For and Against the Legalization of Marijuana - Research Paper Example

?The Argument For and Against the Legalization of Marijuana As the American economy continues to face a downward spiral and people lose their jobs, new sources of tax revenue and income for the population have become a priority for the government. The public and the government are both looking into new ways and opportunities of increasing the financial earning capacity of both the individual and the government. Somehow, the government has failed to realize that there is a huge untapped market for employment and tax revenue in the Marijuana growth and sales industry. The naysayers believe that Marijuana should never be declared a legal substance because of its addictive effects. However, there is very little evidence to prove the claims of negative effects of Marijuana on a person. The purpose of this paper is to discuss both sides of the issue while championing the side of legalized Marijuana sale and use based upon factual evidence from highly reputable newspaper and similar sources. Let me start off this discussion with the beliefs of the naysayers. Marijuana has always been listed as an illegal drug. This classification means that Marijuana, even when used for medical purposes will cause an addiction among its users. More so if people are allowed open access to the drug from an early age. Those who are opposed to the legalization of Marijuana continue to do so even if there are claims of medical benefits from its use. According to these people, there have not been any significant clinical studies to prove that the plant actually has any medical benefits that will aid a patient during his healing process (“In Our Opinion: Marijuana Should Not Be Made Legal”). So their argument is that the claims of medicinal use for the plant are baseless and are merely debate points that the supporters of the legalization of Marijuana use in a futile attempt to get Marijuana declared legal, at least for medicinal purposes. The opinion of the naysayers is that even as a medicinal drug, Marijuana has the ability to have debilitating effects upon the user. In the Netherlands, a study showed that 50 % of the patients with psychosis are Marijuana users. While there is a 4.5 chance that heavy users will develop psychosis. Even as the medical content of Marijuana, known as CBD or Cannibol shows some promise of being an effective medicinal tool to some extent, it is important to remember that Marijuana is still considered a criminal drug and as such may cause serious side effects (“Marijuana Shouldn't be Legalized”). Due to the ease that accompanies the cultivation of Marijuana, it is readily available, which is the major factor in the drug being the most highly abused in the United States. It is this sort of addiction that produced a great cost that resulted in the prohibition of Marijuana. Readily available information dictates that: Marijuana is currently the leading cause of substance dependence other than alcohol in the U.S. In 2008, marijuana use accounted for 4.2 million of the 7 million people aged 12 or older classified with dependence on or abuse of an illicit drug. This means that about two thirds of Americans suffering from any substance use disorder are suffering from marijuana abuse or marijuana dependence (“Why We Should Not Legalize Marijuana”). . Contrary to the opinion of those who support the medical legalization of Marijuana, the drug can actually be more dangerous than the cure. Since Marijuana actually contains a higher level of toxins than regular cigarettes due to the pure form that it is smoked in, a single joint can have the same harmful effect as smoking five cigarette sticks. It also activates cancer causing agents within the body of the user in the case of non-cancerous users. Aside from the fact that Marijuana is a carrier for the Kaposis Sarcoma disease, regular pot users also find themselves with a higher rate of lung destruction that a regular cigarette smoker (Enyart, Bob “Why Marijuana Should Be Illegal”). The prohibition of Marijuana can be compared to the prohibition of alcohol back during the day. Just like alcohol, there is still a clamor from the public for Marijuana because the item continues to exist in an illicit manner. Thus making its possession and use a thrilling adventure for the user. Will he get caught? Won't he get caught? Whatever the outcome, Marijuana provides a thrill that cannot be compared to any legal substance available to our society. Another strong argument in opposition to the legalization of Marijuana, its effects upon the user, and its accompanying results is that it should be considered to be part of a problem behavior within our society that, for as long as the substance remains illegal, will be addressed by the government rather than ignored, which would happen if the drug is legalized. Although there are some solid arguments in opposition to the legalization of Marijuana, the fact remains that there are increasing benefits to be found from its legalization. That is why quite a number of U.S. states have already placed the question of its legalization to a ballot vote. The results of which are normally supportive of the legalization of the substance. For starters, the prohibition of Marijuana has not had the desired effects. The Cannabis plant continues to be cultivated as a backyard industry. Remember that the plant itself is not illegal, only the final product of the plant is. For over 75 years, the the government has been trying to eliminate this drug from society. Yet 25 million people use Marijuana annually. Cannabis has even become the largest cash crop in the United States with Marijuana growing world wide. Obviously, the industry is on its way to the mainstream and the only way the government can have any hope of regulating the substance is by legalizing its growth and sale so that proper government regulations and intervention schemes can be set into place. By legalizing the cultivation, processing, and sale of Marijuana, the government will also be able to prevent the unnecessary deaths that accompany the illicit drug trade. An age limit can be put into place in order to ensure the least exposure of the under-aged to the item. Government educational programs regarding the use of Marijuana may also be launched, similar to the anti-cigarette campaign of the government. As America faces the problem of inflation and outflow of U.S. dollars from companies that have overseas operations, legalizing Marijuana will ensure that the money that illegally goes to drug cartels will no longer happen. The money that the government can gain from the sale of the now regulated substance will go a long way in helping to stabilize the state and national economy of the country. By taxing the sale of Marijuana rather than jailing the users, pushers, and cultivators, taxes can be collected from the sales that will result in extra funding for various government programs It would also appear that there are other ways in which the Marijuana plant can be used by the country since Canada and other European countries have already discovered a way to use the hemp plant as an alternative source of fuel. Thus making the illegal substance a very valuable agricultural produce (10 Reasons Marijuana Should Be Legal”). When one thinks of Marijuana, what immediately comes to mind is the jail time involved when one is caught in possession of or trafficking the substance. By criminalizing Marijuana, our government has created a never ending penalty system that costs the country millions of dollars every year without actually serving to eradicate or even control the spread of pot. The government is a dismal failure in this respect and our tax dollars continue to pay for their failure to deliver on their promise to eradicate the illicit trading of the substance. That is why the government should simply view all topics related to Marijuana in the same respect that they treated the prohibition of alcohol and gambling. Rather can constantly placing the users and pushers in jail to serve time, it would be best to simply play the game and take what they can from the earnings of the trade just as the Internal Revenue Services does with the sales of alcohol, gambling winnings, and cigarette sales as well. Tele-evangelist Pat Robertson said it best: I really believe we should treat marijuana the way we treat beverage alcohol... If people can go into a liquor store and buy a bottle of alcohol and drink it at home legally, then why do we say that the use of this other substance is somehow criminal? (qtd. in the Associated Press). Let us make one thing clear, the opponents of Marijuana legalization do so because they believe that it causes accidental deaths in the same manner that a person can overdose on barbiturates. That is not the case when it comes to the use of Marijuana. Records show that there has not been a Marijuana related death to have ever been posted. However, 38, 329 people died from drug overdoses in 2010 with 60% of those death prescription drug related. While another 25, 692 persons died from alcohol related causes during the same year (Jacques, Renee & Van Luling, Todd “This is Why Marijuana Should Be Legal Everywhere”). Marijuana does not carry a high risk for abuse even though it is listed as a Schedule 1 Substance by the Drug Enforcement Agency. It has been listed that way for the past 70 years due to some misleading words used to describe the substance in 1970 by then Assistant Secretary of Health Roger O. Egeberg who made the recommendation based upon the following statement: Since there is still a considerable void in our knowledge of the plant and effects of the active drug contained in it, our recommendation is that marijuana be retained within schedule 1 at least until the completion of certain studies now underway to resolve the issue (qtd. in Gupta). Marijuana has in effect, been dealt a bum deal because there were no further scientific studies that could clearly explain the positive and negative effects of the plant and its chemical components. Let us look at the facts: We now know that while estimates vary, marijuana leads to dependence in around 9 to 10% of its adult users. By comparison, cocaine, a schedule 2 substance "with less abuse potential than schedule 1 drugs" hooks 20% of those who use it. Around 25% of heroin users become addicted (Gupta, Sanjay “Why I Changed My Mind on Weed”). Medical Marijuana is also not something that is new to the field of medical science. It has been in use since 1840 as a treatment for neuralgia, convulsive disorders, and emaciation to name but a few of the illnesses on record as having used Marijuana to treat the condition. According to Dr. Gupta, only 6 % of the current studies on medical Marijuana as designed to look into the cure that the substance holds while the rest of the study is meant to look specifically for the harm that it can do. It can be highly difficult to properly study the effects of Marijuana in both a social and medical setting because of the ban that is placed upon it. In order to complete these studies, there needs to be access to the substance. As of October 22, 2013, a Gallup Poll result showed that 58% of the American population now supports the legalization of Marijuana (Swift, Art “For the First Time, Americans Favor Legalizing Marijuana”). This poll result supports the overwhelming support for the same in a local government scale with over 20 States and the District of Columbia also agreeing to the need to legalize Marijuana if only for the medical research involved in it. Dr. Gupta gives us reason to hope that our government wakes up and realizes the missed opportunities that the ban on Marijuana has caused the country. To quote the CNN resident physician: Looking forward, I am especially intrigued by studies like those in Spain and Israel looking at the anti-cancer effects of marijuana and its components. I'm intrigued by the neuro-protective study by Lev Meschoulam in Israel, and research in Israel and the United States on whether the drug might help alleviate symptoms of PTSD. I promise to do my part to help, genuinely and honestly, fill the remaining void in our knowledge (Gupta, Sanjay “Why I changed My Mind On Weed”). It is truly starting to look like the government will eventually have to cave in and support the decision of the majority of the people when it comes to the moves relating to the legalization of the growth and sale of Marijuana across the United States. Works Cited Associated Press. “Pat Robertson: Marijuana Should Be Legal”. CBS News. cbsnews.com. 8 Mar. 2012. Web. 29 Nov. 2013. Enyart, Bob. “Why Marijuana Should Be Illegal”. Denver. huffingtonpost.com. 19 Mar. 2012. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. Gupta, Sanjay. “Why I Changed My Mind on Weed”. CNN. cnn.com. 9 Aug. 2013. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. “In Our Opinion: Marijuana Should Not Be Made Legal”. Deseret News. deseretnewscom. 10 Oct. 2013. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. Jacques, Renee & Van Luing, Todd. “This Is Why Marijuana Should be Declared Legal Everywhere”. Politics. hiffingtonpost.com. 24 Oct. 2013. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. “Marijuana Should Not Be Legalized”. umassmedia.com. umassmedia.com. 6 Nov. 2013. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. Swift, Art. “For the First Time, Americans Favor Legalizing Marijuana”. gallupcom. gallup.com. 22 Oct. 2013. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. “Ten Reasons Marijuana Should Be Legal”. High Times. hightimes.com. 3 Oct. 2013. Web. 29 Nov. 2013. “Why We Should Not Legalize Marijuana”. cnbc.com. cnbc.com. 20 Apr. 2010. Web. 27 Nov 2013. Read More