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Arguments For Legalizing Marijuana

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The legalization of marijuana, for both medical and medicinal reasons, was prominent in the November 8, 2016 national election. Four states out of the five that had it on the ballot legalized the use of marijuana for recreational purposes. Three states voted to legalize medicinal marijuana, and one state (Montana) voted to reduce restrictions that were previously with their medical marijuana laws. In total, thirty states now have laws legalizing the use of marijuana for medical or recreational purposes.1¬¬¬¬ In Oklahoma, a state with a long standing tradition of very traditional and conservative voting, voters passed a bill decriminalizing2 simple drug possession as well as some property crimes from a felony to a misdemeanor.3 These election …show more content…

A creative controversy explores the opposing sides of a controversy and asks a critical thinker to pay equal attention to all points made in the argument. The controversy addressed in this exercise is whether or not legalizing the use of marijuana in the United States is beneficial in regards to health, cost, and society in general. In researching this project, I used the Oklahoma City Community College library database “Opposing Viewpoints” as a resource. The arguments for and against the legalization of marijuana are summarized in bullet point format below. The argument for the legalization of marijuana used for the purposes of this assignment is, “Marijuana Should Be Fully Legalized, Not Just Decriminalized”. The source of this viewpoint is data compiled by the Drug Policy Alliance. The Drug Policy Alliance is a national advocacy leader of drug law reform that is grounded in science, compassion, health and human …show more content…

The government will have to pay for regulating both the legal and illegal markets.
• Legalization and taxation of marijuana would lead to a decrease in the retail price of the drug, which will increase usage. The conclusion of this viewpoint is that legalization will increase usage of marijuana and therefore the associated health hazards and costs. There will be no benefit to tax income because this income is insignificant in comparison with the related health and regulation costs.
My own opinion:
• Cannabis oil has proven medical benefits and the possible addictive nature of this drug should not eliminate its use in treatment of certain conditions.5
• Before recreational marijuana should be legalized, I believe that a roadside test should be available to law enforcement officers. A brief literature search indicates that tests are in development but not fully functional or dependable.
• I do not believe that legalization of marijuana will affect the illegal drug trade and associated violence. Criminals are resourceful and other drugs will be sold.
• Legal access to marijuana might reduce the number of people currently addicted to

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As Washington, Colorado, and other states have begun to push legislation to legalize marijuana, experts and editors around the country have expressed their opinions. One such editor for Town Hall magazine, Josh Hawkins, expressed his concern towards the legalization of marijuana in an article titled “5 Reasons why marijuana should remain illegal.” Hawkins begins his article by asking how we, as a society, have labeled cigarette smokers as “pariahs,” yet people smoking weed gain the praise of many. He then proceeds to present five arguments of why marijuana should remain illegal. Hawkins cites mental health, along with crime as reasons to keep marijuana illegal.

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Topics discussed also include what social or economic effects that decriminalization of marijuana has had on the United States society. The heated-debate situation of marijuana today mainly results from the discrepancy between federal laws and state laws. By analyzing different laws, we can gain an insight into why marijuana is legal today in most states. Also by looking at the social and economic consequences of marijuana legalization in certain states, we can better understand why other states still consider marijuana illegal. This article provides a different and unique angle to explore the research topic by comparing legislative difference among laws.

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Many in favor of legalization would state that marijuana has minimal health risks, is not addictive, can treat many major illnesses. One interesting statistics suggests that the legalization of medical marijuana actually lowers the abuse or experimentation of marijuana use in youth. Also, legalization of marijuana in all states suggests an overall decline in crime rates. One can assume that legalization would provide necessary medical treatments for those who need it, less abuse of marijuana use, and a lower crime rate involving drugs. It has been said that marijuana is safer than many other drugs that are already legalized, and marijuana has never killed anyone from an overdose.

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Marijuana Madness States around the country, more than 20 in total, have legalized medical marijuana. In 2000, Hawaii legalized the distribution of medical marijuana for Hawaii’s patients. The issue now, is whether or not the drug itself will become legalized to be used without medical consent. Many commoners, professionals, and large corporations believe it would better the lives and health for some individuals if they were able to access the drug legally. The government should repeal the ban on marijuana in Hawaii for the sake of people’s health, to treat patients, and to cure sickness.

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Final Paper Scott Gebhard PHI 103: Informal Logic Instructor Joel VanZanten June 16, 2018 Final Paper The debate around legalizing the use of marijuana for recreational purposes has taken place for many decades. Many politicians and American citizens believe that marijuana is a harmful substance that has the capacity to lead towards heavier drug abuse, however, other's think the substance is harmless and beneficial towards maneuvering through life's circumstances. Marijuana, alongside alcohol, has been labeled harmful and destructive since the 1920's. One example of this is Nancy Regan's 1986 Just Say No campaign that was created to raise drug abuse awareness.

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Legalization can lower the crime rate. Not to mention that marijuana is an affordable alternative for those seeking it for medical purposes. In the same sentiment the health benefits of marijuana have surpassed the expectations of even the most skeptical. To end, the taxing of recreational use will impact our public schools significantly in a positive way. The children of the future deserve any chance for success.

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Legalizing Marijuana Nationally: Is it Worth It? Marijuana, also known as "Cannabis" or "Weed", is a highly addictive drug created by the leaves of the hemp plant. The use of this has been around for decades, but has only recently come to the attention of the people of our nation as this once illegal drug has already been legalized in some form in twenty-three states in the United States, with Colorado being the only state where marijuana is completely legal (Harkinson, 2014). The debate on whether it is a good idea to legalize this drug or to not legalize this drug is still ongoing as the remaining states decide whether or not to legalize marijuana.

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Ending Prohibition Since 1951 the federal government has prohibited the production or consumption of marijuana. In 2012 two states challenged this policy by instating legislation that legalized recreational marijuana use in their states. These two states, Washington and Colorado, have reopened the marijuana legalization debate, and Americans are questioning the current federal policy regarding marijuana. The U. S. government should follow these states and legalize marijuana for recreational use despite the minor health drawbacks for the economic benefits correlated with legalization. Unlike the famed 1980’s anti-drug campaign in featuring a fried egg with the catchphrase “this is your brain on drugs” recent research, including the research published in the National Academy of Sciences report Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base (1999), comes to the conclusion that “moderate use of marijuana produces no serious, long-term consequences for individuals or for the general society” (Newton).

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Against the Legalization of Marijuana There so many different names for cannabis, which is a drug that send THC into your body and gets you high’, like ganja, reefer,gas.and so many other terms. What most people call it and the term I am choosing to use is Marijuana. For years we have been fight fight the war on drug. Marijuana like any other drugs and like alcohol can have poor effect on your physical health as well as your mental. Keep marijuana illegal is a battle that we have dealt with for years and to this day continue to deal with this problem.

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1326 Words | 6 Pages

As a nation we have come to point where we must take a unified stand on the issue of marijuana. Since 1937 the drug has been deemed illegal by the U.S. government but over the best decade, people have been pushing for the decriminalization of the cannabis plant. As a non drug user, i have researched the internet in search of unbiased information regarding the drugs health, economic, and crime influences on society. The fruits of my labor have brought me to the undisputable conclusion that our continued restriction on possession and use of the drug not only violates the liberties of U.S. citizens, but it also is costing Americans Billions of dollars, and something, our lives.

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Today the demands are changing in different states. In States such as Colorado and Washington, marijuana has been legalized for recreational use. This move raised several questions as far as decriminalization of marijuana is concerned. Besides portraying the US in a bad light, legalization of marijuana for recreation increases the risk of developing mental problems, increases government expenditure on public health, jeopardizes the future of children, and is a gateway to other dangerous drugs. Increased health problems and public health expenditure-

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al., 2017). Many believe that legalization of marijuana could lessen the prisons capacities, decrease racial difference in arrests, increase tax revenue and create new employment (McGinty et. al., 2017). I see the legalization of marijuana as harmful, creating damaging public health consequences, like the potential for our adolescent’s health to be in jeopardy or the increase in marijuana impaired driving incidents. I believe this would produce a world similar to the alcohol and tobacco industries, which puts making money before the concerns of our public’s health (McGinty et.

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The topic of this controversial essay will be about is the legalization of marijuana. I will be advocating for the legalization of marijuana. The legalization of marijuana is so controversial because it was outlawed in the past, but now people are discovering new things it could do and wish to have it legalized once again. The legalization of marijuana can offer medical benefits, generate a lot of tax money, and decreases prisoner space. The legalization of marijuana can offer many health benefits.

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This subject has been debated numerous times over the past few years. People’s points of view and researches about the topic have varied greatly. Some people believe that marijuana should be legalized, while the rest feel should stay prohibited. Proponents of marijuana argue that there are numerous medical benefits and that the drug is not more harmful than tobacco or alcohol. On the other hand, opponents argue that marijuana is too dangerous; its legalization would increase the chances of the drug falling into the hands of teens and that marijuana use often progresses to the use of more dangerous drugs like heroin and cocaine.

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However from the information that I have gathered from many different articles and news pages, the legalization of marijuana would not only be majorly beneficial to the medical field but it would be an excellent boost for our economy by better spending our money on things that matter. Like repairing our schools, and

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