Marijuana Should Not Be Legalized - Essay Example

Marijuana Should Not Be Legalized Marijuana is among illegal drugs frequently abused not only in US but also globallydue to its unique tendency of “highness” once smoked or taken in other ways. In the recent years, many people have supported its legalization, for instance, the public health sector calls for its legalization in the medical sector while some small sections of the public insists on its legalization for general use. However, such individuals have no knowledge that detrimental effects and costs of marijuana do not have any link to its ban but disadvantages associated with its use outcome benefits cited by varied people. In addition, for almost half a century, the use of marijuana has been devastatingly politically right among various faculties as well as among college and university students. As a result, several controversial researches concerning marijuana abuse has created an inherent prejudice for and against it use, hence lading to the release of false results either supporting or refuting its usage (Ruschmann 69). Despite all these, respective government authorities especially the leading organs should not legalize marijuana. Contrary to the viewpoints of those individuals advocating for marijuana legalization, the existing balanced, limiting and bipartisan US’ drug policies are working practically well and they have resulted to reductions in the rate at which marijuana is used in the country. In 1979, more than American 13.2% teenagers used marijuana though this percentage by 2008 reduced to about 6.1% (Caulkins, Angela, Beau & Mark, 34). This means that in the period of 29 years, there has been a reduction of 54% in the rate of marijuana abuse by the adolescents, which is a great achievement to the public health. Normally, the public has the misconception that the fundamental costs of the use of marijuana are those linked to the criminal justice system. Certainly, this notion is not a fact but a bias. For instance, considering those individuals in the prisons charged for the use of marijuana, research has established that their percentage is less than one and half of the total number of prisoners (Weintraub & Wood 44). In most instances, offenders normally benefit when they encounter criminal justice system by means of apprehension for a crime linked to drug dealings. The major reason for this occurrence is the fact that criminal justice system is normally a kind of a path that when followed ensures treatment. In a recent report by the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), there was an indication that out of the 37% of treatments that were referred via the criminal justice system, 57% of the percentage referred for treatment were suffering from the adverse effects of marijuana (Newton, 99). Certainly, the future and sustainment of the drug policy is not an alternative amid the utilization of treatment or the criminal justice system. The most appropriate and efficient goal is to ensure that the two systems are merged so that they can work as a single unit in a more effective way. This will ensure an improvement in both the safety of the public and the health of the public. In order to depict further the need for a continuation in the legalization of marijuana, one appropriate comparison easily concluded in the case of gambling. Since making gambling legal would benefit the U.S. government, it decided to legalize gambling and further promoted its prosperity, thereby forgetting the fact that gambling had an adverse negative impact on individual’s social behavior. The government legalized gambling since it was pushed by the public notion that legalization of gambling would in fact help in reduction of gambling (Chaffee, 438). However, the action has only worsened the situation by further increasing the rate of gambling within United States. This is predominantly evident in certain gambling activities that are still illegal, for instance, sports gambling. Legal gambling is regulated besides taxed while at the same is not done for illegal gambling. Unfortunately, legal gambling brings about illegal gambling and in a similar way legalization of marijuana would lead to illegal trafficking of marijuana. In other words, this gambling precedent simply suggests that if marijuana is legalized, then illegal marijuana suppliers would flourish through trading in more intoxicating products of marijuana without feeling the impact of tax or restrictions. In addition, if the government were to legalize marijuana then they will have to ensure it is untaxed and unregulated; however, it is obvious that this would raise a public health concern. Statistics further indicate that, currently, apart from alcohol, marijuana is a key cause of substance addiction in the United States. In 2009, among the 7 million adolescents categorized as individuals dependent on illicit drugs, 4.2 million were because of marijuana (Weintraub and Wood, 46). This is an implication that about two thirds of those suffering from the adverse effects of substance abuse are suffering because of marijuana abuse. Certainly, if marijuana were to be legalized, the number of individuals using marijuana would most probably increase. Currently, in the U.S., there are 15.2 million marijuana users, 70.9 million tobacco users and 129 million alcohol users (Ruschmann 72). The number of marijuana users may appear to be much smaller, but assuming that marijuana is legalized, there will be high chances that the number of marijuana users will elevate rapidly and become very large than tobacco and alcohol users. Consequently, subsequent elevations of marijuana addiction would occure. Significant lessons drawn from the effects that tobacco and alcohol have caused to the society. Both tobacco and alcohol face regulation as well as taxed by the government, however, the benefits that accrue to the public from such taxes is almost negligible due to the emphasis on the control of the effects of the two drugs. The costs that the U.S. federal government incurs because of alcohol-related outcomes are over $185 billion while the tax it collects from alcohol is about $14.5 billion. Similarly, the amount that the federal government incurs because of tobacco-related outcome is over $200 billion, yet only $25 billion is the amount of tax gained from the taxation of tobacco (Caulkins, Angela, Beau & Mark, 48). From these statistics, it can be established that the costs of legal alcohol are 12 times more than the total tax collected, and the costs of legal tobacco are 8 times more than the tax collected. This tradeoff is economically devastating. The costs of marijuana legalization would not merely be financial but legalization of marijuana to the adults will present a task of restricting minors from using marijuana. Current research work also depicts that the use of marijuana is linked to elevation in the cases of adverse mental and physical health problems (Newton, 100). Since the public does not have this understanding, the efforts that try to prevent the use of marijuana are undermined; therefore, the youths and various families are adversely affected. Additionally, drug-impaired driving is also likely to elevate in case legalization of this drug. Marijuana is already one of the drugs that are a major causal factor of road accidents and deaths. In a study carried out recently on the nighttime drivers, it was evident that 8.6% tested positive for the metabolites of marijuana (Ruschmann, 72). In another research work, it was established that more than 26.9% of the drivers who were seriously injured and admitted to Level-1 shock trauma hospital units were driving while on marijuana. Additionally, a study done in Washington State revealed that 12.7% of the critically injured drivers were on marijuana while driving (Caulkins, Angela, Beau, and Mark, 35). These research studies depict the elevated prevalence of drivers who drive while on marijuana. Therefore, this is an indication that marijuana legalization will only increase the number of night drivers who drive while on marijuana. Generally, the use of marijuana government ought not think of its legalization at all. Instead, the U.S. government should focus on formulating new drug policies that can be very effective in reducing the demand for marijuana besides other illegal drugs. The effective drug policies formulated should begin by reducing the use of drugs among the criminal offenders on probation in the U.S. This is because such people are the country’s most problem-causing illegal drug abusers. In addition, new policies to limit drug driving will help in ensuring safety in the highways ad also reduce use of illegal drugs. Moreover, a reduction in the use of marijuana or other illegal drugs is vital for the improvement of health, productivity and education in the nation. New policies can significantly improve the existing effectiveness of prevention strategies that have assisted in protection of millions of citizens from the several adverse results of marijuana use. Furthermore, it is important for the public health sector to recognize that legalization of marijuana in the medical sector will only lead to an elevated rate of marijuana addiction. Works Cited Caulkins Jonathan P, Angela Hawken, Beau Kilmer, and Mark Kleiman. Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know, 2012. Print. Chaffee John. Thinking Critically. Cengage, 2014. Print. Newton, David E. Marijuana: A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2013. Print. Ruschmann, Paul. Legalizing Marijuana. New York: Infobase Pub, 2009. Print. Weintraub, Sidney, and Wood Duncan. Cooperative Mexican-U.s. Antinarcotics Efforts. Washington, D.C: Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2010. Print. Read More