Marijuana Why Marijuana Should Be Legalized in United States

Marijuana is a plant with extreme strong fragrance, and its dry leaves are an active ingredient of a number of hallucinogenic drugs. The liberty endorsing and preaching societies of the world are still in a fit to either legalize the usage of marijuana or not. The argument that forms the mainstream of the authorization of the usage and legal selling of marijuana in the United States has long been a subject of contention. Health hazards pertaining to the usage of marijuana are a common stance used to justify the illegalization of this drug in United States. The following paper tends to highlight the various aspects that will justify that marijuana should be legalized in the United States.

The most important reason that forms the mainstream of the stance that marijuana should be legalized in the United States is the rational choice theory approach. The rational choice theory argues that individuals make decisions and form preferences on the basis of what suits them and benefits them the most in their own opinion. Opinion is a consequence of one's own apprehensions and benefits. Speaking of this issue in a philosophic manner the point elevates that there has not been any good reason of marijuana being illegal in the United States and as per the liberty concerns of individuals are concern the usage of marijuana is upon the discretion of the individuals the state's intervention does not justify this reality. The fact cannot be isolated that the government and state has no authority to exercise their rights on the individuals but the authority of the state is to prevent the actions taken by individuals that can endanger others. Since the usage of marijuana is concerned the discretion to use it or not to use it is on the independent preference of that individual (Marandino, 1998, p. 18). The role and the responsibility of the state is also to ensure that the individuals are making decision and preferences that are not endangering them, this justifies the state's intervention to restrict and illegalize the usage of marijuana. But the stance further solidifies that the effects and health consequences of marijuana usage are lesser as compared to many legally consumed drugs in United States, including tobacco and alcohol. The question that poses to the legalization claim of marijuana is that why cannot the United States government legalize the consumption of marijuana when more hazardous drugs are freely used and legally consumed?

The marijuana as per the researches has a natural ability to infuse and regulate the appetite of the patients suffering from serious or even fatal diseases. Marijuana is widely recommended for inducing appetite in the patients suffering from AIDs and HIV and hence has a medical basis of legalization. The fact amplifies the stance of argument that marijuana is a natural plant and the utilization of the natural resources should not be posed with the illegalization issues (Bowman, 2001, p. 62).

Another justification of why marijuana should be legalized in the United States is an environmental one. As it has already been mentioned that the marijuana is attained from the dried leaves, this creates a confusing scenario for the cultivation of hemp on wide scale. The fact needs to be acknowledged that that hemp plant is a naturally vulnerable resource and it has been for this reason that this resource is exposed to the threat of extinction. The state hereby needs to hold the responsibility of removing the interrelated misconception, the legalization of marijuana will in fact eradicate the confusion pertaining to hemp and will open the gateways of the to take advantage of hemp's agricultural and industrial uses.

The most important of all is the religious utilization of marijuana. A few religions offer a free passage to its followers for the consumption of marijuana a few occasions. The religions including Christianity and Judaism have been observed to consume marijuana as their religious custom. Some Hindus, Buddhists, Rastafarians, and members of other religions use marijuana as part of their spiritual and religious ceremonies without the abandonment from the religious institutions. The dedicated followers of their religions as per the call of freedom should have a liberty to at least exercise their faiths to the most. The fact has been mentioned in the first amendment of the constitution of the United States that the state holds no absolute right to prohibit the religious freedom of the dwellers at any occasion. This amplifies the stance...

The fact that the utilization of marijuana will reduce in the United States with the legalization of marijuana is due to the reduced exposure of the teenagers in the illegal markets. Crime breeds crime, it is for this reason that by exposing the teenagers in the illegal drug markets they are likely to be attracted by the tons of hazardous drugs that may cost thee valuable lives. It is therefore anticipated that the illegality of the marijuana in the United States enhances the value of this drug as the curiosity factor is unavoidable. This also breeds a serious issue of reselling the marijuana at higher profits among the social circles.
The economy of the United States is also at a verge of profitability in a way that the state may earn the tax on the legal buying and selling of marijuana rather than the illegal inflow of unaccountable money in the economy. Legalizing the usage of marijuana will in turn reduce the outflow of financial assets from the American economy to international illegal and unacceptable factors. This is mainly reported because the illegalization of marijuana makes the smuggling of marijuana in United States profitable for the illegal factors functional outside the border of the United States. The illegal purchase of the marijuana diverts the finances of Unites States to the factors that are hard and costly to trace and at the same time illegal and terroristic in approach ("Conservative Forum," 2002, p. 16.)

By analyzing the major factors that have resulted in the government's approach to regard marijuana as an illegal drug is perhaps mounted on the set of fallacies. The health related dangers and consequences of marijuana are being over emphasized and exaggerated. The modern science anyhow nullifies the facts that have been mounted since centuries about the usage of this substance. This has been acknowledged that the marijuana has a number of health related side affects but the intensity of theses side effects are much less than the other prevalent drugs used in the United States since ages. The mild harshness of the marijuana has no comparison with the harsh common and legal drugs of United States.

Marijuana is not a deadly drug and is far safer than the utilization of alcohol. The scientific facts have already proved the fact that marijuana is a drug of mild harshness and the consumption of marijuana does not yields toxic effects to the human. It has been for this reason that the marijuana is proved not to be addictive in contrast to alcohol and tobacco. This also justifies that the going on an over dosage of marijuana does not seems to be a realistic and possible scenario. Hence if the laws of the United States safeguard the preference of the alcohol and tobacco consumers that it should equally and openly admit the constitutional freedom to consume marijuana legally within the premises of the United States.

From the states point-of-view the illegality of marijuana is causing a high price for the United States to pay. The consumers of marijuana that are detained for the buying and selling of an illegal article as per the constitution of the United States are the citizens and nationals of the United States and are hence the tax payers. The judicial proceedings are causing a hefty sum out of the pocket of the government to ensure that these arrested individuals are treated in an appropriate manner. These individuals should rather be taxed and marijuana should be legalized so that the states money can be utilized in developmental and progressive areas. In the modern world the major concern of the states across the world is to cope with terrorism so the judicial system of the United States has far important concern to look after than just arresting 750,000 individuals a year for marijuana possession, especially given the additional justice costs of disposing of each of these cases ("U.N. Report Rebuts Arguments," 2002, p. A12). This course of action makes the justice expensive and at the same time affects the efficiency of the legal system in United States. Wasting the space in jail and diverting time of police, attorneys, judges, and corrections officials away from violent and fiercer crimes. The…