The Pros And Cons Of The Legalization 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.

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.

A controversial topic often being advocated for by sitting governors is whether the legalization of marijuana is more beneficial or harmful to the economy. Marijuana, also known as weed, is a mixture of the dried and shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the cannabis sativa plant. It’s the most widely used illegal drug in the United States, even though studies have shown results that the benefits of using marijuana for medicinal or recreational reasons far outweigh the negative matters that may be associated with its use. While marijuana is still a controlled substance under federal law, thirteen U.S. states currently have compassionate use laws in place, which allow for regulated medical marijuana use. By legalizing marijuana, the government is helping the economy by reaping medical and financial benefits, not only at the state level, but also at the federal level. Taking into account the numerous studies done with marijuana on whether it is for recreational use or medical purposes, the government cannot go wrong in legalizing marijuana because of such an impact it will have. Marijuana should be legalized for recreational purposes because it will help society economically and socially.

The legalization of marijuana will lead to a boost to the economy. With the United States being trillions in debt, an increase in tax money would be a big help to lower the national debt. Colorado, one of the first states to legalize marijuana for recreational and medicinal uses, is showing valuable data of an increase in tax money, “In 2015, Colorado collected more than $135 million in taxes and fees on medicinal and recreational marijuana. Sales totaled over $996 million” (Krishna, Mrinalini). Now, Colorado is joined by seven other states, Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada, in the full legalization of marijuana. With these states joining with Colorado, the United States is seeing sales “[grow] by 30%, to 6.1 billion, in 2016 and a projected 20.1 billion in 2021” (Krishna, Mrinalini). With that in mind, these sales are shared among only eight states, add another forty-two states and the rates could surpass the trillions. Considering the evidence, the act of not legalizing marijuana would be foolish.

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.

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?

Colorado is a great example of the benefits of legalization and the profit to be made for recreational use. A mature marijuana industry could generate up to $28 billion in tax revenues for federal, state, and local governments. The U.S. market for legal, recreational, cannabis is projected to more than triple between 2016 and 2025, with medical marijuana sales jumping from $4.7 billion to $13.2 billion during that period. In 2016, medical marijuana sales accounted for 71 percent of the cannabis market, but that share is expected to decline to 55 percent as the number of recreational users grows (Mantel, 612). This type of money happening across the states could help put a dent in the National debt, help fund medical research, fund schools, and rehab

As shops for recreational and medical Marijuana open, more purchases of the product will be made which impacts the tax revenue. An example would be Colorado (a state that legalizes Marijuana) where “In 2015, Colorado collected more than $135 million in taxes and fee on medical and recreational marijuana” (Krishna, 2017). Arcview Market Research also predicts that “Sales in North America grew 30%, to $6.7 billion, in 2016, and is projected to increase to $20.1 billion by 2021”. The legalization of Marijuana will also provide many job opportunities since a variety of different jobs will be needed that relate to Marijuana. Investopedia.Com states “A RCG Economics and Marijuana Policy Group study on Nevada says that legalizing recreational marijuana in the state could support over 41,000 jobs till 2024 and generate over $1.7 billion in labor income. The ICF study estimates at least 81,000 additional direct, indirect, and induced jobs in California as a result of legalized marijuana sales. It also projects an increase in total labor income by at least $3.5 billion”. Another way legalizing Marijuana would impact the economy positively is that the government can save money spent on enforcing the law of Marijuana being illegal. Huffington post states “Inmates incarcerated on marijuana-related charges cost U.S. prisons $1 billion annually, according to a 2007 study, AlterNet reports.” and “The government would save an estimated $13.7 billion on prohibition enforcement costs and tax revenue by legalizing marijuana”.This low risk substance saves the economy a lot of money and support it

To explore the economic benefits of marijuana legalization we must first look at the amount of marijuana that is purchased by users. The White House Office of National Drug Policy reported that between 1988 and 1995, Americans spent about 7 billion dollars on the illegal substance, averaging about a billion dollars a year (Prislac, 2009). This means that annually there is a billion dollars out there that is subject to no sales tax. The national average for sales tax is 5%, so if you calculate the billion dollars being spent on marijuana, this means there is approximately 50 million dollars in sales tax that our government never gets

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 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.

Marijuana is under a lot of scrutinization lately, but the natural drug is becoming a much more widely accepted medical option for symptom relief. Even some of the biggest celebrities are beginning to endorse it, and you won’t believe what they are doing with it! Read on to find out!

It is common to hear opinions about the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana. Many people will benefit from this policy, and there are many other important reasons why passing this policy beneficial for the country. Also, instead of costing money to the government, it will be a form of income. Like I mention before, if the country stops the prohibition of marijuana and replace it with a system of legal regulation, we can use Colorado as an example: “The Colorado Department of Revenue in June collected slightly more in tax revenue than the month before, according to its recent sales report. The state collected $4,775,679 from marijuana-related sales tax in June 2014, up from $4,511,668 collected in May 2014. To date, Colorado has collected $25,307,067 in pot taxes. Officials projected the state would collect $60 to $70 million by the end of the fiscal year (June 2015)” If the policy gets passed, all the income that is collected from taxing marijuana can be used towards higher education. There are many students with high potential who cannot afford college, and this can be a great opportunity to develop an educated society. Health is another area where the money would be used. Since there is not enough research on the effects of marijuana on the human body, this income can help to pay for research to create new affordable and quality

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.