Pros And Cons Of Legalizing Marijuana

The debate surrounding legalization of marijuana is between those who are for its legalization and those who are against its legalization. As seen in recent elections there is a relatively even split of those who are for its legalization and those who against it. For those states who proposed the legalization of recreational marijuana use, the law was only passed by a small margin. For example the law was passed in Massachusetts by a vote of 53.6% of people voting yes and 46.6% of people voting No. The law was passed by in even smaller margin in Maine with 50.2% of people voting yes and 49.8% of people voting no. If these election results are representative of the general population than there is an approximately equal amount of supporters

Each side of the debate carries its pros and cons. From the point of view that marijuana should be legalized, one pro is that there are known medical uses for the substance that have significantly improved the lives of individuals. For example, patients have benefited from the use of medical marijuana to reduce nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy treatments, reduce ocular pressure from glaucoma, and treat neuropathic pain and spasticity in multiple sclerosis. The legalization of the drug would allow further research to be developed for their treatments and possibly explore other therapeutic uses. This research could also lead to a greater understanding of possible adverse health effects, which would be useful in educating the general public. Currently, it is difficult to collect research about the therapeutic uses because the federal government lists the drug as a schedule one substance, indicating that is has no medical use. Another pro that accompanies the legalization of marijuana is the revenue collected by the government and the increased regulation of the substance. Data suggests that marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug with 18.1 million americans aged 12 and older report using the drug within the past month. If all of these users

It has already been seen in states that have legalized marijuana use that the perceived risk of the substance greatly decreases. This can be a very dangerous misconception as some adverse health effects of marijuana have already been observed. Some of these health effects include lung damage when smoked, tar from cannabis actually smoke contains higher concentrations of carcinogens than tar rom cigaret smoke. Cannabinoids have also been found to suppress the immune system and increase the risk of bacterial and viral infections. Another con that accompanies the legalization of marijuana is the potential for an increase in driving related instances by individuals under the influence of marijuana. Marijuana is known to decrease reaction time as a result of a lacking awareness and alertness of all surroundings. These effects would cause significant impairment in driving