The Pros And Cons Of Legalizing Marijuana

Controversies on the Viewpoints of Marijuana

Marijuana legalization is a topic that has been discussed for a while. There are at least fourteen states that have passed a law to legalize marijuana for medical purposes and at least a dozen more taking the law into consideration (Hoffmann, 2010). The public has many opinions regarding legalizing marijuana. In 1996, 12% of the public voted to legalize marijuana, but between 2010 and 2013, votes have changed from 12% to 53% in support of legalizing marijuana (Motel, 2015). Marijuana has been in use for a long time, but not for the same reasons today. It was used for medical reasons, textile, and rope for the early colonists (History, 2017). In 1970, marijuana was put in the same drug category as

O'Rourke (2011) said that “in 2009, the United States has arrested 758,593 of its own adult citizens for merely possessing marijuana” (pg.89). Advocates believe that because of the vast amount of arrests, many citizens have lost their chance to become a productive member of society. In this case, legalizing marijuana would lead to fewer arrests for possession of marijuana and society would be more productive. Another argument for marijuana legalization is that the cost of marijuana prohibition is expensive. O'Rourke (2011) said that the cost is “close to $9 billion annually” (pg.92). Thus, reducing that cost would be to legalized marijuana to stop the prohibition costs. An unregulated market makes it easier for a teenager to have access to marijuana because the dealers get to choose who their clients are (O'Rourke,

In the 1800’s cannabis extracts were sold in pharmacies and doctors’ offices because a doctor in India found that marijuana can help relieve stomach pain and vomiting (History, 2017). Marijuana can also be used for chronic pain, neuropathic pain, and spasticity according to Hill (2015). Three hundred and ninety-six patients went through six trials with neuropathic pain and sixteen hundred patients that went through twelve trials on multiple sclerosis, both having a positive outcome, therefore showing that marijuana may be used for medical purposes. Dr. G.o. Ayenigbara (2012) said that “cannabis has a long history of use for medical and health purposes” and that “apart from recreational purposes, cannabis… is useful for the treatment of some chronic diseases which defied medical cure such as HIV/AIDS, Cancer, Asthma etc.” (461). Though many believe that marijuana should be used for medical reasons, there are still many risks for its use. Hill’s point of view is that using marijuana for medical reasons can be scary because it is the most used drug between teens and people in their mid-20’s, which is when the brain is still developing to its final stage (2015). Volkow said in his study on adverse health effects of marijuana use that “The brain remains in a state of active, experience-guided development from the prenatal period through childhood and adolescence until the age of approximately 21