Saif Ali
There has been numerous conflict regarding the legalization of marijuana, with an extraordinary amount of contradicting research presented on both sides. Although there are many perspectives to take into consideration, these matters always condense down to the personal motives of many individuals. Many of these reasoning may stem from a medical, political, economic or even religious point of view, but overall, the legalization of marijuana should not be an issue dictated and controlled by the government and should be a free act that is decided by the normal people.
Throughout history, the use of cannabis for purposes of healing was utilized in many ancient cultures. Although civilizations like the Ancient Egyptians and Japanese were known to cultivate cannabis, the first documentation of this plant being used as a medicinal drug was recorded in 2737 BC by the Chinese emperor Shen Nug, who recorded the effectiveness of marijuana in treating ailments such as Gout, and Rheumatism. Apparently, our body already produces marijuana-like chemicals that affect inflammation and pain; marijuana simply amplifies the effectiveness of these natural chemicals to work better. In modern times, doctors may prescribe medical marijuana to treat muscle spasms triggered by multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, nausea from cancer, symptoms that accompany chronic illnesses and Crohn’s disease. Despite there being mild side effects of using mirujuana such as dizziness, drowsiness or short term memory loss, the benefits of using this plant reasonably outweighs the consequences accompanying it (medicalnewstoday.com). Although many higher ups look down on the use of marijuana because many individuals abuse it as narcotics, the amount of abuse and damage is still relatively pretty low when compared to other pharmaceutical drugs such as oxycodone or synthetic drugs such as bath salts, which are way more detrimental to an individual than cannabis.
The act of legalizing marijuana could also help boost revenue and the overall economy. If the government applied new taxes on the legalized drug, it would be a great way to increase funding for things such as infrastructure and Medicaid. According to analysts, if the government were to legalize weed and regulate the amount of taxation placed on the drug, this method could potentially raise millions of dollars per year and help improve our ailing economy (washingtonpost.com). This method seems to work on the economy of Pueblo County, Colo. In a report done by the Colorado State University-Pueblo’s Institute of Cannabis Research, “researchers found that a taxed and regulated cannabis industry contributed more than $58 million to the local economy,”(Denver Post, forbes.com). This shows that imposing taxes on such a widely consumed popular product could vastly improve the economy. According to the report, compared to the other communities where weed is not allowed, Pueblo is doing relatively better. In addition, legalizing marijuana could also create many job opportunities in the pot industry. According to New Frontier’s report, they predict nationwide legalization of federally legal marijuana could generate 1.1 million jobs by 2025. Workers would be needed to farm, process, distribute, and sell marijuana-based products and even secondary industries such as software developers and financing services could provide assistance in the production and distribution of marijuana.
Legalization of marijuana could also allow the criminal justice and law enforcement to be more effective with their time and resources. Instead of wasting their time going after people who use marijuana, police officers could invest more of their money and time pursuing criminals committing worse and more violent crimes. Legalizing this plant would definitely change the way law enforcement operates and free up space in criminal facilities in order to house criminals with more serious causes. According to the Huffington Post, studies have failed to show a link between the use of marijuana and crime in general; “The findings on the relationship between violence and marijuana use are mixed and much of the evidence points toward reductions in violent behavior for those who smoke marijuana,” … “In fact, researchers have suggested that any increase in criminality resulting from marijuana use may be explained by its illegality, rather than from the substance itself,”(Morris, Huffington Post). In addition to that, researchers have also found that compared to other intoxication such as alcohol that makes the user more prone to aggressive behavior, cannabis provides a contrary effect on chronic users due to it possessing THC, which is an active ingredient in pot that has shown to cause a reduction in belligerent behavior. This shows that the correlation between crime and marijuana possess no legitimate connection and that the condemnation of marijuana in order to preserve public safety is needless method to counteract people from acquiring it.
Despite the host of benefits provided by this medicinal crop, many people still perceive marijuana as a dangerous substance that is a threat to the well being of the public. The opposition towards marijuana is due to many factors. A big contribution to this mindset is due to the way media portrays marijuana. False representations of this drug has led many people to believe that users of marijuana often align themselves with an uncivilized lifestyle. There is also a misconception that marijuana is the gateway drug to a variety of other potentially more harmful substances and may lead to overdosing on those substances. These stereotypes have made people disregard other potentially more harmful drugs like alcohol, which research has suggested “ is a much more significant factor than marijuana when it comes to violent crime.” A report from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism also discovered that 25 percent to 30 percent of violent crimes are linked to alcohol use. A study from Addictive Behaviors stated that “alcohol is clearly the drug with the most evidence to support a direct intoxication-violence relationship,” (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, huffpost.com). Clearly, the use of substances such as alcohol has a more detrimental effect on the body than marijuana.
Therefore, the legalization of marijuana should be passed as it has been statistically proven to be a benefit to the consumer’s health, helpful to the economy and would improve the efficiency of the law enforcement. Criminalization of marijuana has caused many people to be clouded with false beliefs and statistics of the drug being a dangerous substance to consumers. However, recreational use of this medicinal plant counters the negatives. The use of marijuana has been used throughout history with minimal consequences; it is ludicrous to deem it now as a crop that triggers violence because of its misrepresentation, and should be allowed for the user to use on their free will.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Railton, David. “What Are the Health Benefits and Risks of Cannabis?” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320984.php#2.
- Zhang, Mona. “Legal Marijuana Is A Boon To The Economy, Finds Study.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 13 Mar. 2018, https://www.forbes.com/sites/monazhang/2018/03/13/legal-marijuana-is-a-boon-to-the-economy-finds-study/#a93b0f8ee9d9
- Ferner, Matt. “Legalizing Medical Marijuana May Actually Reduce Crime.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 28 Mar. 2014, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/medical-marijuana-crime-study_n_5044397.
- “Why Americans Support or Oppose Legalizing Marijuana.” Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 24 Sept. 2018, https://www.people-press.org/2015/04/14/in-debate-over-legalizing-marijuana-disagreement-over-drugs-dangers/.
Glenn, Adrianne. “False Representations: Media Portrayal of Marijuana.” The Pitt News, 19 Apr. 2015, https://pittnews.com/article/1350/opinions/false-representations-media-portrayal-of-marijuana/.
