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.")

Further, there are many proven medical benefits of marijuana. Currently, marijuana is being used to treat glaucoma, and it has been shown to significantly reduce nausea in cancer patients who are receiving chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Additionally, people with HIV/AIDS and other terminal illnesses use marijuana to stimulate their appetites and to reduce various side effects of pain medications. Marijuana can also be used for the treatment of pain and muscle spasms in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis. Scientists report that cannibidiol; one of the chemicals found in marijuana, slows growth of breast cancer cells growing in laboratory dishes, and can even result in shrinkage of cancerous brain tumors in laboratory animals. Evidence for marijuana’s effectiveness in treating, or reducing the symptoms of, arthritis, insomnia, seizures, Parkinson’s disease, migraine headaches and Tourette’s syndrome is also very promising. The most

Advocates for medicinal marijuana argue that clinical tests have established that marijuana has definite and valid therapeutic values. It is the Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in marijuana that is the active chemical component for the relief o pain and symptoms. Marijuana suppresses AIDS-related nausea and nausea in patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy, along with appetite loss and abnormal pressure in the eye which leads to glaucoma, the #1 cause of blindness. Marijuana is also believed to be a safe and inexpensive alternative in treating muscle spasms, epilepsy, anorexia, asthma, insomnia, depression and other disorders. Marijuana is not only believed to help with physical ailments, but psychological ones as well. A former chairman of the 1991 established Office of Alternative Medicine’s (OAM) Program Advisory Council said, “When used appropriately, marijuana could be extremely helpful to people undergoing certain kinds of emotional crises.”

Researchers suggest that marijuana’s active components are potentially effective in treating pain, nausea, and vomiting. Anti-emetics are also effective against vomiting and nausea; doctors can also prescribe painkillers to treat pain if necessary. Why should the United States need to legalize marijuana? Chronic use of marijuana can have negative effects. Prolonged use of marijuana can cause lung damage, mental health issues, impair cognitive abilities, there is a high potential for abuse and it is illegal. Medical marijuana should not be used for medical purposes because it does more harm than good.

Marijuana is currently illegal in city of MaGee. Medical marijuana is legal in 23 states, the District of Columbia and Guam, and recreational use of the drug is legal in Washington State and Colorado. In 2012, Uruguay voted to legalize

Medical marijuana is one of the most simple yet useful drugs in the medical field today. Marijuana can benefit all types of people when ingested or smoked. “Marijuana can relieve many types of chronic pain, nausea and vomiting from any number of ailments. Those suffering from illnesses such as multiple sclerosis, cancer and AIDS—or even the harsh drugs sometimes used to treat these problems—may benefit from consuming marijuana.” ("The Pros and Cons of Medical Marijuana | The Mindful Word.”) Marijuana has successfully treated many cases of glaucoma and other life-threatening

Medical Marijuana is very beneficial to patients that are suffering from extreme illnesses, or diseases. A prime example of the use of medical Marijuana is it can reduce nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy. This can also increase the appetite of people suffering from HIV/AIDS. This drug can treat chronic pain, as well as aid muscle spasms. Majority of

AIDS. Marijuana can reduce the nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite caused by the ailment itself and by treatment with AZT and other drugs.

Finally several studies have shown that the medicinal value of marijuana is one of the safest therapeutic substances known. There is no evidence of death associated with an overdoes of marijuana. Many doctors find value in the prescription of marijuana for the treatment of nausea and to increase appetite in a variety of patients, reduction of intraocular pressure of the eye, reduction of muscle spasms, and the relief from chronic pain. Patients with chronic diseases the use of marijuana has been beneficial when dealing with symptoms, helping the patients overcome some of the pain. For AIDS patients marijuana reduces the nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite caused by the virus

Also, cannabis has been found to help people with sicknesses in their body such as cancer, glaucoma, or nerve pain. Scientists and doctors have discovered that marijuana helps to treat muscle spasms, nausea, poor appetite, seizures, and crohn’s disease. The leaves, buds and

Medicinal marijuana is very beneficial when it comes to cancer treatment. Several studies have found that smoking cannabis can ameliorate chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting. Consuming the plant is also a better, more natural substitute for pain medicine. Studies have proved that patients who used marijuana in clinical trials required less pain medicine. More recently, scientists have concluded that THC and other cannabinoids found in pot slow growth and result in death in certain kinds of cancer cells growing in lab dishes. Although cannabis is a proven treatment for cancer patients, it is not the cure for cancer by any means and should

Presently, Marijuana is illegal in the United States due to the racially motivated Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. This law was proposed by Harry J. Anslinger the acting commissioner of Federal Bureau of Narcotics. In his testimony to Congress he stated, "There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result from marijuana usage. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others" (ukcia.org, (n.d), para. 1). Since this time, the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 has spawned more strict laws that have many unintended side effects. After many decades, effective federal propaganda has won public support for these laws. Only recently, U.S. citizens have started to question why marijuana is illegal. I feel that it would be beneficial to discard these laws and beliefs of the past. We need to analyze how the legalization of marijuana would positively affect the United States and its citizens in the following fields: medical, criminology, and financial.

After the government’s continual failure to prohibit the use of marijuana, taxpayers are paying a huge price just to keep marijuana illegal. The government is beginning to work with the drug rather than work against it, turning a crime into a business. This “crime” might just be worth it. Due to many positive arguments in support of legalization, numerous states have legalized the use of medicinal marijuana. and are able to experience some of the economical benefits first hand. As citizens of the United States, it is our duty to make the necessary changes in order to improve our quality of living. This regulated industry is capable of drastically changing the state of our economy by creating more jobs, generating tax revenue, and eliminating unnecessary prohibition costs.

As we know, support for marijuana legalization has been increasing in the United States in recent years and several U.S. states have legalized recreational or medical use. But it is correct to legalize the marijuana? Would marijuana harm human beings? Is it addictive? According to this research paper, the conclusion is that marijuana should not be legalized.