Marijuana contains over 100 active components which have both medicinal and recreational uses. For medicinal use, cannabinoids are extracted from the hemp plant known as Cannabidiol (CBD) because it does not contain intoxicating properties. The chemical is highly concentrated in the flowers and leaves which are used to produce medicine. Recreationally, the active compound is tetrahydrocannabinol which alters the senses of an individual creating a sense of feeling “high” (Lake " Kerr, 2017). The herb has been legalized in some countries, and in Canada, the debate on marijuana legalization has seen considerable attention. Marijuana should be legal. The weed has countless health benefits and treatments towards medical conditions. The number of jobs created from a legal marijuana industry will have a huge significance. Lastly, with marijuana legalization, the government is set to reap many benefits. This paper attempts to prove why marijuana should be legalized.
Health Benefits
Marijuana is known worldwide for contributing greatly in health sectors as well as aiding an individual’s health. In Canada’s healthcare sector, marijuana is commonly for its ability to control pain. Although the herb cannot relieve severe pain such as broken bone or post-surgical pain, the weed relatively efficient for alleviating prolonged pain plaguing many Canadians (Lake " Kerr, 2017). For instance, marijuana is known to slow down and stop spreading of cancerous cells. The capacity of marijuana to contain the growth and spread of certain cancer cells reduces pain among patients, thus contributing to Canada’s healthcare sector. During mid-life, taking marijuana for long-term and in low daily dosage can slow brain processes that are likely to develop Alzheimer disease (Railton, 2018). Marijuana is also known to treat glaucoma by reducing pressure inside the eye of an individual suffering from the illness.
Additionally, marijuana is the “go to” drug for many other types of illnesses. The main advantage of marijuana which makes it applicable to treat many illnesses is that it is safer than opiates, Lyrica and Neurontin which are highly sedating and have side effects to certain disorders (Railton, 2018). After taking marijuana, patients do not feel disengaged or out of their previous activities. For instance, marijuana aids in the control of epileptic seizures. Lately, the U.S food and drug administration permitted the usage of epidiolex which is the oral solution of cannabidiol to treat epileptic seizures related to the Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. In people with Multiple Sclerosis, marijuana seems to be effective in easing the pain emanating from muscle shakiness and tightness when used as a mouth spray or smoked. Marijuana also, aids in the treatment of Crohn’s disease whereby the marijuana’s CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system of the patient’s body (Lake " Kerr, 2017), thereby reducing the inflammation in their bowel.
Increased Employment Opportunities
Legalization of marijuana will eliminate the stigmatization that those who use the herb for recreational purposes experience in the society. It will also abolish prosecution that faced those who were arrested by the law enforcers. As such, legalization will ensure free involvement of people in the marijuana business. Consequently, the number of employment opportunities created because marijuana legalization is astounding. Since people will be allowed to conduct marijuana businesses, it will lead to creating jobs that were not needed before legalization (Reith, 2017: Fournier, 2018). It will lead the creation of a lot more jobs than just growers and sellers. In addition to growing and selling marijuana, legalization will create new employment opportunities such as extension officers and compliance officers to ensure that businesspeople comply with the stipulated regulations. Therefore, it is expected that there will be a huge increase in employees in the marijuana sector after legalization.
With the marijuana becoming fully decriminalized and mainstream, the number of business dealing with marijuana-related products and services will grow exponentially. Considering the high rates of marijuana consumption while it is an illegal product, show that the herb and its related products command significant size of the market. Hence, after legalization marijuana and related products will not only have a ready market but will gain acceptability in the market (Fournier, 2018). It is likely that shortly, schools offering marijuana-related courses and programs will emerge to enhance its cultivation and value-addition processes. All these jobs and businesses created will fight unemployment enabling various households of the economy to make an earning through the marijuana industry. Moreover, the industry will be able to survive when the economy is failing because the demand for certain marijuana products such as medicine does not depend on the state of the economy (Reith, 2017).
Benefits the Economy
It is known that marijuana was still being consumed even though it was an illegal substance. This consumption indicates that there was an illegal thriving business in the country. This practice does not deny government revenues, but it also encourages uncontrolled consumption including underage consumption. With the legalization of marijuana, the government of Canada is set to reap many rewards associated with legal weed (Reith, 2017). For instance, the government will collect taxes that it did not collect before legalization. These taxes will come in the form of license fees, business permits, and VATs. Every marijuana-related job and industry will increase government revenue through tax deductions (Downer, Cooper " Faseruk, 2018). Additionally, with a significant existence of a black market, the Canadian government can capitalize on the profits gained from the stealing business. Once the law recognizes marijuana trading, the profits used to be gained in the black market will be subjected to state deductions, thereby benefitting the economy.
Similarly, there are other benefits government is set to get through legalization of marijuana. Not only will there be significant increases in tax revenue, but there will be significant savings related to marijuana becoming legal. Currently, the government is heavily spending aiming at curtailing illegal consumption of marijuana and its distribution. Legalizing the herb will enable the government to make substantial savings through; less enforcement on the prohibition of marijuana both regarding human capital and financial resources needed (Calfas, 2017). Secondly, to effectively eliminate the use of the herb, it necessitates the government to invest in the mechanisms of detecting and chasing herb traffickers. As such, with legalization government will need fewer infrastructures to support the fight against the weed. Also, many people have been jailed for handling marijuana, but when it is legalized, the government is set to save as there will be less incarceration of marijuana-related offenses (Fournier, 2018).
Counter-Argument
However, the legalization of marijuana in Canada is likely to have some negative effects as well. Marijuana has positive impacts both on medicinal and recreational uses provided that it is used moderately. If it used inappropriately, the herb could have negative effects on an individual and society. There is likely danger that legalization will increase the use of weed throughout all age indiscriminately. The availability and easy accessibility of the herb will allow consumption without control even to minors, which is likely to cause dependency among the users leading to addiction (Downer, Cooper " Faseruk, 2018: Lake " Kerr, 2017). With increased use, it is probable that social issues such as crime and moral decay will arise. These social ills are expected to disrupt the social order.
Disputing the Counter-Argument
Nonetheless, these negative effects emanating from the legalization of marijuana can be avoided by formulating a thorough and well-thought-out plan. Legalization of the herb would be the largest public policy shift Canada has undergone in recent past (Lake " Kerr, 2017). Such far-reaching policy ought to be implemented after careful consideration of implications to ensure that it does not come against the health of Canadians. Subsequently, policymakers are expected to create an approach that keeps the weed away from minors (Downer, Cooper " Faseruk, 2018). This approach can be enhanced by educating the public on the proper and responsible use to reduce negative effects and promote positive ones. Such an informative campaign would create awareness among Canadian about the dangers of herb misuse and usage of minors. Thus, a thorough and well-thought policy can be built on better insights, learned from countries or states that have already legalized marijuana.
Conclusion
It is clear that the legalization of marijuana in Canada is accompanied by numerous advantages that outweigh its disadvantages. With legalization, marijuana can have a huge positive impact on the treatment of illnesses, on jobs created in Canada and on government spending and revenues. Canada has the chance to be a world leader in the cannabis industry. With proper planning and insight from other areas that have legalized marijuana, Canada can be the perfect example of what it is like to end the prohibition of marijuana.
References
Calfas, J. (June 2017). How Colorado’s Booming Marijuana Industry is Helping Fight Homelessness and Drug Addiction. Retrieved from http://time.com/money/4801768/colorado-marijuana-industry-tax-revenue/
Downer, P., Cooper, T., " Faseruk, A. (2018). Accounting, Taxation, and Auditing Issues Following the Legalization of Recreational Marijuana in Canada: Learning from the American Experience. Journal of Accounting " Finance
(2158-3625), 18(6).
Fournier, C. (September 2018). Marijuana will add $8 billion to Canada’s economy – at least on paper, TD says. Financial Post. Retrieved from https://business.financialpost.com/cannabis/marijuana-to-boost-canadas-2019-gdp-at-least-on-paper-td-says
Lake, S., " Kerr, T. (2017). The challenges of projecting the public health impacts of marijuana legalization in Canada: comment on" Legalizing and regulating marijuana in Canada: Review of potential economic, social, and health impacts". International Journal of Health Policy and Management
6(5), 285.
Railton, D. (August 2018). Marijuana: Good or bad? Medical News Today. Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320984.php
Reith, T. (2017, November 3). Legalized marijuana presents the opportunity of a lifetime for Canadian Entrepreneurs. CBC News. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canada-cannabis-greenrush-1.4383010
