Legalization of Cannabis - Essay Example

Legalization of Cannabis The use of marijuana has been a disputable topic for decades. It has been acknowledged that the public opinion is now changing and people are becoming more positive about the use of the weed. It is noteworthy that at the beginning of the twentieth century Americans did not see marijuana as a dangerous narcotic as they were more concerned about the use of such narcotics as heroine and cocaine (Mann, 1999). However, it is necessary to add that Americans barely heard of marijuana. The war on drugs started and it was said to aim at controlling the drugs though it was a tool to control Mexicans as well as other groups of people, usually minorities (Mann, 1999). Therefore, the weed became criminalized and public opinion was shaped (or rather developed) by the proponents of the War on Drugs. Nevertheless, Galston and Dionne (2013) stress that public opinion is changing dramatically due to a number of reasons. It is possible to provide, at least, three major reasons in support of legalization of marijuana. In the first place, the War on Drugs has been totally inefficient and has been a waste of budget money. Hence, it should be stopped and marijuana should be legalized. It is possible to identify two major features of the war on drugs. Criminalization of marijuana was aimed at controlling marijuana but instead the state started controlling Mexicans and it was also a tool to divide the society into law-abiding (usually white Americans) and outlaws (often minorities) (Mann, 1999). The government has spent millions of dollars on the war but the rate of drug trafficking has been increasing each year. The war has also become rather confusing as some state laws allow people to use and even possess some amounts of this drug while federal laws regard any possession quite a serious offence. Proponents of cannabis criminalization also emphasize that the weed cannot be consumed as it can make people “insane” (Mann, 1999). There have been numerous videos on negative effects of the weed. However, these videos are unlikely to achieve their aim as people (especially youth) tend to rebel against the rules of the society and consumption of marijuana is one of the ways to do that. In other words, the use of marijuana becomes so attractive for the youth because they are simply told not to do that. There are chances that if the issue is addressed properly and young people have extensive information on cannabis, they will choose not to use it or take it only a few times in their lives. Admittedly, the use (and especially abuse) of the weed has a variety of negative effects on people’s health (Svrakic et al., 2012). However, the form of informing people is absolutely ineffective as people tend to perceive anti-marijuana videos as caricatures. It would be more efficient if diverse negative effects are highlighted and people will be able to decide whether they want to risk their health (just like they do when smoking or using alcohol). The second argument in support of marijuana legalization has been slightly touched upon above. Criminalization of marijuana is associated with significant losses of the US budget. On the one hand, the government spends millions to eliminate drug trafficking as well as use of the weed. Numerous agencies have been created and a variety of policies have been launched. At that, lots of these policies were ineffective and were abandoned soon after their launch. For instance, an attempt to examine cars on the Mexican American border was a complete failure as it did not achieve the aim (Mann, 1999). It only led to people’s dissatisfaction and did not discover any significant criminal activities. On the other hand, marijuana is still brought to and produced in the USA in great quantities. People use the drug. The budget loses a lot of money as criminalization of marijuana makes it impossible to impose taxes. Legalization of marijuana would solve this issue as the weed would be sold in drug stores and sellers will pay taxes. When the drug is legalized, traffickers are likely to lose their interest in the business as marijuana will be available to people. Admittedly, people would prefer buying cannabis (which will be certified and free from any chemicals that can appear in uncontrolled sales) from drug stores rather than buying in the street and risking being fined or put behind the bars. The third argument to support marijuana legalization is related to medical issues. First, it has been acknowledged that marijuana relieves pain in patients with chronic diseases and severe health conditions (Svrakic et al., 2012). Clearly, if a person is in constant pain and no other drugs can help, it is humane to let these people use marijuana. At the same time, healthcare professionals will regulate the use of cannabis and possible negative effects of marijuana consumption can be reduced. Of course, those using cannabis will be told about the way to use the drug properly. For instance, they will not be able to drive under marijuana or even leave their house as this may sometimes be dangerous for themselves as the drug may have strong sedative effect. Healthcare professionals will give adequate advice on the use of cannabis and patients will know the necessary dosage and will hardly abuse the drug. Legalization of use of recreational marijuana will also positively affect the society as it will relieve the tension. First, it will be easier to regulate the use of cannabis. People will be able to learn more about possible negative effects and they will be free to ask healthcare professionals about possible contraindication. Thus, even though particular negative effects are still in question, it is already known that people with certain cardiovascular and liver diseases as well as people having HIV should not use marijuana as it deteriorates their health considerably (Svrakic et al., 2012). People will understand which dose is quite safe and which can lead to serious problems with health. Of course, teachers (in collaboration with healthcare professionals) and parents have to tell young people (especially teenagers) about consumption of marijuana and various effects it can have on their health. Basically, availability of transparent information on the weed is crucial. More so, it is possible with legalization only. Mann (1999) shows that politicians and policymakers have been often bound to make decisions based on their desire to gain more votes. Nixon and Carter can be regarded as bright examples of such politicians as both presidents (especially Nixon) were trying to highlight the issue in the light that was suitable for them (Mann, 1999). Thus, media still show the issue from different perspectives and people are quite unable to access precise and truthful information on the use of marijuana. In conclusion, it is possible to note that the use of marijuana should be legalized as the measures to restrict its use have already proved to be ineffective, the US budget loses millions of dollars on inefficient measures (judicial, medical and so on). At the same time, legalization can enable the government of the United States to control the use of cannabis through medical prescriptions sale from drug stores. However, it is necessary to add that legalization should be held alongside with the campaign aimed at educating people about adverse effects of the use of marijuana. Clearly, the campaign should not include only caricatures as videos with young people smoking and going insane or shows featuring victims of the drug. The campaign should involve facts as well as true stories of people who have used cannabis. This will help people make their choice which is likely to be health rather than drug addiction. Reference List Galston, W.A., & Dionne, E.J. (2013). The new politics of marijuana legalization: Why opinion is changing. Retrieved from http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2013/05/29%20politics%20marijuana%20legalization%20galston%20dionne/dionne%20galston_newpoliticsofmjleg_final.pdf Mann, R. (Director). (1999). Grass [DVD]. Toronto: Unapix Home Entertainment. Svrakic, D.M., Lustman, P.J., Mallya, A., Lynn, T.A., Finney, R., & Svrakic, N.M. (2012). Individual assignments and academic dishonesty: Exploring the conundrum. Missouri Medicine, 109(2), 90-98. Read More