In the early 1930’s, propaganda, a newspaper king, and a fiber company set off a war against marijuana use, making outrageous claims to scare off prospective users. The federal government continued this and criminalized the drug, penalizing those who possess it, grow it, and sell it. Cannabis was one of the subjects of the war on drugs started in the in the mid twentieth century and more publicized in the 1980s under former President Ronald Reagan. As recent as a few decades ago, about 75 percent of adults favored prohibition, but now only a small majority of adults believe it should be prohibited, as reported by the Gallup Poll. This shows the huge progress the legalization movement is making, including an increase of thirteen percent since the year 2000. Even now, on the home page of Time Magazine’s website, an overwhelming 88 percent of the five thousand visitors to the site are in favor of nationwide legalization. As the United States economy tries to make up ground lost in the past year, California became the largest state to legalize marijuana for medical use only. After the economy fell through, the legalization process gained momentum as Californians rally to get pot legalization measures on the ballot this year. Like those Californians, more people from other states wondered if legalizing marijuana would lead to a better economic forecast.
This re-emergence of marijuana legalization in national debate once again brought about the discussion of cannabis’ benefits and detriments. Those in favor of legalization usually cite the studies that indicate a strong possibility of a great amount of profit that can be made from the production of cannabis, as well as medicinal benefits and beneficial health effects for the users. However, some worry that marijuana use is detrimental to society and the user’s health. When it comes to marijuana’s effect on the economy, people have looked to analyze the likely budgetary savings in no longer attempting to fight marijuana sales and use, the profit to be made by private companies, possible revenue to be brought in for the sale of complementary goods, and the amount of money state and federal governments could bring in for excise and revenue taxes. While those who oppose marijuana’s legalization may acknowledge the economic benefits of allowing consumption of cannabis, they are more concerned about the effects marijuana has on the population as a drug. However, because cannabis is a very complex plant composed of thousands of chemicals, the effects of marijuana use are not wholly known. Nevertheless, scientists have studied its effects to ascertain some form of understanding of how marijuana affects humans. They have discovered that cannabis has both negative and beneficial uses. Smoking marijuana has been found to negatively affect health in the damage of lung airways. In spite of this, smoking marijuana is not the only way to achieve the desired effect. Consuming it in food or drinks or using a vaporizer provides alternate healthier methods to take advantage of cannabis’ uses. The opposition of legalization also likes to say that it causes many problems after consumption, including short term memory loss, impairing the user’s coordination, etc. Although, these do occur as a result of consuming marijuana, these effects only last as long as the user is ‘high’ and the symptoms do not linger. Moreover, marijuana is a safe drug in that one cannot possibly overdose on cannabis. Some also fear that cannabis consumption causes psychological disorders. This is not the case as one must have pre-existing psychological tendencies for marijuana to have any effect. Nevertheless, one with psychotic inclinations should not use marijuana.
Marijuana is also effective as medicine, capable of treating the side effects of many diseases. It has been found to decrease the plaque formations in the brain caused by Alzheimer’s Disease, contain THC that can reduce lung cancer tumors (as well as treat more types of cancer1,2), treat glaucoma, and helping AIDS/HIV patients retain their appetite. Additionally, marijuana legalization could have profound social effects including a safer population as a result of focusing on worse crime and a better outlook on the police. Also, with the legalization of marijuana comes the legalization of hemp. This new industry will invigorate the dying economy once held by the timber industry.
How can marijuana still be criminalized when there is a far more dangerous drug widely available to the public? Alcohol remains one of the highest killers of Americans in both poisoning and from the result of drinking it and driving or not acting responsibly, killing roughly one hundred thousand in the United States each year. And yet how many people are killed each year from using marijuana? It has been proven that no one can overdose and a recent study shows that marijuana users are no more likely to cause fatal accidents than drug-free drivers. That means the total is only around the number of those who choose to smoke marijuana rather than consuming it through a safer method. America should be asking how it can allow a welcome and known drug like alcohol to be legal and yet not legalize a drug that is much safer for the populace.
1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2673842/?tool=pmcentrez
Would you be open to decriminalizing the possession of marijuana instead of complete legalization?
ReplyDeleteI am more in favor of complete legalization, but decriminalization would be a step towards that. So, yes I am in favor of it but only because it would be more likely to happen and more likely to happen soon, I suppose.
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