 1965, 1 million Americans have tried weed. In 1972, that number jumped to 24 million Americans. These are hardly criminals, they are CEOs, farmers, singers and song writers, tax-paying citizens being forced to use their weed beneath the law. Every 37 seconds, someone in America is arrested for marijuana related charges, 98% of those arrest are people

In today’s society, marijuana or cannabis is commonly utilized by many teens and adults. Whether it is for medical reasons, socializing, obtaining a high, or escaping depression; marijuana has impacted the lives of us humans in a lively manner. Even though cannabis is an illegal drug, countless amounts of people do not stop from getting a hold of it. There is only so much the law enforcement can do if the people do not wish to listen. Although marijuana affects the natural brain functions such as: memory, coordination, learning, and the ability to problem solve; allowing it to stay illegal causes no difference in the use, but inflicts on other more important issues that need to be dealt with.Many people have a problem with legalizing marijuana, actually current drug laws are doing more harm than good. Legalizing Marijuana will actually help the U.S. with its major problems, Legalizing Marijuana will: Deal a massive blow to drug cartels, which would suddenly leave cartels without 75% of their income, Allows police, courts, and prisons to focus their resources on dangerous criminals, and it will also help the U.S economy and will help the law enforcement save money. This will help out the United States because it will resolve their problems and help them at the same time.

There has been a controversial issue sweeping the globe over the past few years and an abundance of areas of the world are divided on it, and it’s name is marijuana. From 2001 to 2010 in the United States alone, over seven million people (closer to 8.2 million) were arrested for marijuana related crimes and in 88% of these cases the crime was for simply having marijuana, not even for growing, selling, or just simply being intoxicated from the use of marijuana (ACLU). Having been a witness to marijuana related arrests before, just possessing this naturally occurring plant on your person can be detrimental to one’s social life. Just a single arrest for marijuana on someone’s record can completely debilitate the market for future occupations,

“Now, for the first time, marijuana legalization is winning majority support in public opinion polls and a drug used by about 6 percent of Americans--and one-third of the nation's high school seniors--is starting to shake off its counterculture reputation. It is winning acceptance even from some police, prosecutors and politicians” (Fisher). Controversy commenced when the general question “Should marijuana be legalized?” derived. Many people and organizations helped pass laws and set up institutions in which marijuana users could be aided in stopping the use of the drug. For example, President Ronald Reagan signs the Anti-Drug Act and a newspaper article written about it says, “ ‘This legislation is not intended as a means of filling our jails with drug users,’ he added.

Many believe that Marijuana is addictive, and for that reason, should not be legalized. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Marijuana use can lead to the development of problem use, known as marijuana use disorder, which in severe cases takes the form of addiction.” According to recent data, it is suggested that around 30 percent of marijuana users may suffer from some degree of marijuana use disorder and people who started using marijuana when they were younger than 18 are 4-7 times more likely to develop this disorder (“Addictive”). Similar to addiction, this disorder is associated with dependence to marijuana, which means that the user may feel withdrawal symptoms when not taking the drug. These symptoms can include irritability, decreased appetite, and sleep difficulties. These generally last about a week or two after giving up the drug (“Addictive”). This happens when the brain’s production of endocannabinoid neurotransmitters slows or stops because it has adapted to large amounts of marijuana (“Addictive”). Marijuana disorder becomes an addiction when the user is unable to stop using even if the effects of marijuana interfere with many aspects of their life (“Addictive”). In 2014, it was estimated that about 4.176 million people in the US, roughly 1% of the total population, abused or were dependent on marijuana, but it is hard to estimate the number of people addicted to marijuana because epidemiological studies of substance abuse use

From mandatory crop to illegal drug, cannabis has gone from revered to criminal in the course of United States history. Its fall from grace has been an education in mass hysteria, propaganda, market manipulation and greed. Fortunately, for those suffering debilitating medical conditions and those that wish to enjoy its euphoric effects alike, it appears that the pendulum is swinging in the opposite direction. The close of the 2015 legislative session revealed a potential shift in the way the Texas legislature views the sale and use of Marijuana. While not a complete victory, two bills legalizing the use of marijuana actually made it out of committee (Savage). That is not to say that if the legislative session had

Today, buying and or selling marijuana for common use has become a major problem. This is mainly because marijuana as we know it has completely lost its purpose. It is no longer needed as a crop for making robe, paper or fiber. It is

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