Should Marijuana Be Legalized?

For many years, the prohibition of marijuana has led people to believe that marijuana was extremely dangerous, therefore, it could never be legal; but, most dangers spoken about marijuana are myths as it is found less harmful than alcohol, and even tobacco. In 2007, research done by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare came to the conclusion that alcohol was a large contributor to death and the cause of more than 3% of the overall disease and injury in Australia, while marijuana was accountable for no deaths and only 0.2% of disease and injury. Despite what many are told to believe, this research poses that marijuana holds way fewer risks than alcohol does, and alcohol is legal. Around 88,000 deaths occur each year due to alcohol consumption, and half of those are due to binge drinking. With this in

Marijuana is amongst one of the most disputable subjects in political issues. It is the most exploited drug in the United States and can even be around the globe. Marijuana is the main source of substance reliance other than alcohol in the United States. Numerous groups in recent years have come forward and claim that marijuana use has been beneficial with numerous medical conditions. In fact, it has helped numerous people with diseases, for example, Glaucoma, Cancer, and any other physical or mental pain. Medicinal cannabis should be legalized in Florida, but should be regulated accordingly. The clear majority trust that marijuana use would be more beneficial if it was not criminalized but most still believe that the government should keep it as a controlled substance. In 2008, 4 million out of the 7 million individuals, ages 12 and older, characterized as having a reliance or abusing marijuana. This implies that two out of every three Americans experiencing any substance abuse have developed marijuana reliance. The legalization of marijuana in the United States such an issue for so many individuals today. Some believe that marijuana should not be legalized in Florida because of physical health, mental health, effects of driving under the influence of marijuana, and increase in use. Others believe that is it marijuana should be legal because of its harmless if used in moderation, limits of personal freedoms, and potential FDA regulations.

Since the first efforts to legalize marijuana in the 1960s, Americans have become progressively more accepting of requests to liberalize laws restricting possession and use of marijuana, but the shift has not been a straight line. After 11 states decriminalized marijuana possession in the 1970s, recoil led by suburban parents led too much harsher implementation of drug laws. But since California legalized medical marijuana in 1996, outlooks toward the drug have relaxed significantly.("A Brief History of Public Opinion on Marijuana Legalization.")

The legalization of marijuana became a heated political subject in the last few years. Twenty-one states in America have legalized medical marijuana. Colorado and Washington are the only states where marijuana can be purchased recreationally. Marijuana is the high THC level part of the cannabis plant, which gives users the “high” feeling. There is ample evidence that supports the argument that marijuana is beneficial. The government should legalize marijuana recreationally for three main reasons. First, I will present two common arguments against the legalization of marijuana and then refute them. Second, I will explain how there is no proof of harmful effects from marijuana and that there are many health benefits prominent. Third, I will describe how legalization would bring in tax revenue for the government. Finally, I will go into detail on how legalization would decrease crime rates.

The legalization of marijuana has been a debate that has been going on for the past decade. Many Americans (about 80 percent surveyed) do believe in the legalization while others disagree. With the correct facts in place, it is easy to prove that the legalization of marijuana is a huge benefit to the American people and those who disagree are disagreeing for the wrong reasons. One reason it should be legalized is marijuana can be used for medical purposes, others say it can help lower the debt in America by taxing marijuana. Many of these arguments favoring marijuana are outlined in this paper.

Decriminalization provides a solution the problems related to drugs. Decriminalization is not making drugs legal, it is treating the drug addicts as a patient instead of making them feel like they are criminals and putting them into a jail although selling drugs is still illegal. Drugs must be decriminalized because decriminalization has proven that the death rates and crime rates have decreased and the use of drugs have decreased in decriminalized countries such as Portugal, Uruguay and drugs have decriminalized in some of the states in Unites States of America.

In comparison to the legal and commonly used drug alcohol, marijuana has been repeatedly proven to be safer through research. “The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than 37,000 annual U.S. deaths are attributed to the health effects of alcohol use, including hundreds of alcohol overdose deaths. The CDC does not have a category for deaths caused by marijuana use, and a government-funded study conducted by researchers at Kaiser Permanente and published in the American Journal of Public Health found no association between marijuana use and premature death in otherwise healthy people.” (Marijuana Policy Project) As opposed to alcohol use, which is associated with a vast variation of cancer diagnoses, marijuana usage hasn’t been conclusively linked with any form of cancer. According to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine, "There is no conclusive evidence that marijuana causes cancer in humans, including cancers usually related to tobacco use." This was solidified again in 2006 by the largest, most comprehensive case-controlled study on the effects

On the other end of the spectrum, many frequent marijuana users are against legalization for the many constraints it will place on their use. The way the states have been regulating the drug disallows anyone under twenty-one to obtain the drug, even for medical needs, and it hinders their ability to drive while the drug is in their system (Evergreen). The stipulations concerning driving will cause inconveniencies for frequent users due to the variations of time in which the drug stays in a person’s system, often ranging from hours, to days, or even weeks. (Evergreen). Many varying conflicts of interest collide when discussing how to legalize the drug. All sides must be considered. There must be stipulations to appease the government, laws for those who need it medically, those who want to benefit from the drug recreationally must be considered, those who do not want the drug at all, and those who want the drug for its business opportunities must all be recognized. The laws created will not be perfect and they will require all parties to afford a bit of flexibility.

an act that is meant to ensure supply and possession of drugs is controlled the same way alcohol and cigarettes are in the world (Court, 1994). Increasing drug use and its effect have made drug law reform a major topic in international and domestic policy agendas (Wood, 2010). The use of drugs by young generation with its associated crimes has resulted to a debate that is beyond human comprehension. The international bodies associated with drug use and their prevention has allowed countries to impose only minor penalties to those found possessing the drugs (Court, 1994). This kind of flexibility has made some countries to relax in enforcing some drug related laws. Health consequences especially after quitting the use of drugs, individual

I once heard an inmate patient of mine say “Weed might be illegal but that doesn’t make it bad. Is everything that’s legal, good for you?” This statement begs attention when the argument of whether or not marijuana should be legalized is of topic. According to The Foundation for a Drug Free World, marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States; however after years of studies this drug is still illegal in almost all states while alcohol and tobacco continues to claim thousands of lives every year (n.d). Don’t get the wrong idea, this is not to persuade you into thinking that smoking weed or eating a marijuana brownie does not have its disadvantages. However the idea is to get you to understand and see that smoking

When you hear the word marijuana, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it positive or negative? You can ask anyone today and they all have their point of views, and often it is just based on firsthand knowledge or what they heard on the T.V. or the internet. Marijuana users are obviously are for it, but those who oppose it often cannot talk smartly on why they oppose it; they just feel drugs are bad, marijuana is a drug, and thus it too is bad and must remain illegal. There is great debate today on whether marijuana should be legalized or not, as well as on the issues around controlling access to and accounting for safety under the influence if it were legalized. Few people have looked deeply neither into the history of this

Marijuana is the most popular street drug in America, if not in the entire world. It is a Schedule 1 drug which puts it in the same category as Heroin, LSD, MDMA, Ecstacy, etc., which are the most dangerous drugs in the world that can seriously harm someone. But Marijuana is now legalized in Twenty-Six states, plus the District of Columbia, for medicinal and/or recreational use. Even though cannabis is an illegal drug, hundreds of millions of people are still finding ways to get a hold of Marijuana and the other illegal drugs. There is only so much the law enforcement can do if the people do not wish to listen. It is beginning to impact the lives of americans in a positive way, where they can help themselves why being sick and it allows

Marijuana makes you calm. Marijuana reduces stress. Marijuana cures diseases such as cancer. Marijuana is not a drug. Marijuana is a plant; therefore it is not dangerous to one’s health and overall being. Many have heard it all before, the hundreds of reasons as to why marijuana is deemed as a “safe” drug and why it should be legalized, yet people have not quite heard the hundreds of reasons as to why it should stay illegal. In today’s society, there is a huge controversy on the topic of marijuana legalization. Marijuana, or Cannabis, is a greenish-gray mixture of dry, shredded leaves of Cannabis Sativa, a hemp plant. It has many different uses, including smoking for a high effect, brewing into tea, mixing it into foods, and for medicinal purposes. Although marijuana is currently illegal in Canada, at one point it was not. It was not until 1923 that cannabis was added to the schedule of the Opium and Narcotic Act (Dyck, 2014). Also, it was not until recently that the Canadian Medical Marijuana Access Regulations allowed legal access to cannabis for individuals with severe illnesses; only authorized personnel can grow pot or obtain it from authorized producers or Health Canada (Dyck, 2014). In 2014, Canada banned Canadians with a permit for medicinal marijuana use to grow their own supply, the only way they would be able to receive it was by going to an authorized provider (Dyck, 2014). However, many people do not feel as though marijuana should be illegal, as it has upsides,

Marijuana, also known as, cannabis, pot, weed, or hemp, has been a topic of intense debates for many years, but today, it is in the spotlight more than ever. The issue about the use of this drug is becoming more and more topical because people are debating whether or not to legalize it. Marijuana, is the most commonly used drug in the world. In fact, around 3.8 percent of the world’s population or 158.8 million people around the world use marijuana, according to United Nations. And the number is continuously rising. As of June 2014, 23 U.S. states and Washington D.C. have passed laws legalizing marijuana in some form with three more states considering it. As what Major Neil Franklin (Ret.), a former police officer and current head of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), said, “The legalization of marijuana is good for law enforcement, good for families, and good for our communities” (Washington Post). The benefits and reasons to legalize marijuana are many, and overbearingly outweigh the arguments against legalization.

The number of people that are using marijuana is rising at an alarming rate; legalizing marijuana will only make it higher. We try to teach our children to say no to drugs, yet everywhere we turn there are signs and newscasts telling people that they want marijuana to be legalized. The last elections were more focused on pushing for marijuana to be legalized than they were on voting for state officials and a governor. While most people are focused on legalization for medical purposes, others are looking to vote in recreational marijuana use. Somewhere along the line the main focus changed; people are trying to legalize marijuana for the wrong reasons. Even if it