Marijuana Ethical Issues

Marijuana, or weed, is the dried leaves and female flowers of the hemp plant, used in cigarette form as a narcotic or hallucinogen. In basic terms, weed is a plant that people can use to get high by smoking or ingesting it. This subject has always been a big controversy in American because, even though one-third of Americans have tried marijuana before, it is still illegal in twenty-five out of the fifty states. William Bennett, America’s first “drug czar” (1989-1991), was a huge advocate from United States drug policy all on the grounds that “drug use is wrong” and since the moral argument is the most compelling that was the end of it. However, since morality is subjective in this instance, we’re going to be taking a closer look into this

In 2015, it was discovered that 49% of 8th -12th grade students smoke marijuana recreationally, so it is obvious that this generation can’t possibly view marijuana use to be illegal when half of them are using it. It is common knowledge that the older generations of Americans view marijuana as a “gateway drug,” but there is no factual basis for this argument. It actually all depends on what drug is the most possible in the area where a person lives. For example, where I live the most common drug is heroine, so it is more common to see young people addicted to heroine than smoking marijuana. When it comes to marijuana, young people usually use it recreationally because its main benefit is the pleasure it brings. Not only is it greatly relaxing, but it also makes sensory indulgences (eating, listening to music, watching movies, sex etc.) feel even better. So, taking all these things into account and placing them in front of the lens of the ethical perspective of the Utilitarians, is there really a reason for marijuana to be illegal? The Utilitarian perspective is, in simple terms, about how things cant be judged based on morality but on “pros and cons.” So if the American youth are using marijuana recreationally, even with the threat of jail, due to all the pros then what’s the real

The government has to be in a really difficult situation when it comes to marijuana because I am choosing to believe that there is no way possible that they aren’t aware of the very long list of pros (medical use, recreational use, increase in tax revenue, and decrease in enforcement costs, less harmful than both alcohol and cigarettes) and the comparatively short list of cons (slight decrease in productivity, increase in driving while high, consequences for the 700,000 arrested and 44,000 incarcerated for marijuana related charges). When looking at the big picture however, it has to be considered that a huge decision like that could really split America as a whole. Although there are a lot of Americans that believe there is no moral issue with marijuana, and there are many that have no opinion, there are also many that believe marijuana use is completely immoral. So when making a decision like this, the government has to consider their own personal blowback. So, taking all these things into account and placing them in front of the lens of the ethical perspective of the Utilitarians, is there really a reason for marijuana to be