On the Legalization of Marijuana The issue of legalizing marijuana is hotly debated. On the one hand, many say that legalizing marijuana in any form would be damaging to communities and should not be tolerated. On the other hand, some believe that the negative effects marijuana has on society currently would be improved if it was legalized and support the legalization of marijuana for both recreational and medical purposes. Still others support the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes but not for recreational use. Marijuana should be legalized for both recreational and medical use because it allows for regulations to be put in place, weakens drug rings, helps patients in pain, and makes fiscal sense. Despite the ongoing war on …show more content…
This is not a new concept but it has been fought hard by many who think it would have disastrous effects on the community. In the summer of 2013, Iowa senator Tom Courtney fought to get marijuana legalized in Iowa, but was ultimately defeated. What led to his strong support of legalizing the drug? The personal experience of having to witness his wife endure the pains of cancer without the pain easing effects of marijuana. “Doctor after doctor has told me that if they could have used marijuana, it could have reduced the pain. It doesn’t have any side effects to speak of,” said Courtney. There are other pain killers of course, such as Marinol pills but they don’t provide the same level of relief to the patients as marijuana does. So, here we have a drug that would be used in a controlled setting, administered by skilled professionals, has little to no side effects to speak of, and would greatly reduce the pain of already suffering patients. There is nothing here to be in opposition of. No one will be negatively affected, in fact, no one but the patient will be affected at all, and they will only be positively affected and only at their express consent. Given this there are literally no logical grounds for opposing use of marijuana for medical purposes (Smith). Continued opposition of the use of …show more content…
As has been demonstrated already many, many Americans currently use, or have used, marijuana for either medical or recreational purposes. This has resulted in billions of dollars every year being spent on the drug. Currently, that money lines the pockets of drug cartels and gangs, but it doesn’t have to. If we legalized marijuana we could tax it just like we do for other substances such as alcohol or tobacco products. This has already been done to great success in Colorado which allows for use of marijuana for both recreational and medical use. In 2015 alone Colorado brought in over 87 million dollars in revenue on taxing marijuana alone (Hernandez). This is not even including the revenue from taxes on property, income, and sales of accessories for marijuana that will inevitably arise as more and more places of businesses take advantage of the growing industry and open small businesses to sell the product. Furthermore, we would save billions of dollars that the United States government spends each and every year prosecuting the over 750,000 arrests that occur every year for possessing small amounts of marijuana (Why I Support). Legalizing marijuana would also open up jobs as more and more people join the marijuana industry, both in production of the drug as well as the distribution and sale of it. Additionally, without the need to enforce the ban on marijuana, which accounts for nearly 40% of all
There will always be pros and cons in every situation, but marijuana actually has many pros. Marijuana may affect the development of the brain and behaviors if used at a young age, but it also helps with many disorders. “The panel said cannabinoids stimulate the appetite, combat nausea, and might also control pain. The drug also acts as a sedative and reduces anxiety, which may itself have a therapeutic effect, they added” (Ault, 1). Marijuana could be very helpful for those who are ill. It is a step at discovering new ways to cure diseases and help with the symptoms of different disorders. If we already know that marijuana could help with pain, sickness, and mental health, then why not legalize it? Many physicians have prescribed medical marijuana to those who are undergoing pain due to cancer. Most of the feedback the physicians get are
The dispute over the legalization of cannabis sativa, more commonly known as marijuana, is one of the most controversial issues ever to take place in the United States. Its use as a medicine has existed for thousands of years in many countries across the globe. Legalization should be considered despite efforts made by groups who say marijuana is a harmful drug that will increase crime rates and lead users to other more dangerous substances. The legalization of marijuana can improve our society by helping with our economy, freeing legal resources, and benefiting the overall health of the nation though medical uses.
Not only can money be gained through tax revenue if it was legalized but money that was previously spent because of marijuana prohibition can now be saved. Every year our country spends $68 billion on prisoners with one-third of them being imprisoned for nonviolent drug crimes (half of these being marijuana-related charges). Therefore, legalizing marijuana would save $11.3 billion because it wouldn’t be spent on prisons. That money being spent on prisons is your tax dollars! Not only does keeping those in prison with marijuana-related charges cost a lot but so does time and money of our police enforcement when they have to charge someone simply having a joint in their home or with friends. Imagine how much police officers could focus on other crimes if they didn’t have to worry about marijuana charges.
Cannabis has provided millions worldwide with relief from chronic pain caused by a myriad of pain-producing illnesses. Cannabis has significantly improved the quality of life of people with cancer, AIDS, arthritis, and the list goes on. The medical marijuana movement is not concerned with decriminalizing or legalizing cannabis for recreational use. It is concerned with helping people with serious illnesses and disabilities to get on with their lives. (Bearman, 2011)
The legalization of marijuana is, and has been a heavily disputed issue for decades. On one hand, marijuana could lead to a medical breakthrough, or at least provide relief to cancer and AIDS patients. On the other hand, legalizing a drug could expose it to too broad an audience. As a drug, marijuana has never proven to be anywhere near as harmful as cigarettes or alcohol. Each year in the United States, 400,000 people die from tobacco, 50,000 from alcohol, and from marijuana, zero. Regardless of what side one may take to this argument, there are some causes to this marijuana debate that everyone should know. Marijuana was not always illegal, and the reasons behind the history of narcotic regulation are interesting when viewed from
There is an intensive debate in society, today, about legalizing marijuana. Supporters of marijuana highlight that legalizing will not increase its consumption, and in fact will provide individuals with a legal choice. Opponents argue that legalizing marijuana will increase consumption, which would expose consumers to health risks as extreme as cancer. I believe marijuana should be legalized by the federal government. It is already being consumed in the society, and legalizing marijuana will facilitate monitoring its growth, usage, and help collect taxes. Marijuana has overwhelming support in the medical field as an alternate medicine. Also, marijuana will provide a legal alternative to individuals who rely on illegal and dangerous drugs, such as cocaine and heroin. Legalization will significantly reduce marijuana trafficking and curtail black market activities. Furthermore, legalizing will divert the cash stream from black markets to the states and the federal government, in the form of taxes. The additional revenue can be used to do additional research on
Legalizing marijuana has been a dispute in American for several years now, yet should not be considered. Marijuana also referred to as cannabis or weed is one of the most controversial drugs in the world and especially in the United States. Many people believe that it should be legalized because of medical reasons but on the contrary this substance does more harm than good. Society has been negatively affected in many different ways through this hallucinogenic drug. Crime rate has increased because of marijuana and legalizing marijuana would only increase this rate. Also through the legalization of marijuana our society is at harm of many risks. Our youth
The legalization of marijuana in the United States is a long and historically debated subject. Pro-legalization advocates provide many reasons for the decriminalization of marijuana; some of the reasons include, zero recorded deaths from direct use, wasting tax-payer money prosecuting non-violent offenders, and prohibition promotes organized crime. Anti-legalization organizers condemn legalization due to marijuana being considered a gateway drug, moral and religious opposition, legalization could lead to harder drugs being legalized, and the fear that legalization would enable the drug to be more accessible to children. There are many positive and negative aspects of legalization, but personally I am in favor of legalization and
A new growing and possibly the fastest growing topic in today’s society is medical marijuana. Pot, weed, grass, trees, or whatever fancy nickname you have for the plant is becoming legal and is here to stay for the long run. Marijuana is becoming legal once again because of its prior unrecognized medical benefits that have now seemed to surface from nowhere. With the popular street drug becoming legal, the amount of revenue that businesses are earning from this cash crop is astounding. With that being said, the medical marijuana business is a cash in hand type business so all of the money would have to be placed somewhere. Now the first thing anyone thinks of is it goes into a bank. Well-being that marijuana is a schedule one drug banks are
In his research paper “Push the Kush” (2014), Tanner Terry, a junior at Granite Hills High School, argues that society, as a whole, will benefit from the legalization of marijuana. Terry supports his assertion by illustrating the various benefits that the legalization of marijuana can encompass such as help lower crime rates, develop the economy, and improve health. The author’s purpose is to persuade the reader so that more people will become informed of the benefits that marijuana can have on society. His audience is directed to anyone with an interest surrounding this topic.
The majority of Americans favor the legalization of marijuana. “A new survey finds that 53% favor the legal use of marijuana, while 44% are opposed.” (“In Debate Over Legalizing…” 1). Over the course of the years, the amount of supporters has increased. More information regarding the benefits marijuana has to offer patients suffering chronic pain has been released, and is a well known topic among a majority of americans. Potential risks from usage of the drug do exist, however, individuals should consider the immense amount of benefits that can be offered as well. Marijuana is not an unknown drug to Americans. Plenty of testing has been performed on the drug, allowing consumers to be better informed on the medication they are prescribed. It is unfair to take the opportunity to find relief away from terminally ill patients in order to keep drugs away from others. The truth of the matter is marijuana will never go away. Instead of criminalizing the act of using marijuana, the government could benefit from legalizing the drug. Regulation of marijuana would help decrease and keep crime out, and reduce the national debt. The patients are not the only ones benefitting from the legalization of marijuana. Once approving legalization, the government’s work would be done. The choice would then be left to the patients, and whether or not they decide to resort to marijuana as medication. Legalization would be a wonderful opportunity that could benefit more than bring harm. The government might as well approve legalization; several problems could then be resolved. Whether legalized or not, marijuana is already around and will never go
Medical marijuana is very a big and controversial issue in today's society, currently the community is divided on the issue. Questions are always being thrown around such as "how does marijuana affect the body?" and "what good does’ marijuana do for a person?" Researchers have tried to answer these questions with multiple studies and they have shown some of the positives of medical marijuana. If something is able to help someone who is in dire need why not use it on those people to find a better solution for them. I myself am on the supportive side of the issue of medical marijuana. I don't think it should be legal to just anyone though I believe there should be a legal age law, a driving while under the influence, and a public intoxication law in effect for medical marijuana to be legal.
There are individuals who want marijuana legalized in order to make money and for health reasons. There are individuals who don’t want marijuana legalized because they believe it is a harmful drug. An analysis of legalizing marijuana has been a growing controversy in the past centuries, but by passing rules and regulation marijuana can be used to help others or cause problems.
The United States has been involved in a failing battle versus marijuana since the execution of the Uniform Narcotic Act in the 1930's. Americans are not only squandering almost eight billion a year, Americans are losing probable income. Americans could be in a position to gain a profit of a significant amount of revenues if marijuana were to be legal and structured by the Department of Agriculture (Norml, 2014). Revenue from the tax system of marijuana purchases would extend from about two and a half billion for each year if marijuana were taxed like conventional inventory products to six billion if it were taxed like tobacco or alcohol.
Marijuana should not be legalized because it will increase health issues, its use will rise rather than decline, and taxation will result in economic failure. In recent years, however, society has become very moderate, and this is why society’s views can be swayed by the benefits of legalization. Nowadays, legalizing marijuana is not that big of a deal as it was in the 60’s and 70’s when hippies and peace organizations were advocating for marijuana use. However, if marijuana is legalized it has been said that it might be the gateway drug to legalizing all illegal drugs.