Many policies have come to the governments attention within the past decade concerning drug use and prison reform. One policy that correlates to crime and drug use that has brought attention across the nation is the legalization of marijuana. Marijuana has been consumed in the United States for numerous years and has grown in popularity culminating in multiple states legalizing the drug. There is large debate concerning whether nationwide legalization is worth the cost. Of course, with any controversial decision, there are always going to be pros and cons. Those who oppose legalization make claims that marijuana is a gateway drug, impairs judgment, and is addictive. Although those points are true to an extent there are also many benefits. Of the many benefits, the most noteworthy ones are that marijuana can bring a lot of money to the government and economy, it helps treat sickness and diseases, and it can be a safer alternative than opioid-based medications. The legalization of marijuana would also highly impact the criminal justice system by making law enforcement more accessible to other areas where they are needed which can save the government a lot of money. In this instance, legalizing marijuana would bring many benefits to society such as stimulating the economy, treating sicknesses, providing government relief, and lowering opioid use. The economy is vital to this country and the popularity of marijuana implies that growing this crop would be a strong contributor
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.
Recreational marijuana legalization in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska have, technically, broken federal law. As long as the federal government does not do anything about the state’s blatant disregard for higher law they can do what they want. I think that because state and federal law contradict at the moment there should be clarification. States should only be able to pass a law such as this if it is also legal on a federal level, but if there are no repercussions for violating federal law where does it end? Recreational marijuana is a state issue, in my opinion. If it is to be legalized in America at a federal level then each state should be allowed to choose their side. At this point, federal government is showing its cracks. 4 of our states are currently not obeying the Constitution; federal law trumps state law. Our government needs to pull itself together and start paying attention to what the states are doing.
With the amount of products that could be created through the legalization of marijuana this could only create more jobs to fuel the production of these goods. In addition, private companies or the government are going to need more people to help grow and cultivate marijuana for public sales. President Obama held an online town hall meeting and one of the questions asked was:
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.
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.
One of the primary focuses of America 's War on Drugs is the controversial drug Marijuana. Marijuana remains the most widely used illegal drug and stirs up constant debate everywhere. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime from the World Drug Report 2004 an estimation of about 4 percent of the world’s adult population (162 million) consume marijuana annually (156). For thousands of years human beings have attempted to find ways to get passed the struggles of everyday life. With the pain of the world stopping people from enjoying simple pleasures, sometimes there is a need for help. Marijuana brings millions of people relief from pain flet on a day-to-day basis. This completely natural plant which previously helped so many people has puzzled the leaders of our nation for a long time. The effects of the drug on a individual level is what 's prevented the product from being legalized. Many issues involving this plant, like the speculation of it being a gateway drug, has put yet another block on its legalization. Even with the drugs known speculations, the benefit that it brings to the table most definitely out way its disadvantages. Marijuana can also alleviate several symptoms associated with cancer and Aids treatments and disorders. While Marijuana is effective as a medicine, it is also extremely lucrative. The economic benefits that Marijuana brings to the table are endless. Non legalization is a waste of societies hard earned money to continue to enforce
Why Medical Cannabis is still federally banned? Well Marijuana has been illegal since the 1950’s, due to the enactment of federal laws like the “Narcotics management Act of 1956” that set necessary sentences that relate to drug-related offenses, as well as marijuana. A Montana grower is now in prison. “Chris Willams a Medical Marijuana grower in Montana now faces the rest of his life in prison because a Medical Marijuana law was canceled.”This law didn't include the medical use of Marijuana. I believe Medical Marijuana ought to be legal below tax and distributed to only patients with treatable diseases.
I have always been against the use of all illegal drugs including marijuana, but while researching this topic, I have learned a lot about some of the positives of legalizing marijuana use. Considering it is classified as an illegal controlled substance, I have always been under the assumption that marijuana was bad for people, no matter what my friends may have said about how good it was. I was peer pressured into trying it when I was fourteen. I knew right away that it was not for me. It made me pass out and sick to my stomach when I woke up. That reiterated my assumption that it was bad for people. I did not understand how people could like it. I figured other people must not have had the same reaction as I did after smoking it.
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.
In the past decades, one of the most discussed problems in the country has been whether or not the US government should approve the legalization of marijuana. Since the prohibition of marijuana in the 1930s, there have been more problems than solutions about the topic. There is no evidence that the prohibition of marijuana has decreased the use of the drug, and according to the NORML (Working to reform marijuana laws), banning marijuana has not been very effective since over 20 million of citizens have been charged with marijuana infractions since 1965 (NORML). One of the most important problems this country is facing about marijuana being illegal is the amount of money that the government spends trying to control the
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
The part of legalization that everyone has a problem with, the cons. And while I myself agree more with legalizing, I will not disagree with the cons of marijuana. The main problem is that marijuana can be addictive. In a research study in California, 1 in every 10 pot users admitted to developing a dependence for the substance overtime. Another danger of the plant, is that second hand smoke can occur, and someone who is not a smoker can end up with the drug in their system from being around a smoker. Even though marijuana helps with certain diseases, it is known to decrease mental health. When you smoke weed, it restrains your blood flow and affects the brain. As well as mental health, physical health is also, in danger.
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.