When a law is composed or amended there are consequences that affect America; both positive and negative. A survey conducted in 2006 conveyed that only 32% of people were proponents of marijuana legalization and double the percentage opposed. A new study shows that the statistics have changed for the worse. A recent 2015 survey confirms that 52% of people are in favor of marijuana while 44% are against it( ). Marijuana should be proscribed because it is an addictive gateway drug, hazardous to communities, and also severely affects work ethic.
Although it is overlooked as a “soft drug,” marijuana is highly addictive. Over time, overconsumption of the drug can cause changes in the brain that lead to addiction. According to the 2013 NSDUH, marijuana was responsible for 4.2 million of the approximated 6.9 million Americans dependent on or
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Law enforcement officials and emergency room doctors have stated that there have been increasing safety issues in Colorado since the legality of marijuana. Many hospitals say they are treating increasing numbers of children and adults ill from potent doses of edible marijuana. Also in January of 2014, Colorado State Patrol started tracking the number of drivers pulled over for driving while stoned. Since then, 12.5% of drug or alcohol related citations were issued to marijuana-impaired drivers. “I think, by any measure, the experience of Colorado has not been a good one unless you're in the marijuana business,” said Kevin A. Sabet, executive director of Smart Approaches to Marijuana. Sabet later went on to state “We’ve seen lives damaged. We’ve seen deaths directly attributed to marijuana legalization . We’ve seen marijuana slipping through Colorado’s borders. We’ve seen it getting into the hands of young teenagers.” Each of theses statements should be cautionary lessons for other states tempting to loosen marijuana
In the past decade, a number of movements to legalize the use of marijuana has been gaining momentum. According to the 2016 Gallup survey, a record high 60% of Americans say that marijuana should be legalized and this figure marks a 9% increase compared to 2014. Support for legalizing marijuana was 31% in 2000, 50% in 2016 before reaching 60% last year. This shows that despite government efforts to eliminate its use, marijuana is becoming more popular. It is clear that
By legalizing marijuana, Texas can take a significant step towards rectifying these disparities by redirecting law enforcement resources away from non-violent marijuana offenses and towards more pressing issues. This would alleviate the burden on the criminal justice system, allowing for a more effective allocation of resources and a more equitable distribution of justice. Moreover, the concerns surrounding health implications should be carefully considered in the context of marijuana legalization. Contrary to fears that legalization would result in increased marijuana use among adolescents, studies indicate that this is not the case. Research examining states where marijuana has been legalized has found no significant increase in adolescent marijuana use following legalization.
The Costs of Criminalization Over the last 18 years, 23 state governments have legalized marijuana, taxonomically known as cannabis sativa, for medicinal use. Voters in these states have declared that the federal government has scheduled marijuana inaccurately, in that cannabis has many medical uses. Medical professionals in these states prescribe marijuana as a treatment for ailments ranging from insomnia and muscle pain, to post traumatic stress and epilepsy. But recently, we have seen a shift in marijuana reformation movements throughout the country.
Over many years, the legality of marijuana has been widely debated. Supporters of laws that seek to legalize marijuana argue that it is a drug that is safe and that criminal sanctions against personal use indicate harsh and unwarranted penalties. The proponents also point out that the mortality, economic cost and may more negative impacts associated with alcohol and tobacco are much more grave compared to those associated with marijuana. On the other hand, the opponents of liberalization of current legal status of marijuana counter that marijuana is not mild, especially considering the new psychopharmacologic information indicating that it shares many characteristics with any other illegal drugs.
It is important to acknowledge the potential risks associated with recreational drug use, it is also vital to understand that drug addiction is not a matter of willpower or moral principles, but a disease that requires professional treatment. Therefore, rather than advocating for recreational drug use, efforts should focus on the prevention, education, and treatment of drug addiction. Now, let's talk about drugs. Marijuana is one of the most commonly used drugs in the United States and has been used recreationally for centuries all around the world.
In steady of fighting to stop the inevitable, we should concentrate on regulations for Tennessee drives to keep our community protected. States including Washington, Oregon, and Colorado have already legalized marijuana, and are initiating policies to keep our roads safe from drivers under the influence. Dough Wagner’s report on Professor Mitch Earley’s studies “[concluded] that marijuana use "seems to have fewer negative health effects than legal drugs, like alcohol, caffeine, or tobacco, and kills far fewer people"(2). Marijuana has exhibited significance in the medical field. Along with 1.5 billion economic reasons we should legalize it.
Marijuana is considered the third most frequently used recreational drug in America and is thought, “to be no more harmful or addictive than alcohol or tobacco” (Fois, 2013; NORML, n.d.). Said statistics suggest that decriminalizing the use of marijuana
As a nation we have come to point where we must take a unified stand on the issue of marijuana. Since 1937 the drug has been deemed illegal by the U.S. government but over the best decade, people have been pushing for the decriminalization of the cannabis plant. As a non drug user, i have researched the internet in search of unbiased information regarding the drugs health, economic, and crime influences on society. The fruits of my labor have brought me to the undisputable conclusion that our continued restriction on possession and use of the drug not only violates the liberties of U.S. citizens, but it also is costing Americans Billions of dollars, and something, our lives.
Ending Prohibition Since 1951 the federal government has prohibited the production or consumption of marijuana. In 2012 two states challenged this policy by instating legislation that legalized recreational marijuana use in their states. These two states, Washington and Colorado, have reopened the marijuana legalization debate, and Americans are questioning the current federal policy regarding marijuana. The U. S. government should follow these states and legalize marijuana for recreational use despite the minor health drawbacks for the economic benefits correlated with legalization. Unlike the famed 1980’s anti-drug campaign in featuring a fried egg with the catchphrase “this is your brain on drugs” recent research, including the research published in the National Academy of Sciences report Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base (1999), comes to the conclusion that “moderate use of marijuana produces no serious, long-term consequences for individuals or for the general society” (Newton).
States that would like to legalize cannabis for recreational use can look to Washington and Colorado’s triumphs and tribulations when establishing their own legislation and recreational markets. Perhaps the Department of Justice will issue another Cole Memo regarding its official authorization if these recreational markets succeed. Currently it appears that buyers are interested in purchasing recreational cannabis at the lowest price possible, which is consequently less taxed. I think that the changes occurring in Washington and Colorado legislation this upcoming year will balance out the new markets’ instabilities and further satisfy customers, investors, and
People believe that if marijuana is legalized users will get addicted. Marijuana use disorder become what is known as addiction when “the person cannot stop using the drug even though it interferes with many aspects of his or her life” (“Is Marijuana Addictive”). Although addiction is a problem, out of all the people who use marijuana, only 9% become dependent on it (“Is Marijuana Addictive”). Also, opioids and painkillers are very addictive as well, and they can lead to an overdose resulting in death. The second concern is abuse.
Today the demands are changing in different states. In States such as Colorado and Washington, marijuana has been legalized for recreational use. This move raised several questions as far as decriminalization of marijuana is concerned. Besides portraying the US in a bad light, legalization of marijuana for recreation increases the risk of developing mental problems, increases government expenditure on public health, jeopardizes the future of children, and is a gateway to other dangerous drugs. Increased health problems and public health expenditure-
On this topic some people think marijuana should be legalized while others do not think this drug should be. From the side of people that want marijuana legalized, some people just think its cool to use. Some people think that taking the drug is having no effect on them and will not have an effect on them. People think that using this drug is not addictive. For the side of people that do not want marijuana legalized, smoking weed can translate to not doing well in school.
Marijuana is an illegal drug in the United States of America, but why is marijuana illegal? Is it not safe? Is it addictive? Will it have a negative effect on society? The medical community is split on this issue; several studies that have been conducted on the effects of marijuana in the adult brain have been inconclusive.
Harvard Senior Professor in Pharmacology, Dr. Oliver Jameson says, ”New studies have proven that no one has ever directly died from smoking marijuana” (Renee,5). In fact, marijuana has also proven to be the ‘non addictive drug’. In Washington, it has even been recorded that deaths caused by drugs have dropped by 14%, after legalizing canibal. Although it might be true that the increase of drug use with teenagers have increased by 1.3% over the last year, the Supreme Court in 2012, had broadened the authority of public schools to do ‘suspicionless testing’ on students; in other words random drug tests. Ever since states like Washington, Montana, and Florida have taken up on this act, the rates by decreased by 54% in those states.