One of the most controversial, social, and legal issues in the United States today is the legalization of marijuana. Just like with every issue, there are pros and cons that come along with it. I believe that the benefits of legalizing marijuana outweigh the negatives that are associated with it. This paper will focus on some of those benefits, which include, the economic, social, and medical standpoints. Taking into consideration the negatives that correspond to each topic.
Marijuana is estimated to have a market of about $30 billion, which is an astronomical business opportunity for the United States. If marijuana were to be legalized and levied just like tobacco or alcohol, it would bring about important economic benefits. Each state could regulate its own taxes, and spend the earnings in other places where money is limited, like education. For example, Washington and Colorado have taken the steps necessary to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, because of this, both of the states are estimated to profit $310 million and $100 million, respectively. Keeping in mind, this does not take into account how much money each state would save from the reduction of drug enforcement agencies. A counter-argument to this would be that, even though legalizing marijuana would bring in a great deal of money, people fail to take into account the increase in healthcare costs and drug recovery. This, in itself, could cost America millions of dollars. Some people expect the total profit will break even with the spending to combat the negative effects marijuana might have on individuals. However, there is so much money to be made, that assumption is not practical. Not to mention, that marijuana does not cause, nowhere near, as much impairment as alcohol causes. As a result of this, the needed spending for drug recovery, I believe, will be less than that of alcohol.
Another benefit that contributes to the legalization of marijuana is the medical point of view. The use of marijuana for medicinal purposes is not a recent discovery. Written references to the use of medical marijuana date as far back as 5,000 years. Today, thousands of people are able to use marijuana to ease their ailments. It has been scientifically proven to help with glaucoma, and Parkinson’s, and relieve chronic pain. There are multiple variations in which people are using medical marijuana, including but not limited to, smoking it, using CBD oil, ingesting oil capsules daily, and even consuming doses of the oil as needed. In the U.S. today, there are two main forms of cannabinoids approved by the FDA, dronabinol, and nabilone. Both of these are available as pills and are approved for things like nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy, as well as, appetite stimulation in illnesses like viral infections, or even cancer.
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A frequent counter-argument that comes about when talking about the legalization of marijuana for medicinal use is that of the side effects. Though marijuana is one of the less harmful drugs around, it has long-term effects that come along with frequent usage. To start, marijuana use in excess triggers issues within the hippocampus causing users to have an issue with memory. The drug temporarily prevents its users to develop new memories and learning new things, therefore causing issues in their short-term memory. It was found in the Hippocampus Journal, that teens who smoked pot every day for three years had abnormal growths in the hippocampus area when they reached their twenties. Another side effect of marijuana is a condition that forms in the heart. Due to the toxins in marijuana, there can be long-term damage created in the bronchial passages, the lungs, as it exits the lungs causing heart rates to dramatically increase. This creates a potentiality of more frequent heart attacks in some users. Finally, marijuana is found to have an addictive effect on every 1 in 10 users, but if users start in their teens, that statistic rises to 1 in every 6. With this in mind, withdrawal, and combatting other addictive symptoms follow along with the use of marijuana and would affect even those using it for medicinal benefits.
One thing to consider when it comes to legalizing marijuana is the lines of how it affects our economy when people are using it, and how the laws against it affect the people of the U.S. Laws, as they are now, cost taxpayers billions of dollars a year, purely because, as taxpayers, there are payments being made for every individual prisoner that is incarcerated. Most of those who are caught with possession of marijuana are sent to prison because of the schedule of the drug it has been made out to be. If cannabis were legalized and taxed as a consumer good, it would have a great potential to bring in huge dollar amounts to the federal government. The estimated profit for the legalization of marijuana ranges anywhere between $2.4 billion to $6.2 billion annually, depending on how it is taxed.
One everlasting argument about the legalization of marijuana, on the social aspect, is that if it is legalized it can get into the hands of children at much younger ages. Though it is a common fear of every parent to worry about drugs, there is no way to truly prevent their exposure to drugs. In one study, it was proven that it was much easier for students to obtain drugs in their normal social settings than it is to obtain alcohol. Though it seems like an unrealistic viewpoint, seeing how plenty of parents have their alcohol stashes, there is a matter of drug dealers not asking for ID which needs to be understood. Children can easily be exposed to these types of drugs by simply attending school on a daily basis, it is just a matter of if they take the opportunity to use it or not.
All in all, when considering the economic, social, and medical usage of marijuana, there is something to be said about how much it can actually benefit the population versus doing it harm. Though there is a potential to get addicted, there is a line each user has to draw for their usage, just as we do with other drugs like alcohol and caffeine. With that being said, if consumers are able to find a happy medium with distribution, usage, and dose, then I believe that marijuana would do nothing but benefit the economy and the way we live today. Seeing how relevant the benefits are, even now, it is hard to see why the government draws so many lines around the legalization of marijuana.
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