Marijuana Legalization and Criminal Justice - Research Paper Example

Marijuana use is an important social, economic, and health issue in the United States as it is arguably subject to abuse and has been linked to crime and deviance. This research paper is therefore important for identifying whether or not alternative responses to the social, economic, and health issues linked to marijuana may be more appropriate. This research paper, therefore, proposes to identify the social, economic, and health issues linked to the abuse of marijuana and whether or not the cost of decriminalizing marijuana is proportionate to these issues.
I chose this topic because I have personally observed friends who use marijuana regularly. Some of these friends function no differently than friends who do not use marijuana. Some of these friends however appear to be lackadaisical and unmotivated and do not function productively. I found the disparity in my friends’ functioning interesting and wondered if the different reactions to marijuana use influence the controversy over whether or not marijuana use should be controlled by legislation.
This research is conducted by a review of the literature on the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana and the literature on social, economic, and health consequences of marijuana use. This research also includes a qualitative case study in which I conducted semi-structured interviews of marijuana users with a view to determining their expenditures, their functioning, and whether or not they would purchase marijuana if they had to pay taxes on it. The results of the qualitative case study and its implications for the issue of legalizing marijuana are discussed.
An increase in marijuana use during the 1990s has given way to an intensification of the debate on the legalization of marijuana (Strang, Wilton, & Hall, 2000). Proponents in favor of legalizing marijuana argue that marijuana is harmless when used as a recreational drug and has therapeutic/medicinal value. Opponents of legalizing marijuana argue, however, that marijuana should remain a banned substance since its use is harmful to personal health and to public safety (Strang, et. al., 2000).
In more recent times the debate over the legalization of marijuana gained increasing currency with the medical community’s involvement. Within the medical community, there was sufficient recognition of the medicinal value of marijuana to persuade some states to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes. Medicinal marijuana is said to be an effective therapy for pain, nausea, and vomiting linked to chemotherapy, excessive weight loss in AIDS patients and can help patients tolerate the side effects of some conventional treatments. Convinced of its medical value, between 1996 and 2000, seven states enacted legislation making marijuana a legal alternative to medicinal treatment therapy (Clark, 2000).