The War on Drugs has been a long battle between the government and drugs in the United States. Legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes can have a great impact on society and legalizing marijuana for recreational use can have a much larger impact. Some people believe that legalizing marijuana would do more harm than good; but this is not the case. In this essay, I will be arguing for the legalization of marijuana because it reduces the stats for the number of criminals, it saves taxpayers money, it strengthens the economy, it is beneficial to health, and it is less harmful than other drugs, along with countering the common misconception of marijuana as a gateway drug for teenagers its abuse. Elliott Currie proposed two prominent solutions …show more content…
Even worse, ideas that the use of marijuana fuels the involvement of the user into other heinous crimes has even been argued. According to a Human Rights Watch report, 30,000 New Yorkers who were arrested for possession never had prior convictions or felonies (New York Times, 2014). Legalizing marijuana would be beneficial because it can be controlled. The government has controlled alcohol and tobacco exceptionally well. With the use of underage drinking laws and tobacco taxation, the number of underage drinkers and smokers has dropped. In 1991, there were almost 33% underage drinkers; in 2011, the percentage fell to almost 25 (New York Times, 2014). Legalization of marijuana in Colorado has led to initiatives that combat the usage of marijuana in teens and it is starting to show some positive results in curbing underage abuse of marijuana. Marijuana falls in a similar category like alcohol and tobacco because these drugs are not represented as gateway drugs and marijuana can be added to the …show more content…
More positive results can aspire from its legalization and restricting it raises many challenges. From a business standpoint, it is not cost effective to keep it illegal and legalizing marijuana can bring revenue for the government. The amount of money the U.S. spends on criminalizing marijuana users can be used to target the real criminals. Marijuana is not like the other drugs and its use for recreational purposes should be allowed. Marijuana continues to offer us remedies for many ailments and it should not be treated as a drug, rather a medicine or for the pursuit of happiness. It is the time for marijuana to be deregulated by the United
To add, recreational marijuana is taxable! Therefore, it is money that can be put into our communities. Recreational marijuana as intimidating as some may think, can actually benefit our community in many ways. To begin, many believe legalizing marijuana would cause crime to increase, on the contrary legalizing it will lead to a decrease of crime. Imagine that getting your hands on marijuana was as accessible as cigarettes in a gas station, how many illegal cigarette dealers have been punished in jail with the maximum sentence for selling cigarettes?
Legalizing marijuana can make the state some money and there are many benefits to it. Legalizing marijuana won’t benefit at all for the big corrupt pharmaceutical companies, if the cannabis is passed as a drug for health issues. Maybe that’s why lawmakers haven’t maybe won’t pass the law to legalize Marijuana. Yes the companies can get involved but then somehow it will get corrupt and won’t benefit the citizens.
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
Subject to the atrocities listed above, minors have endless ways to get their hands on “just another fun smoke”. In the state of Colorado, a federal grant-funded agency published a report on detrimental effects the legalization of cannabis had on the population, 2 of which mentioned the increase of college and youth users (Stimson, 14). The dangers public use is the basis for all opponents of
Upon reading Gore Vidals "Case for Legalizing Marijuana" one may wonder why drugs are not legal in the United States of America. Afterall, several valid reasonings were made throughout the article. There is a demand for drugs and many people are supplying them, while also making a small fortune. If drugs were made legal and sold for high prices, their market would decrease because many people would not be able to afford them. Most people involved in the drug world do not know the consequences of that which they consume.
With the pressure to legalize marijuana rise for government officials, protesters argue that decriminalizing marijuana would help society and benefit the people living in the Unites States. In states that have already legalized marijuana, it has been documented and proven that marijuana usage has been higher than before legalization, even if the consequences were very severe (“Marijuana Decriminalization”). If people are so highly dedicated to continuingcontinue using marijuana, even with their lives and future at stake, what could stop them? Marijuana has been proven to be a “gateway” drug, therefore, if marijuana were to be legalized, eventually other harmful substances could be legalized as well causing many deaths and various forms of
I Prison and Enforcement Prisons are being overcrowded in the U.S and if nonviolent marijuana smokers were let out it would decrease prison population by over 3%. When they get out they can go to rehab and get over their addiction. The government could save money convicting prisoners and keeping them in jail. Fewer law enforcements would be required in prisons.
The United States both as a capitalist country and as a nation of individuals would benefit from the safe, regulated manufacturing and distributing of the drug. The millions of Americans who have admitted to using marijuana prove that prohibition is not the answer to the country’s drug problem. Legalization would not only promote safety, but also support the country
Legal and illegal drugs are used on a daily basis all over the world. Currently, drugs remain ranked high on the lists of concerns of Americans and are still considered one of the major problems facing our country today. We see stories almost everyday on the news about people being killed in the streets daily over drugs. To most people, drugs are only an inner-city problem, but in reality they affect all of us, people who use and people who don’t use. I believe that the negative effects we associate with drugs would be greatly reduced if the United States adopted a policy towards the total decriminalization of marijuana.
If marijuana is regulated and taxed properly, it can generate millions of dollars that can help pay the debt of the US and/or help cities rebuild a better infrastructure. Marijuana has become the third most popular drug in the US behind alcohol and tobacco. It is a renewable resource and is not just used for smoking; it can be used to make paper, oils, and cloth. Every year millions of tax dollars are being spent to enforce marijuana laws. If these laws were repealed and marijuana was legalized, we would not only make money from the marijuana, but we would also be using a lot less money to enforce marijuana laws.
Marijuana should remain illegal in the United States, and states that have passed laws to make it legal should reverse those laws. Marijuana is addictive and a gateway drug. Legalizing marijuana will make it generally more available to the public, which will also make it more likely to be used by young adults and children that are not old enough to make smart decisions regarding drug
Cartels all across the nation have a big influence on the raging war with drugs. By Mexico and Colombia trafficking drugs across the border by land, sea, and air, it adds fuel to the constant fire burning known as drug addicts. Not only do they affect society, but doctors assist in this habit by prescribing unnecessary narcotics to treat minor aches and pains. The most commonly traded drugs include marijuana and cocaine, shown as mostly popular among teens and young adults. Because of the number of fatalities that have occurred due to drug overdose and other contributing factors, drug abuse has proven to be the nation’s number one problem.
Joel W, Grube. “Legalization of medical marijuana use among youths.” Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy. 20.1.7. Academic Search complete.16 Nov 2015 Academic Journal Danovitch, Itai.
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-
However from the information that I have gathered from many different articles and news pages, the legalization of marijuana would not only be majorly beneficial to the medical field but it would be an excellent boost for our economy by better spending our money on things that matter. Like repairing our schools, and