Marijuana has been used for thousands of years for medicinal, recreational and mental purposes. The legalization of marijuana has been faced by controversy of the past few decades. Those who oppose its legalization claim that pot has a high potential for abuse and lacks any medical value. The war on drugs most especially that on marijuana has cost taxpayers billions of dollars wasting funds that could be directed towards more important projects like improving education and transportation. The rise in drug arrests has led to populations in state prisons rising which is increasingly becoming a problem. Marijuana should be legalized because of its many benefits economically, and for medicinal purposes and also an increasing number of Americans are supporting its decriminalization.
The legalization of marijuana will benefit the United States economically with returns of close to $18 billion each year. This will be achieved through the taxation of marijuana sales and savings that the justice system will gain because of the reduction of marijuana-related incarcerations. Each year the United States uses close to $3.6 billion to enforce laws for cannabis possession (Caulkins and Beau 266). Full legalization of marijuana will significantly reduce the burden on the justice system because most of the resources used by the police and courts will be used to issue cautions, fines or be diverted towards health care and education.
The second benefit of Marijuana is through its medicinal properties which have shown that its effects aid in the treatment of chronic pain, epilepsy, glaucoma, inflammation, shrinking cancerous tumors, multiple sclerosis, nausea, and vomiting (Porche 453). Additionally, through the studies that have been conducted on its medicinal properties, it has been found to increase appetite, positive mood, and weight gain in individuals who have AIDS and cancer (Porche 454). The third advantage of legalizing marijuana is that compared to other recreational drugs it has the lowest risks of addiction. According to a comparative analysis conducted, alcohol is among the top addictive drugs together with tobacco which is more addictive than even cocaine. Marijuana is safer to use compared to alcohol and tobacco.
Opposition to Legalization of Marijuana
The most persistent argument against making marijuana legal is that it is a gateway drug this means that its use results in the usage of stronger substances like cocaine and heroin even though it is less harmful. There is a high possibility that harder drug users were exposed to their use at a very tender age or chances are they might have the characteristics that result in an addictive personality. According to research conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a significant percentage of the individuals who smoke pot do not graduate to other hard drugs (Sherani and Abhay 148). The second opposing argument is that it is highly addictive like heroin and its legalization will result in new weed smokers instead of sustaining the existing ones. Yes, marijuana is addictive but not as addictive as heroin and through its legalization will result in a federal age restriction being applied to stop the development of new weed smokers. The third counter-argument is that it is an unhealthy drug which should not be produced and distributed by the state. Marijuana is not a harmful drug as its components have been found to minimize carcinogenic pathways and if one does not want to smoke it, there are other ways to use it.
Conclusion
The legalization of marijuana will result in both economic and medicinal benefits. Through its legalization, the government will be able to apply taxes on its sale and reduce the cost incurred by the justice system to incarcerate those arrested for possession of marijuana. Its medicinal benefits also supersede its disadvantages and legalization will mean hospitals will be able to use it to help patients in pain especially those who are terminally ill. Marijuana, when compared to other recreational drugs, has been seen to be less addictive and safer to use. For this reasons, it is more beneficial to legalize marijuana rather than letting it remain illegal.
Works Cited
Caulkins, Jonathan, and Beau Kilmer. “Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know.” 2016, pp. 263–284., doi:10.7249/cb525-1.
Porche, Demetrius J. “Legalization of Medical Marijuana (Cannabis).” American Journal of Men's Health, vol. 7, no. 6, Nov. 2013, pp. 449–467., doi:10.1177/1557988313504104.
Sherani, Khalid, and Abhay Vakil. “Legalizing Marijuana: What More to Expect!” Chest, vol. 149, no. 4, 2016, pp. 145–170., doi:10.1016/j.chest.2016.02.146.
