Discussion of Whether Marijuana Should Be Legalized Or not

Marijuana has made its way to becoming very popular in America today, but the question still stands; Should Marijuana be legalized or not? For many years this drug has been illegal in almost every state in the US and has been given a terrible reputation because of the negative effects it may have had on society but as of recently researchers have been helping to change the narrative of marijuana. Marijuana is a substance with a long and controversial history. The bans on its utilization because of political and social weights, its resistance and, as of late, its decriminalization for recreational and restorative use. Marijuana has provided issues ranging from recreational use to treatment of illnesses cannabis that is a very unique type of drug because it cannot be distinctly put into one category of drugs. Marijuana has the power to stimulate, hallucinate, or depress a person’s central nerve system which would classify it as a drug with depressant, hallucinogenic, and a stimulant property. Although many people object to the legalization of the drug, marijuana should be legalized because its benefits America by decreasing the load on the court system and it aids as a relief to people with illnesses.

Marijuana over the years has become quite popular and it is only going to continue growing. With it growing rapidly amongst society, it is only right that it become legal because if the drug stays illegal in most states that will be more citizens going to jail for petty crime and less money being made for the government also. Just like there are ways that marijuana has managed to produce negative effects onto people, recent years it has proven to why the positive effects of the drug overweighs the negative. In Science Direct, author Terra Wiens reports that, “that marijuana legalization has limited their ability to address alcohol-related issue” (Wiens). With marijuana being illegal there are more arrests made in a year than there are for alcohol related charges due to the fact that it has such wide use. This is due to the fact that law enforcement arrests people for sometimes simply having the drug on them when instead the focus should be to arrest someone if a crime was committed due to marijuana such like alcoholic arrest like; DUI’s or drunk driving. Not to also mention that once marijuana is decriminalized, the crime rates will run lower and prisons will be a lot more space for serious inmates because the police will be able to focus their attention to more serious crimes and crude acts being committed. According to, Gale in Context, Author George Gruia states in a journal that, “There has been a 10.1% decrease in overall crime from 2013 and a 5.2% drop in violent crime” (Gruia) since the legalization of marijuana for ages 21 and up in certain states of the U.S. Let’s face it smoking weed or caring a little bit of weed on your body should not be illegal and we are misusing the justice system if ever young adult is being penalized for it. Gruia also reports that, “a decrease of the price will bring a higher revenue and based on the supply and demand model there is still place for increase in the market for the marijuana retail stores and thus due to the surplus of the product, the demand remains unchanged and the equilibrium price decrease”. Due to the fact that marijuana is in such high demand, if it becomes legal in all remaining states of the US, the tax revenue will be sure to skyrocket which can also aid in other things that our tax moneys are supposed to be supporting. Furthermore, Marijuana has proven to be of help more than it has to harm. For centuries, marijuana has been used as medication for several illnesses. On WebMD, an article for frequently asked questions on medical marijuana provides a report that states that marijuana can be used to treat many different illnesses such as, “ Alzheimer’s disease, appetite loss, cancer, crohn’s disease” and many others like it due to the fact that it can help reduce effects like pain, nausea and vomiting. Marijuana cannot harm as much as it can help, and this should furthermore prove as to why it should be legalized.

In the opposing viewpoint, I certainly understand why the drug must be banned. Marijuana has acclaimed a bad rep for it bad effects on people and the law because of its many different levels of THC which has only become stronger over time and will propose a greater danger to society if legalized due to the bad sides effects it proposes on people. The THC levels in marijuana, “has increased three-fold between 1995 and 2014 (4% and 12% respectively)”, “Marijuana available in dispensaries in some states has average concentrations of THC between 17.7% and 23.2%”, and “may contain between 23.7% and 75.9% THC [today]” (O’Callaghan 3). There is an increased risk of negative effects when exposed to these levels of THC and users may experience stages of paranoia, anxiety, psychosis, and etc. THC is supposed to ease a person’s anxiety but if the dosage is increased it may cause more anxiety the higher it goes. Other side effects include dry mouth (due to high levels), dry or red eyes (due to the smoke, dilated blood vessels and lowered blood pressure), extreme hunger (due to high THC stimulating an area of the brain that controls appetite), sleepiness (because THC promotes rest), and impaired memory (which may be temporary). Another point would be that marijuana should at least be illegal to youth mid-20’s and younger for the very reason that, “The human brain continues to develop from before birth into the mid-20s and is vulnerable to the effects of addictive substances” (“Surgeon General’s Advisory”). Marijuana causes a great danger to the youth because our brains are still developing and things like drugs, alcohol, and tobacco puts a stint in our neurological growth. Over the past decade, marijuana has increased in youth whether through smoking, vaping, eating, or dabbing and once they are done with that they only want for a more harsher drug or substance which then causes them to become addicts and drug abusers before they can even get the chance to live their lives. Furthermore, marijuana can be very addictive, and it can be a ruin to many lives and families of people that are on the substance.