Pros And Cons Of Decriminalizing Marijuana

The decriminalization of marijuana would be able to go two routes. First, the federal government can choose to decriminalize the drug from a Schedule 1 drug thus lowering punishments, fines, and jail time. Second, the State can choose to decriminalize the offense when a person is found in possession. This would allow local jurisdictions to handle infractions given to offenders with small amounts used for personal consumption. By decriminalizing offenders could be punished but would not earn a criminal record. Currently, “twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have decriminalized small amounts of marijuana.” (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2016) The twenty-one states that have passed bills to decriminalize marijuana have

However, the bills are still rejected in many states. This is a small step to gaining ground on federally outlawed drugs.

Although decriminalization is beneficial to the people and is gaining ground in so many states, it does not change the fact the decriminalization still has its cons. The biggest problem with decriminalization at the State level is that there is still a penalty. People still get fined and minimal or no jail time. They still have to go to court even though it is a minor offense. It does not solve the problem with the use of medical marijuana. However, if the Federal government were to downgrade the Schedule 1 drug to Schedule 2 it would still be classified as having high potential for abuse but it is considered available for medical use in treatments and can be prescribed under close restrictions. This would be a big win for the people seeking care through the use of medical marijuana. It would eliminate

With presidential elections, presidential candidates tend to play to the masses to get the electoral vote. In the case of medical marijuana, the Democratic Party has primarily always been against the legalization. The Republican Party generally supports the legalization. During the 2016 elections there are have been a multiple statements mention by the presidential candidates in regards to the legalization of marijuana. President-elect, Donald Trump has made his statements supporting the war on drugs. Stating, “We’re losing badly the war on drugs. You have to legalize drugs to win that war. You have to take the profit away from these drug czars,” this statement was not indicative of support of medical marijuana, but was seen as a step forward in the reform of marijuana. Hillary Clinton was said to not have accepted a proposed donation from the National Cannabis Industry however, she gave a statement that medical marijuana being granted in cases of extreme medical conditions. Having a President that supports the use of medical marijuana would have a great impact on Congress creating a change. However, the con is that although a presidential candidate makes a proposal to accomplish a solution to the either the rescheduling of a drug, legalizations as a whole, or passing bill through congress, we will never be sure that they would follow through. Even if they did, it is still no guarantee that