The Pros And Cons Of 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.

Since 1937, when the Marijuana Tax Act was passed, federal law has prohibited the medical and recreational use of Marijuana. This act banned its production and use in all states. In 2012, however, Colorado and Washington legalized recreational use of marijuana, becoming the first states to do so. This was a very controversial decision on the states’ part, and it created a debate between the two levels of government. The main cause was the issues of federalism and supremacy. While under the supremacy clause the federal government's law takes precedence to the state law, there is also a debate on which level of government, federal or state, should handle the issue of marijuana legalization. The complexity of federalism is shown very well here

Colorado’s legalization of marijuana began in 2000 with the Colorado Amendment 20. According to Davis, Mendelson, berkes, Suleta, Corsi & Booth (2015) the Colorado Amendment 20 legalized cannabis for medical use only. Even though this was true however, not just anybody was allowed to obtain marijuana. Any person wishing to obtain cannabis had to have a condition that was debilitating. “Debilitating conditions approved by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and included in Amendment 20 are cancer, glaucoma, HIV or AIDS, cachexia, severe pain, severe nausea, seizures, muscle spasms, and any other condition approved by CDPHE” (Davis et.al, 2015, p.1). This Amendment lasted for nine years and in 2009, anyone was allowed to obtain medical cannabis. There was no

The topic of legalizing recreational marijuana in the United States has been a very controversial one. States such as Colorado and Washington have gone on the offensive and have legalized recreational marijuana and have enjoyed the high revenues brought in from cannabis sale. On the other hand other states have kept low profiles because they are wary of the possible negative outcomes of legalizing recreational marijuana and are using the states of Colorado and Washington as guinea pigs to see what their next course of action on this controversial topic should be. This is not only a highly debated topic among politicians, but also by the people. According to a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center 52% of Americans

Before 1937, marijuana was freely bought, sold, grown, and smoked in the United States. Since that time, all of these activities have been illegal, but many groups and individuals have fought to decriminalize marijuana. The congressional decision to classify marijuana as a Schedule I drug in 1970 has made the legalization campaign more difficult, since it officially established marijuana as a dangerous, addictive drug with no medicinal benefits.

The topic of marijuana has been a big topic for the past few years. The United States considers marijuana as a drug, in some other countries they say it is a natural herb that is grown from the ground. The issue at hand is “should marijuana be legalized?” the congress of the US stay in a constant debate on this subject. Why is the subject of marijuana such in high demand, if the US already considers it a drug? There are many facts that need to be looked at before a final decision can ever be made. In contrast since the past two weeks the state of Colorado became the second state in the US to legalize marijuana. Obviously it is possible for marijuana to be accepted into society, obviously there are as much pros as

There has been major news forming around the legalization of marijuana in Colorado. Medical marijuana has been effective in Colorado since 2000. Now marijuana is legal for recreational use for people 21 and up. Many rules and regulations follow the legalization of marijuana. Many people of Colorado fear this legalization, where others are totally for it and think it will help boost Colorado’s economy. I have found many

Marijuana legalization has been a controversial topic requiring a public policy solution in the political realm. There have been various arguments made for and against the legalization of marijuana. There are several states that have legalized marijuana use for medicinal purposes while others have let their guards down completely allowing citizens to use it not only medicinally, but recreationally as well. While the use of marijuana is still illegal at the federal level, there is much discussion by other states regarding policies to support marijuana legalization and many policy makers proactively planning for the possibility

In November 2000, voters in Colorado passed Amendment 20, which enabled patients and their caregivers to obtain a restricted amount of marijuana from medical dispensaries (Sensible Colorado, n.d). The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment faced legal charges for creating an informal rule prohibiting caregivers from providing medical marijuana to more than 5 patients at a time (Sensible Colorado, n,d). In 2007, Sensible Colorado, Colorado’s medical marijuana distribution system, won the lengthy hearing, and its victory made way for store-front dispensaries throughout Colorado. Fast forward November 2012, 55% of Colorado’s voters were pro-Amendment 64 (Sensible Colorado, n.d). Amendment 64 made recreational marijuana use legal to anyone age 21 or older. This law was effective January 2014, and almost two years later the changes in the state are astounding.

With the passage of Amendment 64 to the state constitution, Colorado became the first state ever to legalize the sale, possession, and use of marijuana. On November 6, 2012, voters passed the amendment with a 9% margin. Interestingly, “Amendment 64 received 53,281 more votes in the state than Barack Obama did during the last presidential election” (Charlton). However, actual sales of marijuana for recreational purposes were delayed until the start of 2014. Amid of flurry of media scandals and protests from anti-marijuana activist groups across the country, Colorado opened its doors to the pot industry with the entire nation watching.

The use of marijuana is quite a controversial topic. Some people believe the use can be helpful, to society, while others greatly disagree. Three of the popular marijuana uses, which are smoking, eating, and vaping, are a great representation of this dispute.

In Colorado, marijuana dispensaries outnumber Starbucks locations 3 to 1 a day. (Christina Rogers). It has been a year now since the very first cannabis shop was open. Since than the state has seen a lot of great results as well as downgrading ones. Amendment 64 took everyone for surprise and still as of today not much is known about the effects of cannabis, leading to many questions about this drug. Due to lack of knowledge about the topic, legalizing marijuana has raised many arguments. And that is why the controversy question is still being asked was legalizing marijuana in Colorado a good idea after all?

Marijuana has long been a schedule one drug in the United States of America. Starting in the 1930’s marijuana was demonized1 and quickly placed on the list of illegal substances in America in 1937. Many say that this demonization was a result of racism (most marijuana users at the time were Mexican and African-American) and a propaganda campaign propagated by William Randolph Hearst, who aimed to eliminate a growing threat, to the paper industry he controlled, from the hemp industry. Medicinal marijuana is currently one of the most widely debated topics in America and average Americans are learning about the beneficial uses of marijuana and the hemp crop. Twenty-three states and Washington D.C. have already approved medical marijuana and states

The legalization of marijuana has been a debate in the public eye within the United States for quite some time now; however, as time progresses many states continue to pass legislation. As of, March 2017, 26 states and the District of Columbia have laws legalizing marijuana use in some fashion and 24 remaining states with pending legislation. Although states are in debate for legalization it remains that federal law still prohibits any form of usage, selling, or buying. Federal law supersedes state law on this issue as it is written, “Legalizing Marijuana: Why Citizens Should Just Say No” from the Legal Memorandum Published by the Heritage Foundation,

Should Marijuana be Legalized? Over half of Americans answer ‘’Yes.’’ Marijuana is greatly frowned upon, not just in America, but all across the globe. But these laws against Marijuana are up for debate in several countries. Especially in the United States. There are sixteen states in this country that allow medical usage of Marijuana.