The Pros And Cons Of Legalizing Marijuana

The question of whether or not marijuana should be legalized for recreational and medicinal use has been a three decade long conversation. There are many pros and cons to legalizing marijuana. There are many different ideas about the effects of marijuana, but as with any drug answers are going to vary depending on the person you survey. Age, health, and mental stability are all factors to consider how a drug can positively or negatively affect you, and marijuana is no different. To be legal or not to be legal is the million dollar question up for debate.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions as reversed President Obama’s 2013 policy that protects legalized marijuana programs from intervention from the federal government. What this does is hands the decision back to each state. Each state’s U.S. attorney will now decide whether to enforce the federal marijuana law. Attorney General Sessions stated that “it is the mission of the Department of Justice to enforce the laws of the United States.” According to General Sessions, the previous policy undermines the rule of law. Currently, individuals that are prescribed medical marijuana and the programs that supply it are protected from federal prosecution by the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment. The amendment expires on January 19, 2018. (Schladebeck & Blain 2018).

Support for legitimizing Marijuana is not new. In any case, demographic changes may support improving marijuana laws. With it’s across the board use among undergrads starting in the 1960's, cannabis is no more a medication connected with edges of society. Today, the National Association for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), the most noticeable association campaigning for its authorization, asserts that about 100 million Americans have utilized marijuana. A World Health Organization study reports that more than 40 percent of Americans have attempted it. Defenders of authorizing marijuana can indicate the present lip service among legislators: potentially three Presidents, a Supreme Court Justice, California's Governor, and various conspicuous

Legalizing medical marijuana is a controversial topic that most individuals tend to shy away from, but with the passages of laws in 23 states, the conversation is becoming inevitable (ProCon.org, 2015). While proponents of medical marijuana argue that it is a safe and effective treatment for various health symptoms, opponents argue it is dangerous, addictive, and a gate way to harder drug use. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the issue, the policies surrounding the issue, the pro/con of legalizing medical marijuana, and to provide recommendations.

Marijuana, as a legitimate medication has for some time been a front running issue in the Medical Field here in the United States. With many states legalizing medicinal marijuana, and with even a few having legalized recreational marijuana consumption, the subject has become very popular over the last few years. Marijuana research, in the medicinal sense, has provided us with a flood of information on the benefits of medical applications, but also indicates certain risks that come with consumption. While many people support medicinal use of marijuana, there are still many unanswered questions about the validity of its effectiveness. There is no denying that medical marijuana is an increasingly popular and controversial topic. With research

There have been four states along with the District of Columbia that have allowed marijuana for recreational usage since 2012. Colorado is the Christopher Columbus of this social experiment and has spurred numerous opinions, both good and bad. Recreational marijuana has had many benefits for Colorado such as economic growth, improved safety through regulations, and overall social unification. Make sure your thesis makes a claim that is arguable.

Marijuana has become a hot topic in today’s society, and people on both sides of whether or not it should be legal, often feel strongly about their view. Medical marijuana has stolen the spotlight away from recreational marijuana in recent months, mostly since the advocates for this medicine are those who are at the end of the line when it comes to treatment options or those who are left to advocate for family members who can’t speak for themselves. Though patients who have used medical marijuana have claimed great success and relief of their pain and symptoms, little is known about the long term effect it can have on an individual. For most of these patients, the benefits long outweigh the concerns of potential side effects and for

Marijuana should be a schedule 1 drug because there are many consequences to this substance. Marijuana is highly susceptible to abuse and users will encounter a number of problems. This drug is addictive, causes impairs memory, learning, perception, thinking, and coordination (U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration, p. 72). For heavy users, marijuana causes long-term impairment in the brain and behavioral movements. There is a big epidemic for the use of marijuana. Marijuana addicts who are not in current use they go through withdrawal symptoms which include headaches, sweating, irritability, and loss of appetite. Effects on the body include suppression of the immune system, and risk of cancer (U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration, p. 73). Adolescents who start to use marijuana and continue in adulthood are going to face many losses. Adolescents will have trouble with brain development and cognitive functioning as they get older .A study showed that people who heavily

Marijuana has been a very controversial area of legislation for years. Through the Obama years we saw more lenient laws go into place and more places allow marijuana in the United States. Marijuana in Colorado has been an especially complicated area. In the early 2000’s medical marijuana became more common. But in 2012 Amendment 64 passed which legalized recreational marijuana. Amendment 64 created by Democrats in Colorado’s Congress in 2011 did pass public vote with 1,383,139 votes due to the efforts of many politicians, the work of special interest groups, and a shift in public opinion of marijuana over time due to media and politicians.

Marijuana is internationally the most commonly used illegal substance. Marijuana is psychoactive drug that affects different parts of the body. It has been classified as a Schedule 1 controlled substance. Surveys say that approximately 34.9 percent of high school Seniors in the United States use marijuana and close to 6 percent of seniors report using the drug on an everyday bases. As stated by the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 19.8 million adults in America had used marijuana the month before being surveyed.

The use of recreational marijuana was legalized in the state of Colorado in the November 2012 election (Hudak, 2015). As Colorado’s Amendment Sixty-Four was put into place, its ruling and subsequent implementation were in direct conflict with U.S. federal legislation that criminalizes the drug’s possession and use (Hudak, 2015). With more states legalizing the use of medical marijuana and a small percentage of jurisdictions following Colorado’s lead, the debate over whether marijuana should be legal continues. Proponents of the debate advocate that the use of marijuana in small to moderate amounts is not any less harmful than the recreational use of alcohol. Proponents of the drug’s use also advocate that many with chronic diseases and terminal illnesses benefit from the drug’s pain relieving effects. Opponents of legalization state that harmful use of the drug will likely increase and children could become exposed to harmful levels of the drug (Alcoholism Drug Abuse Weekly, 2014).

In America, 1 in 3 people have tried the recreationally used drug called Marijuana at some point in their lives. Cannabis is the scientific name known as: Mary Jane, Ganja, Reefer, weed, Pot, etc. This drug is still illegal in America, New York is becoming the 23rd state to legalize it for medical use, Colorado, Washington, Alaska, and Oregon being the only ones to have it completely legalized. Questions as to why ‘noble weed’ has not been legalized in America yet has aroused a controversy since the 70’s. There are many arguments made about marijuana legalization. Most arguments that are made have been pro legalizations, while the con arguments have had more important and reliable information to keep it illegal. Marijuana has caused a large controversy in America, such as it’s effect on the economy, physical, mental and emotional

It’s referred to as “Merry Jane” and “the devil’s lettuce” but which one is it? How can something be known as so dangerous but still be used so widely throughout the world? Medical cannabis is legal in 26 states so it can’t be that bad...right? To answer these questions, first you should know why people would or wouldn’t want to use it. You’ll find that there are more pros than cons.

The legalization of marijuana has been an ongoing debate throughout the years for a number of different reasons. People all over the world have their own opinions on what the government should do whether it is legalizing it or keeping it illegal. People favor the legalization of marijuana because it increases revenue, medical benefits, and if the government were to distribute the marijuana it is guaranteed to be a safe product and not something that is laced with other drugs or harmful products. Others are against it because it is a gateway drug, it can be addictive, it can be harmful to your health (19 Primary Pros and Cons of Legalizing Weed). Marijuana was first brought to the United States in 1545. It wasn't until the 1920s when marijuana

Marijuana has been controversial for many years and has become an increasing topic of debate and subject to vote by the public to legalize it for both medicinal and recreational use despite it still being illegal under federal law (“Module 4.5: Substance Use and Abuse”., n.d.). However, research has shown that there are benefits to marijuana usage as seen in those undergoing chemotherapy as it stimulates their appetites, but due to the federal restrictions it’s proved hard for scientists to conduct effective research (“Module 4.5: Substance Use and Abuse”., n.d.). Research into the benefits of marijuana would be a great boon to the field of psychology as it would allow us to better understand the drug’s effect on the mind as well as the body,