The Pros And Cons Of Recreational 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).

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.

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).

Marijuana has many uses in the world today. Most of these uses are bad. However, there are some good uses for marijuana. Therefore, you could say there are many pros and cons of using marijuana. Sadly, there are more cons than pros on the subject of marijuana. However, this is expected, especially whenever discussing a drug. Also, the legalization of the drug would only be for recreational usage.

Imagine a drug that could cure diseases but the drug is illegal and people that need the drug are unable to get it without being arrested. What if a child could be seizure free but the drug to cure the seizures was illegal. What about a drug that could increase revenue for the economy and decrease crime. This drug is marijuana and it has been illegal in the United States since 1930. Marijuana should be legalized in all fifty states for recreational and medicinal purposes. Legalizing marijuana will increase revenue, decrease drug related crimes, and assist chronically ill patients.

The plant Cannabis Sativa, also known as Marijuana, weed, ganja, or hemp, has been linked to cure some types of cancers and neurological defects. According to A. Douglas Kinghorn and Manuel F. Balandrin; Cannabinoids, which are found in marijuana, are being developed for the use in Glaucoma and neurological disorders, such as epilepsy (Balandrin, 1992). How is something that can positively impact our lives, be illegal to use?

Of the many social issues that plague American society, the issue over the legalization of Marijuana remains as one of the most controversial topics. Marijuana, also known as Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States. According to national surveys conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), “marijuana use rose from 4.1 percent to 9.5 percent of the U.S. adult population in the past decade.” The increase of Marijuana use created an ongoing debate over whether it should be federally legalized or not. Supporters of marijuana legalization emphasize the benefit of marijuana as a treatment option for some life-threatening illness and claims that legalizing the drug will boost the economy

Marijuana is one of the most misunderstood forms of medication. Since there is so much controversy about whether it is harmful or beneficial, there is naturally a fear of unknown side effects(Strickland, CNN). Although supporters of medicinal and recreational marijuana significantly outnumber its opposers, it’s prohibition is just now beginning to waver. Many doctors and officials are still fighting to keep the ban. Little did most of America know, cannabis could be found in most medicine cabinets in the early 1900’s before it became illegal(Reiman & Burnett, Drug Policy Alliance). It has been clinically proven that marijuana is less habit-forming than other opiate drugs, and there is absolutely no risk of fatal overdose(Gupta, CNN). Research proves that the plant is able to treat and cure numerous types of illnesses.

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.

In Stanislaus County at the Gallo Center for the Arts, there was a debate about legalizing marijuana for recreational use. It will be this November for Californians to vote on the ballot. The debate was composed with Sheriff Adam Christianson (against), California Growers Association executive director Hezekiah Allen (for it), Supervisor Vito Chiesa (for it) and Sacramento’s media consultant and panelist Jason Kinney (for it). The only person that was opposing the legalization of marijuana was the Sheriff and for him, it was due to see people in the streets not being able to get out of the addiction. In the panel one facilitator spoke about a research stating that marijuana alone was no addicted, people were addicted when there was another drug involved. The majority of the attendees were for the legalization of marijuana.

What is Marijuana? Marijuana is the common name for the Indian hemp plant cannabis. Cannabis is a plant whose leaves, buds, and flowers are smoked for their intoxicating effects. The nicknames are boom, bud, chronic, gangster, ganja, grass, herb, kif, Mary Jane, MJ, Pot, reefer, skunk, and weed. When Marijuana is smoked, as it enters the brain, THC attaches to cells, or neurons, with specific kinds of receptors called cannabinoid receptors. This is part of a communication network in the brain called the endocannabinoid system, this system is important in normal brain development. Marijuana is very dangerous to brain development and smoking it will hurt you later in life.

What is Marijuana? According to Dictionary.com, Marijuana is, “a preparation made from the dried flower clusters and leaves of the cannabis plant, usually smoked or eaten to induce euphoria”(marijuana). Marijuana, also known as “Mary Jane”, is drawn out to be an extremely horrible, life-ruining drug. Children learn that marijuana is a “gateway” drug and that it only does harm. Though it can be quite addictive, Marijuana is safer than commonly used drugs like Tobacco and could possibly be more helpful medically than many of the prescription drugs currently available. The legalization of Marijuana would have an extremely advantageous effect on the economy, healthcare, and focus of police on more violent criminal activity of the United

Although illegal in most states, marijuana remains a popular substance and it does not influence the crisis prevention professionals as the same level as harder drugs, it continue to represent a problem. The use of “pot” often finds the user lethargic, mellow, and prolonged use of the substance can lead to memory gaps and a lack of productivity. At the extreme end of substances is the one considered the most addictive and dangerous to the human body, heroin. It is problematic at a number of levels. For example, heroin is administered mostly by injection. Therefore, it is one of the most common ways the HIV virus is transmitted when not through sexual contact. Another issue is there is little to no quality control so its potency is not regulated

We live in a big universe, where interaction occurs everywhere between everything one way another. All the drugs which human use have a side effect either a life threat effect or not even noticeable. At the same time, the medicine is one of the greatest things were discovered by human to treat disease. Therefore, every drug has a side effect on the human health. Marijuana is one of the drugs which people keep debating about its side effect. Therefore, most people have misunderstanding marijuana effects, some of my friends have told me “smoking marijuana is safer than smoking cigarette”. In this paper, I’m going to talk about some of the misunderstanding concepts about some drugs.