Should Marijuana be Legal? Marijuana has been used as a recreational drug since it was first discovered. It has been seen as a safe drug unlike other recreational drugs such as cocaine and heroin. Marijuana does not produce the harmful side effects or complications that other recreational drugs produce. This is why medical marijuana has become popular to treat many medical conditions including cancer. Recently a few states have passed laws making it legal to use marijuana for recreational and medicinal purposes. The passing of these laws has created a national debate over whether or not it should be legal in all states. Marijuana possession and use is viewed as illegal by the federal government even though these states have passed these laws. About ten …show more content…
Notably, the reduction in deaths was present only in states with dispensaries (not just medical marijuana laws) and was greater in states with active dispensaries." In 2016 alone, there was more than 64,000 deaths associated with opioid overdose. Legalizing marijuana could be the answer to this huge epidemic sweeping our nation. Many people argue that marijuana should be illegal because it is a gateway drug and could lead to the use of harder drugs. However, this is untrue and most people do not go on to use harder substances. The main factor in a person's risk for drug use is the environment they live in not just that they have done other drugs. Fact is people start with drugs that are readily available to them such as marijuana and tobacco and from there the social interaction with other drugs increase Thompson 3 their chance of trying harder drugs. If marijuana was available at a local dispensary then people wouldn’t have to hang around the neighborhoods where the harder drugs are