Its physical dangers include possibility for lung damage, or potentially lung cancer. (Anderson, D, M
Hence, the war on drugs is a long, risky, expensive undertaking. (Boylstein, 2003) This spending is considerably high when talking about the drug marijuana, as it is one amongst largely consumed drugs as it does not cause much harm to health like tobacco or nicotine
But increasing taxes to a great extent will motivate its growers to trade on the black market in order to avoid unnecessary taxation. In conclusion, it is true that, while considering marijuana legalization, several fiscal, medical, and communal issues must be considered (Bradford, 2012) but it is largely accepted that there are long-term financial benefits for the government in legalizing marijuana who is already struggling to discover new sources of income to compensate for other significant social objectives like medical facilities and education for local citizens
Legalization of marijuana reduce this risk, that will lead to a rise in its demand. (Register, Charles, and Williams, 1992) Hence, legalizing marijuana is good and bad both at the same time, as an increased usage of marijuana will cause adverse effects on the health of the people and a rise in its sale will increase revenues for the government at the same time
However, it has been estimated that this difference of prices would soon be diminished for the reason that, Entrepreneurs knowing the huge profits to be made through selling marijuana may establish their own cultivating operations, that will lead to a rise in its circulation on the streets, that will eventually cause its street price to drop to a price more or less similar to its cost of production. (Stingl, 2012) Obviously, it is not possible where the drug is still illegal and the fear of punishment discourage a lot of entrepreneurs and time to time drug bust keeps its supply reasonably low
Most addicts and drug users got their start on marijuana and progressed to the use of the more hard core drugs by wanting to experiment or looking for the next and better 'rush.' The decriminalization of marijuana in the Dutch experiment in 1984 to 1996 showed the increase in the usage of the drug for 18 to 20-year-olds rose from 15% to 44% due to the decrease in price and increase in availability (Joffe & Yancy, 2004)
This paper will attempt to show that legalization of marijuana does nothing in the way of benefitting society as a whole. California is set to be the first to legalize with approximately 56% of the Californians favoring the legalization for social consumption and the taxing of the sales (Whitcome, 2010)
On average, 26% of marijuana-related arrests made each year involve Black and non-Hispanic-Americans (High Times, 2014). From the population statistics, it goes without saying that whites, more than blacks, ought to account for the bulk of marijuana-related arrests; this is, however, not the case - especially not in New York City where most black and Hispanic marijuana arrestees were taken in primarily for public smoking (Rosenthal & Kubby, 2003)
Those sitting on the fence, or holding a contrary opinion have probably not thought of it this way; marijuana is the country's largest cash crop, and legalizing it will do nothing but yield a streak of economic benefits including job creation and economic opportunity expansion in the formal rather than the underground market, the diversion of the scarce resources that go to marijuana-related law enforcement efforts to more productive activities that could better the society's well-being, etc. (Ruschman, 2004)
If law offers individuals with the free will to drink, then the same law should also protect the rights of citizens regarding their choice to smoke or ingest marijuana. Furthermore, no one has ever overdosed on marijuana: it would be nearly impossible, as "you would have to consume 40,000 times as much marijuana as you needed to get stoned," (Hager)
Would you be interested in a substance that could alleviate nausea and vomiting for most cancer and chemotherapy patients? How about a way to stimulate hunger so that AIDS and other immune-suppressed individuals can eat again? How about this same substance that could lower pressure on the eye and treat glaucoma? How about chronic migraines, back pain, or even nausea and vomiting cased with hepatitis? and, would you be excited if you knew that preliminary studies show that this same substance, widely available, prevents the formation of plaque deposits in the brain of Alzheimer's victims? What if you also knew this same substance had been used as far back as 10,000 in Ancient China and was one of the 50 fundamental herbs in Chinese medicine? In fact, this same substance was used in Egypt, India, Greece, and the Medieval Islamic world with great success (Iverson). Now, what if we told you this substance, hundreds of times less expensive than modern synthetic drugs, easy to process, easy to tolerate, with almost no side-effects, grew in almost every temperate climate in the world, but, since the mid-20th century, has been illegal in most of the developed world, and is still considered to be high on the list of illicit substances by the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration? Yes, that substance is marijuana, or cannabis sativa, a simple member of the hemp family (Guither)
Legalizing Marijuana In this era of spiraling medical costs, if there is a product that has never caused any deaths, has proven benefits, and is inexpensive, it should not only be legal, but should be aggressively pursued by governmental agencies to aid in the health care crisis. Would you be interested in a substance that could alleviate nausea and vomiting for most cancer and chemotherapy patients? How about a way to stimulate hunger so that AIDS and other immune-suppressed individuals can eat again? How about this same substance that could lower pressure on the eye and treat glaucoma? How about chronic migraines, back pain, or even nausea and vomiting cased with hepatitis? and, would you be excited if you knew that preliminary studies show that this same substance, widely available, prevents the formation of plaque deposits in the brain of Alzheimer's victims? What if you also knew this same substance had been used as far back as 10,000 in Ancient China and was one of the 50 fundamental herbs in Chinese medicine? In fact, this same substance was used in Egypt, India, Greece, and the Medieval Islamic world with great success (Iverson)
"Few people claim that they would change the amount they used if marijuana were legalized (Johnston, Bachman, & O'Malley, 1981). A poll of 1,400 adults found that over 80% claimed that they would not try the drug even if it were legal (Dennis, 1990)" (Earleywine 232)
It is thus extremely difficult for marijuana to be taken individually, and it is even more difficult for the drug to be accepted because most people would rather support drugs like alcohol and tobacco instead, feeling that these two should be accepted simply because they have been around for longer. However, this is not actually true, considering that cannabis was widely used throughout history for various purposes, ranging from relaxation to medical practices (Goode 6)
It is thus extremely difficult for marijuana to be taken individually, and it is even more difficult for the drug to be accepted because most people would rather support drugs like alcohol and tobacco instead, feeling that these two should be accepted simply because they have been around for longer. However, this is not actually true, considering that cannabis was widely used throughout history for various purposes, ranging from relaxation to medical practices (Goode 6)
Because of its damaged reputation, marijuana is judged alongside of stronger drugs when it comes to people considering its legalization. "How can marijuana, cocaine, and heroin, compete with alcohol served in bars and restaurants, at cocktail parties, or before dinners graced with fine wine?" (Gerber xi)
To some people, "marijuana is a "gateway" drug. Children who have used marijuana are more than 85 times likelier to use cocaine than children who have never used marijuana" (Khatapoush, and Hallfors)
government's past in fighting drugs, it appears that the war on drugs was largely ineffective both because it had little to no success and because large amounts of money were invested in it. As a method of supporting marijuana and ending an absurd was against it, "we could shift the current stress on law enforcement to more prevention and treatment, allow judges greater sentencing flexibility for drug crimes, provide arrestees with more opportunities for treatment in lieu of incarceration, and fund more research on the medical benefits of marijuana" (Levinson)
Placing the distribution of marijuana in the hands of the government has further benefits. Currently, marijuana is the top crop earner in the United States (Bailey 2006)
This figure could certainly be allotted towards other vital activities, such as the training and recruitment of more police officers. A recent FBI study, for example, notes that violent crime has increased 28% in 2005 (Fitzgerald 2007)