The legalized used of marijuana by Washington and Colorado, shows that there are states in the United States that are willing to go against federal laws. Marijuana by federal law is still illegal in the United States, but two states have decided to go against federal law and have the voters decide if it should be legalized. This legalization shows that society does have an influence when it comes to public policy and we are allowing people to have a substance that can cause them to act irresponsibly. I live in the state of Colorado and have seen how it can change the way people act and also how they handle situations. Nearly daily there is a news report about someone doing something and there is suspect drug use that may have caused their …show more content…
A general definition is individuals continuing to use a substance despite it having negative consequence that can cause health problems, difficulties in their family, work, and social life, along with financial and legal problems (Martin, 2014). With marijuana being legalized in two states it is going to make treatment more difficult in those states due to there is no punishment for using the substance unless a crime is committed. This is going to lead to more people not getting the treatment that they need to be able to function and live a normal life. With individuals being able to get marijuana in Colorado and Washington it will require human service professions to become more versed on substance abuse and how to do with those that are not willing to accept that they have a substance abuse problem. This is all going to make the treatment process more difficult and lead to the field of substance abuse treatment having to step back and allow the marijuana use to happen. This legalized use of marijuana is going to make it more difficult for those that try to help others control a substance abuse issue when the state they live in says they can legally use the