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.

The uses of marijuana amongst teenagers has increased over the years making it the most accessible drug in America as well as one the most beneficial due to its medical uses. According to the article of Marijuana Use Among Youths Is a Serious Problem, written by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) (2004), stated that the uses of marijuana has impacted the youth in many ways due to the unknown factors of marijuana such as admittance to treatment facilities, and being admitted into emergency rooms. The CASA took the con side of the argument dealing with the issues of marijuana use with teenagers. The second article Marijuana Should Be

There have been many arguments that have been raised against marijuana whether it has to do with recreational marijuana, medical marijuana and in any other ways. Most arguments against marijuana are centered on the use of the drug for pleasure and imagination. Is it morally permissible to use marijuana, does it cause violence, is it a gateway drug, is it addictive, should using marijuana be regulated by law and what regulations should there be, should it be fully legalized and regulated, should it be decriminalized are questions that are usually asked when it comes to recreational marijuana. Providing answers and solutions to this dilemma is not as easy as pointing the wrongness of crimes such as rape or murder. Therefore, the debate on marijuana cannot be held on similar platforms as those crimes and it needs a philosophic analysis to identity the moral rightness, wrongness or the neutrality of the use of recreational marijuana. In this paper, I will argue that there is pros and cons to recreational marijuana and why there are pros and cons to it.

Legalizing marijuana has always been an interesting topic for many people to dispute about. Some people say it is good, while others say it is bad. No matter what topic you speak about, it has its pros and cons. For example, marijuana can be used in great ways if legalized. Through money given from dispensaries to the crime rate lowered because of the ability to acquire marijuana in legal ways. Some bad examples are that it can be a gateway drug and can cause one to want a “better high” to people thinking it affects people's lives. Legalizing marijuana (medical and recreational) will help the United States with money, crime, and other numerous ways.

When it comes to dealing with marijuana and deciding between legalization, decriminalization, or leaving it how it is now the best option would be legalization. Decriminalization of marijuana would still not make it legal, but it would lessen the criminal penalty. Therefore, some states treat possessing a small amount of marijuana like a minor traffic violation. Whereas legalization would make marijuana legal like states such as Colorado and Washington have already done. But why is this the better option?

The beginning of prohibition of marijuana in the United States was marked by the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937; the act was drafted by Harry Anslinger, Commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN). Anslinger was the catalysts to “reefer madness”, the fear that marijuana can kill and make ordinary people go insane; he was repeatedly criticized for his harshness towards marijuana, “critics allege that Anslinger and the campaign against marijuana had an hidden agenda, DuPont petrochemical interests and William Randolph Hearst together created the highly sensational anti-marijuana campaign to eliminate hemp as an industrial competitor.” (Wikipedia) This misinformation spread like wildfire in the United States and still has roots in many Americans, as they pass this information down to newer generations. The criminalization of marijuana began with the Boggs Act of 1952, and was reinforced by the Narcotics Control Act or 1956. Mandatory sentencing began with these laws; “first-offense marijuana possession carried a minimum sentence of 2-10 years with a fine of up to $20,000.” (PBS) However, in 1970 Congress repealed mandatory sentencing for marijuana offences. Under the Nixon administration in 1972, the Shafer Commission was appointed to consider laws regarding marijuana and determined

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).

Do you believe marijuana should be legal in the United States? Many people wonder, “What are some pros and cons to this?” Common pros include: medicinal use, federal approved THC, and better law enforcement. However, common cons include: altered perception, considered to be the “gateway drug,” addiction, and decreased mental and/or physical health. Decriminalizing marijuana in the U.S. would be more of a benefit, to society as a whole, than a disadvantage.

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).

There has been a war on drugs since Richard Nixon was president. Many people have advocated for the legalization of marijuana since it was deemed illegal, but up until recently it remained illegal across America. Now, certain states have legalized marijuana and the country has seen the benefits it has. Marijuana should be legalized for recreational use because it is healthier than before and it can create large amounts of revenue.

Marijuana legalization is a controversial subject with many different problems and solutions. Marijuana has benefits and disadvantages to using it (and many viewpoints on said pros and cons) so one person cannot be the only authority on the subject. Marijuana could possibly be used as a medicine, and although legalizing marijuana could have some benefits, the action could have serious repercussions.

Legalizing cannabis is a controversial topic in the arena of politics and health care of the contemporary world. Though there are many medicinal uses for cannabis, the adverse effects cannot be ignored. In a global perspective, many countries have legalized cannabis for the sake of its benefits towards the treatment of chronic diseases. Likewise, medical marijuana is legalized in some of the states in the United States (US). Consequently, recreational users of marijuana are also increasing consistently. Therefore, this paper is scrutinizing five articles provided on the topic of marijuana, in order to gather the pros and cons of its legalization. Although medical marijuana is worthwhile in the symptomatic treatment of some of the chronic diseases,

The position the author uses is that he believes that recreational marijuana should not be legalize. He is very clear about how he thinks that legalizing marijuana will bring more felons to start selling more drugs legally. He feels that nothing good can come up from legalizing this recreational drug. He is very strong with hi position.

The proponents of prohibiting marijuana would probably argue that a state can not be involved in distributing drugs that increase the rate of heart attack, severe anxiety, cause problems with coordination and reaction time and most of all, increase addiction. On one hand I see the negative aspects of marijuana but I still insist banning marijuana is equivalent to banning one’s personal freedom. A state obligated to respect individual's “life liberty and pursuit of happiness” as stated in the constitution. Thus, one’s freedom is more important than one’s health issues. The politicians would indubitably use the term “War on Drugs” in order to show their stances on moral issues and gain popularity. They advocates stricter laws that limits the

Cannabis is becoming increasingly widespread and increasingly common in modern-day society for both recreational use and for medication. The article by Craig Reinarman, ‘Criminalisation, legalisation and the mixed blessing of medicalisation in the USA’ generates many controversial issues of cannabis.