Should Marijuana Be Legalized?

In America there are a lot of problems, ranging from violence to obesity. A growing concern of many Americans is the drug “epidemic” with the growth of the war on drugs. Marijuana, throughout history, has been demonized and illegalized, however now a newfound acceptance of the drug is growing rapidly with some states fully legalizing the drug recreationally, and others medically.

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.

Abraham Lincoln spoke of prohibition as an “attempt to control a man’s appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes” (Lincoln). The prohibition and eventual repeal of the prohibition of alcohol taught the United States a valuable lesson about making essentially non-harmful entities illegal. Yet, even today the current prohibition on marijuana reforms has put the United States in a similar situation. Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, “95 million Americans age 12 and older have tried "pot" at least once, and three out of every four illicit-drug users reported using marijuana within the previous 30 days” (ONDCP). The decriminalization and eventually legalization for the recreational use of marijuana will bring forth benefits in all aspects of life in the United States. Many oppose the idea of marijuana legalization, but there is strong evidence to support the endless benefits its of legalization. 1. For starters, cannabis is proven to not be a life-threatening drug. 2. Furthermore, legalization will result in enormous societal benefits such as tax benefits, decreased criminal behavior, and the creation of new jobs and businesses. 3. Ultimately, the legalization of marijuana will bring forth safeguards and regulations to help insure the safe use and regulation of the product.

Marijuana is one of the most highly addictive substances utilized worldwide in today’s society. According to David Evans, “clinical dependence has been found to afflict roughly 10% of all marijuana users. Most are in their late teens and twenties. The risk of dependence is higher among those who try marijuana at a young age. In 2009, individuals between the ages of 12 and 25 comprised 65.3% of all substance abuse treatment admissions for marijuana; daily use was reported by 49.6% of this group. More young people are being treated for marijuana dependence than for any other drug. Marijuana is far more powerful today than it was 30 years ago and it serves as an entry point for the use of other illegal drugs.”

Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug worldwide. As the amount of marijuana use increases, legalization of the drug is a topic debated, discussed and researched by our government, health professionals, and law enforcement. I personally don’t agree with the legalization of the drug knowing how dangerous its usage can be. The effects marijuana has on its users, I believe, is cause for concern along with the other known problems that arise with its use.

Views on marijuana use and its legal status are slowly shifting across America. What was once viewed as a dangerous gateway drug is slowly being legalized across the nation for medicinal and recreational purposes. Alcohol is often used as a comparator to marijuana for good reason. Banning alcohol was attempted before and it was not successful. Marijuana is currently progressing through a similar phase alcohol went through during the Prohibition Era. Four states, including Washington, Oregon, Colorado, and Alaska, now allow the use of recreational marijuana. Ironically, despite marijuana use still being illegal under federal law, Washington D.C., the nation’s capital, allows it as well. Marijuana should be legalized, both medically and recreationally, across the nation because it is less deadly than alcohol, stimulates the economy and generates tax revenue, and provides medical relief for serious ailments.

The argument of legalizing medicinal marijuana and marijuana used for recreational purposes has been around for quite some time now. Recreational use is when one smokes cannabis just for fun and with the intention of altering the state of consciousness while medicinal marijuana is used for treating certain maladies and alleviating their symptoms. Though marijuana use is not as harmless as many people seem to believe. Like any other drugs, marijuana can affect the body and mind and may have a majority of side affects. It has an addictive nature and is also known as the gateway drug. It can even affect those around you in more ways than one. For instance if something were to happen to you or if for whatever reason you lash out at them. The

Legalizing marijuana is the most argumentative issue in United States. It has been discussed for many years. There are many debatable questions that need the final answers such as: Should Marijuana be legalize and taxed? Should medicinal marijuana in all states? Should the issue be addressed at the national or at the state level? Everything has its own pros and cons, so does legalizing marijuana. It can reduce the pain in medical purposes, prevent consumers from consuming marijuana illegally, and develop the United States economic. Marijuana should be legalized in just limited departments, and it should be taxed with high rate because marijuana can seriously bad effect to human’s health when using without controlling, and moreover, the

They say that marijuana is natural, calms one down, and gives a good satisfying feeling. They also say that marijuana is not as dangerous as Marijuana is a huge issue in today society. With the new liberal government in place, Trudeau takes an irrational lead in legalizing marijuana. Marijuana contains an active ingredient, THC, which is responsible for the psychological effects of marijuana. The THC binds to the receptors in the brain and influence one’s memory, concentration, mood etc. If marijuana is already a nuisance in today, while it is illegal imagine the danger that come from the legalization of marijuana. Personally, I knew people in high school, who would smoke marijuana during normal school . In class, they would always being

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

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.

Marijuana has been and continues to be a topic of major discussion in the United States. Until recently marijuana was only available in select states to people who have legitimate medical conditions and whose doctors believe that they could benefit from marijuana use. Recently however, both Colorado and Washington have both passed legislation allowing the sale and use of marijuana for recreational purposes for adults 21 years of age and older. These recreational marijuana legislations hold major implications regarding the future of marijuana and its legality in the United States. While this new legislation may be scary to some, I welcome the legalization of marijuana for recreational use for a number of different reasons.

Marijuana, also known as cannabis, has been deemed an unacceptable and illegal substance in Canada, as well as in many other nations. It is a drug which can alter an individual’s sense of perception and distort one’s senses, and may become addictive if used repeatedly. Although marijuana is looked down upon in society when used for recreational purposes, it serves several beneficial purposes in the medical field. The legalization of marijuana is a prominent growing issue in several Canadian provinces, as it is allegedly believed to benefit the Canadian economy and decrease crime rates if it is legalized and regulated properly. The government spends millions of dollars to enforce new rules and regulation to control the use and trafficking

Cannabis has been declared a Schedule I controlled substance since the the Marijuana Tax Act OF 1973. Nevertheless, today, some countries have legalized cannabis while other countries have not. Moreover, in the United States, some states such as Washington and Colorado have also legalized the possession and usage of marijuana for medical purposes. On the other hand, various penalties are imposed for use or possession of cannabis in most states. Marijuana should be legalize because of the medical and economical adavnages it possesses.

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.