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Legalizing Marijuana Political Ideology

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Social control theory maintains that shared social norms, values, beliefs, and commitments encourage conformity (Siegel, 2012). This theory relates to the significance of political ideologies in relation to the legalization of marijuana because the Democratic Party and the Republican Party share different values and beliefs in regards to legalizing marijuana. Depending on what values and beliefs an individual or group of people share in regards to legalizing marijuana has the potential to determine which political party and ideology they support.
Methodology
The preceding review of the literature informs the following research hypothesis of the present study: The more liberal a state is the more likely the state is to vote to legalize medical …show more content…

This review will discuss the literature on the effect of political ideology on public policy. It will then discuss research on the change in attitudes and policy on marijuana and then research on the politics of changes in marijuana policy. As of March 2017, 28 states have legalized medical marijuana and 8 states and the District of Colombia have legalized marijuana for recreational use. According to the Pew Research Center, the most common reasons for supporting legalizing marijuana are its medicinal benefits (41%) and the belief that marijuana is no worse than other drugs, specifically alcohol (36%) (Smith, 2014). In the most recent election year, four states including California, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Maine, passed ballot initiatives legalizing marijuana for recreational use. This is significant because now one in five Americans live in a state where the recreational use of marijuana has been legalized (Robinson, …show more content…

The use of marijuana is most common among young people (“Marijuana,” 2017). The mental and physical effects of marijuana contribute to the controversy over legalizing marijuana. Marijuana has proven to have both short-term and long-term effects on the human brain. When an individual smokes marijuana, the chemical compound in cannabis called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. However, if an individual eats marijuana in the form of an edible the THC is absorbed more slowly. The THC reacts with specific brain cell receptors and stimulates the parts of the brain that contains high numbers of these receptors. This reaction causes the “high” associated with marijuana and the effects can include “altered senses, altered sense of time, changes in mood, impaired body movement, difficulty with thinking and problem-solving, and impaired memory” (“Marijuana,” 2017). Some of the debated long-term effects include stunted brain development, and a decline in thinking, memory, and learning

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With the pressure to legalize marijuana rise for government officials, protesters argue that decriminalizing marijuana would help society and benefit the people living in the Unites States. In states that have already legalized marijuana, it has been documented and proven that marijuana usage has been higher than before legalization, even if the consequences were very severe (“Marijuana Decriminalization”). If people are so highly dedicated to continuingcontinue using marijuana, even with their lives and future at stake, what could stop them? Marijuana has been proven to be a “gateway” drug, therefore, if marijuana were to be legalized, eventually other harmful substances could be legalized as well causing many deaths and various forms of

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Too much of this drug can cause (THC damaging brain cell receptors): change in senses, changes in mood, uneven body movement, problems with thinking and solving problems, and damaged memory. It also has many health effects which include: paranoia and hallucinations, breathing problems, and fetus’s brain might get damaged while in their mother’s womb. The depressant Cannabis intoxicates the person in specific ways. Its intoxication causes a person to relax but sometimes could have serious side effects. Smoking pot has faster signs and symptoms than eating it.

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The legalization of marijuana in America has been a major topic of discussion for many years. Recently, more talk about the government and society’s acceptance of the drug has increased in the household and in the government. Many American schools taught and continue to teach the belief that Marijuana is a gateway drug that will lead to risky behavior and a ruined life. On the contrary, a growing idea in many Americans is that marijuana use is not actually as bad as the first group believes and it is often either not harmful or even beneficial in some cases. Because most Americans hold one of these two very different ideals and often won’t alter their position, it has been hard for the government to know how to best protect and represent the people.

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In the last decade, the United States has seen a lot of political debates, and one of the biggest is marijuana legalization. Around twenty seven states have either passed a law allowing medical marijuana or legalizing it over all. With so many states doing it, the main question is why not legalize it federally? Well because of the republicans. According to business insider, fifty five percent of republicans oppose it, as compared to the sixty six percent of democrats who want it legalized.

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