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¶ … Legalization of Marijuana
The growing approval and use of marijuana for medicinal purposes has strengthened the debate as to whether marijuana should be legalized for general use. Eight states now have laws allowing the medical use of marijuana, and territories within Australia and Canada have pass laws legalizing the use of the drug. European countries, such as Switzerland have also passed laws that legalize the use, but in some cases, outlaw the possession of the drug (Joffe et al., 2004). In fact, there are a wide variety of compelling factors that support the legalization of marijuana. Legalization allows for regulation of the substance for medicinal purposes, ensuring that supplies used by the public are not tainted with harmful chemicals. By permitting the use of marijuana governments also have increased potential to reduce the amount of violent crime that often results when drugs are illegalized and trade is driven to an underground or black market. Finally, legalization allows governments the ability to tax the sale of the drug, as is commonly done with cigarettes and alcohol, allowing governments to commit these funds to education, crime diversion, and The potential of addiction to marijuana is low, and the medical benefits of use often outweigh the risks. In fact, one study indicated that about 30% of pediatricians approved of the use of marijuana to treat conditions such as anorexia or multiple sclerosis. Researchers note that smoking tainted marijuana can expose people to harmful chemicals, but it is likely that edible forms of drug don't cause the same harmful effects. By legalizing the use, governments can make sure that the supplies used by people are properly grown and prepared similar to the way our food is regulated for health quality. Legalizing marijuana allows people to use it for medical and recreational reasons without worry about having trouble with the law. This also means that people who supply it would have to follow specific rules about how it is prepared and sold.
Our government currently spends a lot of money and resources enforcing laws against the use of marijuana. People who sell or are found in possession have to go through our jail or court systems, and all of this costs money. There is a good deal of evidence that shows that marijuana is not harmful enough to justify the amount of expenses required to enforce these laws, and changing them would allow the government to use the money and resources to educate young people about harmful drugs and prevent the sale and use of more dangerous substances or materials, such…
References
Joffe et al. (2004) Legalization of Marijuana: potential impact on youth. Pediatrics. Vol. 113 No. 6. pp. e632-e638
Another important aspect of the medical marijuana debate that many people are not recognizing is the potential for additional revenue. States are taxing dispensaries on their sales, and adding much-needed revenue to their coffers. Another writer notes, "Colorado is now the second state, behind California, to tax and regulate medical-marijuana sales, a move that comes on the heels of the Obama administration's decision in October to leave enforcement of laws
One very important aspect related to smoking marijuana concerns the number of deaths reported on an annual basis linked to using other legal and illegal substances. For example, according to the U.S. Bureau of Mortality Statistics, 400,000 Americans die annually as a direct result of smoking cigarettes; 100,000 die prematurely from drinking alcohol; some 20,000 die from abusing legal prescription drugs like Oxycontin, Valium, Percodan, and other drugs prescribed by
Marijuana should be legalized. There is no sensible argument for the ongoing prohibition of marijuana. The prohibition of this plant robs governments of potential tax revenues, diverts spending to the prison industrial complex, leads to racially-biased incarceration rates, and violates America's principle of personal freedom. The counterarguments are rooted in fear, ignore evidence and impose the morality of one group of people on all. It is time to leave the
Marijuana Medical Marijuana: The Interplay between State and Federal Law History of Criminalization The Current War on Drugs Political Issues The legal status of medical marijuana in the United States is something of a paradox. On one hand, federal government has placed a ban on the drug with no exceptions. On the other hand, over one-third of the states have that legalizes the cultivation, distribution, and consumption of the drug for medical purposes. As such, the
Marijuana Legalization Marijuana, also known as marihuana, is a drug that is taken from Cannabis sativa, a hemp plant. It is one of the most frequently used and popular drugs in the world along with caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. The United States of America is one of the world's leading producers of marijuana where it is generally smoked and is also referred to as weed or reefer by the citizens ("marijuana"). Marijuana
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