Marijuana: Legalize or Not - Essay Example

?English Composition 07 August Marijuana Marijuana is one of the most largely abused drugs in the nation and across international borders. It isa product of a naturally occurring plant, cannabis, and commonly exists in a dried mixture of the plants soft tissues, flowers, leaves and soft branches. Even though marijuana has stimulating effects like hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine, it has a variety of advantages in its medicinal value besides being a purely natural substance. As a result, a lot of debate has been considered on whether the drug should be legalized or not with both views presenting supportive arguments on their positions. This paper discusses legalization of marijuana, as a contemporary issue, with an opinion that the drug should be legalized for its potential benefits to the society and the nation. The paper reviews existing opinions on whether the drug should be legalized or not. One of the major concerns that have led to calls for legalization of marijuana is its diverse potential benefits to the society. Most significant benefit of the drug is its application as medicine following identified adverse effects of chemical based medicines. With increasing rate of depression and diseases such as cancer, and with emergent of adverse effects of the applied drugs for their prevention and treatment, scientists and doctors have appreciated the need for treatment approaches to which patients’ bodies do not adversely react. Natural medicines have as a result become a focus, owing to their less significant side effects as compared to industrial medicines. Chemotherapy and anti-depression pills, as control and treatment methods, have for example exhibited extreme side effects that could even cause people to resort to suicide as a means of getting away from pain and suffering that they live in. However, with better research and newly developed technology, scientists have found that a majority of natural supplements are healthier for treatment of certain illnesses. Medicinal application marijuana, for instance, has many benefits and is currently prescribed to patients with diseases ranging from Alzheimer to HIV, to help with treatments. The drug is also effective in managing stress and depression and therefore makes life a little simpler. Even though marijuana portrays many medicinal benefits, its advantages should not be used as a way to promoting abuse. This means that its use should be regulated like in cases of alcohol and tobacco, whose consumption effects are in some cases worse than marijuana’s. Debates are currently ongoing, both in Congress and all over the world, on whether to legalize marijuana or not. Even though it is still illegal, marijuana’s consumption is widespread and most Americans have at least tried it, or are using it to help them overcome stress. The drug is also an ‘all-natural’ plant that grows anywhere in the world has high demand and supply. The root cause of its contention, however, is the fact that drug lords and marijuana growers started adding chemicals to the commodity. This causes users to become addicted to the modified product and after a while of use, start consuming stronger drugs. That is why marijuana is called a gateway drug. Should Congress pass the bill to legalize marijuana, Food and Drug Administration agency will supervise the product’s sale and consumption. It will be legally available to the public from pharmacies and sold on prescription. Gangs and drug dealers will not sell it on the streets, due to the vast drop in prices from the legalization, and its consequential easy access to the public. Right now, however, if there were no marijuana in the streets, people would be forced to use worse drugs, like cocaine, or crystal meth; those types of drugs that can affect a person’s health physically, mentally, and are highly addictive. Social responsibility, rather than legal restrictions, can better resolve the opposing opinions over legalization of marijuana. In Saudi Arabia for instance, people do not accept drugs socially or religiously, an indication that drugs abuse is highly immoral. Similarly, I feel that if the government looked into the positive effects of marijuana, then there would be a change in people’s perception over the drug and a subsequent change towards a more responsible use. If everyone smoked a little of it every day, the euphoria feeling would overcome all other emotions and there would be fewer problems, and less crimes. People will become more relaxed, and better able to communicate with each other respectfully. It would also develop an environment where people love each other; everyone would have less stress, and become mellower and the world would become a more peaceful place. More research should however be done to test the pros and cons of marijuana, before the government can weigh out the results for a socially realistic solution. As a democracy, the United States of America should allow its people to vote on whether to legalize it or not. The lengthy legislative process however means that it will be long before the Congress can decide whether to legalize the drug or not. It might therefore take as much as the next five years for them to reach a final decision. The issue should however be resolved as soon as possible of its potential to change people’s lives in the United States, even people who have never tried this drug. Marijuana is therefore a useful and helpful drug that Americans need in their lives. It has both medicinal and social value that promises benefits to the society. Its legalization will for example reduce the rates of depression and suicide. With legalization of marijuana, drug traffickers and drug lords will not have a vast control of the drug’s production and trade but qualified personnel will supervise the drug’s use. Policy makers should therefore consider these ideas, besides initiating and relying on more research, in determining whether to legalize marijuana or not. Production and trade in the marijuana, a part from the legal approach to its debate, has a number of social and economic consequences that calls for an informed policy. A policy should strike a balance between the benefits of the product and its possible negative effects. Groups and individuals have consequently advocated for their opinions with the aim of either urging the government to retain the status quo in which the drug is illegal or to influence legislations that would legalize the drug. In an article, ‘The top ten reasons marijuana should be legal’ authored under a corporate organization known as AlterNet, the author, in a bid to advocate for legalization of the drug, highlights a number of reasons for the opinion. According to Alertnet, even though the drug is currently illegal, its production, trade, and consumption is still high, an indicator that the legislations are ineffective. This means that making the drug illegal has not achieved the intended objectives of controlling the drug’s adverse effects. Alternet, therefore, informs policy-makers and the public about the current policy’s irrelevance. Contrary to the perceived disadvantages and adverse side effects of the drug, the author identifies potential legal, economic, and social benefits that are associated with legalizing the drug (Alternet, p. 1, 2). Marijuana, for instance, can be used as medicine and is less toxic as compared to some of the legalized drugs. It “is not a lethal drug and is safer than alcohol” (Alternet, 2). Legalizing the drug, according to the author, would also promote the growth of its parent plant as an “agricultural crop” and a further ‘socio-economic’ value as a source of “bio-fuel to reduce carbon emissions” and help offset national balance of trade deficit by controlling outflow of money through the drug’s importation (Alternet, 1). In this approach, Alternet appeals to the society to change its perception over the drug and to exploit, with an open mind, its potential benefits in terms of agricultural harvests, income generation, medicinal value, and economic benefit of enlarged gross domestic product. Policy makers should therefore consider these potential benefits of the drug to the society and the nation’s macroeconomics aspects (Alternet, p. 1, 2). Activists that are more liberal have however been exploring both the advantages and disadvantages of legalizing the drug not only to advocate for a position but to create awareness to for informed policy making and public knowledge. In an article, ‘Should marijuana be legalized under any circumstance?’ authored by Messerli, the author evokes readers’ thoughts over marijuana’s legalization dilemma by presenting arguments both for and against legalization of the drug. He presents social, legal, and economic grounds that support legalization. Apart from reiterating the fact that marijuana is less harmful than some of the drugs that are considered legal, the author identifies economic benefits through “lower prices” should the drug be legalized (Messerli, 1). Illegalization also infringes people’s freedom. The author, on the contrary, argues that legalizing the drug would promote abuse of even more dangerous drugs such as “heroin, cocaine, or other hard drugs” besides undermining morality (Messerli, 1). Legalizing the drug also presents health risks through expected increased frequency of the drug’s related side effects as legalization is bound to increase consumption. The audience, based on the author’s presentation of both views, has the option of evaluating both the benefits of legalizing the drug and the potential disadvantages before forming a personal opinion (Messerli, 1). There are however extreme opinions that focuses on the disadvantages of the drug and therefore, directly or indirectly, advocate for its illegalization. These opinions are supported by research findings that identify adverse effects of marijuana’s consumption such as negative effects on cognitive, social, and economic potentials in the society (Akudo, p. 1). National Institute of Drug Abuse for instance explains a ‘long-term’ toxic effect of the drug in the body. The drug also negatively affects students’ academic performance and leads to school dropouts. Its effects is also felt on people’s income as those who heavily rely on the drug registers significantly lower income that those who are not depended on it (National Institute of Drug Abuse, p. 1). Conclusion Even though marijuana is currently illegal, its availability in the black market has facilitated its trade and consumption. As a result, a number of negative consequences such as poor academic performance, school dropouts, and relatively low incomes have been reported. A more critical review however identifies more benefits of the drug. It for instance has medicinal value and can potentially substitute some of the chemically based drugs with adverse effects on patients. This is majorly because marijuana is a natural product. Availability of marijuana also reduces vulnerability to harder drugs that would be resorted to if marijuana were not available in the market. Legalization of the drug would also mean a supervised consumption to minimize chances of abuse besides controlling illegal importation of the drug that has economic disadvantage to the nation. Recommendation Based on the identified benefits of marijuana’s use, and the involved risk factors that are associated with its illegalization, this paper recommends that the drug be legalized for application under strict clinical supervision. This will eliminate most of the adverse effects of the drug and aid its benefits in the society. Works cited Alternet. “The top ten reasons Marijuana should be legal.” AlterNet. N.d. Web. 07 August 2012. Ejelonu, Akudo. “How does marijuana affect the brain?” Serendip. 01 October 2008. Web. 07 August 2012. Messerli, Joe. “Should Marijuana be legalized under current circumstances?” Balanced Politics. 06 August 2011. Web. 07 August 2012. National Institute of Drug Abuse. “How does marijuana use affect school, work and social life?” Research Reports: Marijuana Abuse. 2010. Web. 07 August 2012. Read More