Legalizing Marijuana Will Help Doctors Save More Lives

One of the most hotly debated topics in current national events is whether to completely legalize marijuana. The question of legalizing marijuana is common for essays topics, so in this paper we will take a closer look on it. The fact is that there are many reasons for the nationwide legalization of marijuana in America and some of them are mentioned in legalizing marijuana essays. There is no debate about the medical aspects of marijuana. However, the legalization of it will also help reduce the use and abuse of opioids. The economy would also benefit from the legalization of the current illegality of growing, selling, or producing this drug by the federal laws. A policy legalizing marijuana will bring medical relief to suffering people, impact the opioid crisis positively, and bring significant money into the economy.

“A new study found that more than 62 percent of people who use medical marijuana do so to treat chronic pain”. And while most patients prescribed medical marijuana do it for chronic pain, it is also prescribed for treating many diseases and disorders. Such diseases as Alzheimer's disease, cancer, Crohn's disease, epilepsy, glaucoma, and multiple sclerosis as well as eating disorders (i.e.) anorexia, appetite loss, and wasting syndrome. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and schizophrenia, amongst other mental health conditions, can also be treated with medical marijuana.

The legalization of marijuana will not only help people find treatment for all sorts of medical issues but also will help to reduce opioid use. Many people are now prescribed opioids by doctors simply because they do not have a different way to treat their pain. “According to two studies recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine, the rate of opiate prescriptions is lower in states where medical marijuana laws have been passed'. When the doctor decides to take the patient off opioid pain medicine, or reduce the dosage, the patient has already become dependent on opiates. This causes them to look elsewhere for opiates to reduce their pain, primarily on the black market, adding to the opiate crisis,

A policy legalizing marijuana would help the economy in several ways. “The industry totaled more than $8 billion in sales in 2017, with sales estimated to reach $11 billion this year and $23 billion by 2022. There were more than 9,000 active licenses for cannabis businesses in the U.S. in 2017, with the industry employing more than 120,000 people”. Taxing marijuana would amount to many tax dollars but add to that the taxes from 120,00 or more working individuals and that would be a substantial boost to the economy while also creating jobs/As Colorado has already shown, a policy that makes marijuana legal creates much revenue from the taxation of marijuana sales and all the people gaining work related to that industry. “Colorado has surpassed $1 billion in tax revenue from marijuana sales since recreational use was legalized in 2014”. Another possibility for revenue is to create an exchange-traded fund. An ETF (exchange-traded fund) is an investment traded on the stock exchange. The Canadian fund “Horizons Marijuana Life Sciences Index fund has grown to €1.15 billion ($1.3 billion) becoming the 18th largest Canadian ETF, according to ETFGI. This is an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) and marijuana was did not become legal in Canada until October 2018. In addition to this, the money and manpower hours now being spent to enforce the marijuana laws would be eliminated. Those dollars and manpower hours could then be used in drug education, treatment facilities, and other programs.

In summary, marijuana legalization would help doctors treat patients that would otherwise need painkillers, most of which currently prescribed are opiates. Legalizing marijuana would be financially beneficial to the country and its citizens from taxes and the money not spent to enforce marijuana laws. A policy legalizing marijuana would provide needed medical treatment for people, reduce the use and abuse of opioids, and create revenue from tax dollars that could then be utilized in other areas that need more funding.

References

• Grinspoon, P. (2019, June 25). Medical marijuana. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/medical-marijuana-2018011513085.
• Harding, A. (2013) Medical Marijuana, retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/features/medical-marijuana-uses
• Heinrich, M. (2018, December). The National Cannabis Economy. Retrieved from ttps://www.jec.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/bf473de9-98bb-4465-a310-de992926409a/national-cannabis-economy-final.pdf
• Julig, C. (2019, June 13). Colorado surpasses $1 billion in marijuana tax revenue. Retrieved from https://www.denverpost.com/2019/06/12/colorado-marijuana- revenue-one-billion/.
• Mastroianni, B. (2019). Chronic Pain Top Reason for Medical Marijuana Use. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health-news/what-drives-patients-to-use-medical-marijuana-chronic-pain.
• Valdivia, A. G. (2019, March 11). The Economic Implications Behind The Cannabis Legalization Debate. Retrieved November 14, 2019, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/anagarciavaldivia/2019/03/11/the-economic-implications-behind-the-cannabis-legalization-debate/#4a1f3075c560