Supporting Legalisation of Marijuana in Australia

Cost-benefit and budgeting provide great support for the legalization of Marijuana. Shanaham and Ritter (2014) considered a cost analysis which the cost for two policy options supporting marijuana legislation. The expenditure of the status-quo was made through police enforcement and corrections, while education, prevention and health services where the legalization policy concerns. The research results show a little difference with status-quo which is within the range of $294.6 million p.a and for the legalized regulated model which was $234.2 p.a (Shanaham & Ritter, 2014). Also, Merkin et al (2018) asserted that legalization will allow the police to relocate resources away from possession arrests to crime prevention.

Health Risk of Marijuana as compared to Legal drugs

Among all illicit drugs, Marijuana is the most widely consumed. It is considered a “softer” drug, compared to other “harder” drugs (Damrongplasit, Hsiao & Zhao, 2010). In comparison to alcohol and other legal drugs, the health risk associated with Marijuana is moderately low (Hall, 2017). A research conducted by Resko et al (2019) shows that marijuana is less harmful than other substances like alcohol, cigarettes, and opioids. They found that cigarettes are responsible for over 480,000 deaths yearly. 88,000 people die from alcohol-related causes, while far less die out of marijuana-related causes. If alcohol and cigarettes consumption are legalized, despite the high rate of deaths they cause yearly, then marijuana should be legalized as well.

Health Benefits of Marijuana

Patients with some seizure disorders may likely benefit from the cannabidiol component in marijuana. Marijuana has some anti-inflammatory effects and may offer cures to patients with inflammatory bowel disease (Monte, Zane & Heard, 2015). There is massive support for using marijuana to treat patients with spasm, nausea, glaucoma, and pawns (Damrongplasit, Hsiao & Zhao, 2010).

Reduction in Rate of criminal Records/charges

There is a strong argument that criminal charge is too severe a penalty for crime itself (Damrongplasit, Hsiao & Zhao, 2010). A criminal record may have a devastating effect on the life of a law-abiding citizen. For instance, an offender may not be employable, may face stigmatization or encounter problems when traveling (Resko, et al, 2019; Damrongplasit, Hsiao & Zhao, 2010). Decriminalization of marijuana will reduce the rate at which users/peddlers are charged, thereby reducing the increasing rate of criminal charges/records.

Decriminalization of Marijuana in some Foreign Countries

The legalization of medical/recreational marijuana in the Washington state of America (I-502), Colorado (A-64), Uruguay and countries in the European Union is an experiment with the ancillary unknown (Makin et al, 2018; Roffman, 2016). Roffman (2016) observed from his study on the post-legalization of Marijuana in Washington State that there is no evidence of a significant increase in usage. If marijuana has been legalized in other countries without experiencing many controversies until date, the Australian drug policy decision-makers could consider these outcomes.

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Opposing Legalisation of Marijuana in Australia

Adolescent Use

Major community concern in the legalization of marijuana is the increase in its use by adolescents. Legalization increases adolescents’ access to marijuana; makes it affordable; increases its social acceptability and lowers the perceived risks of marijuana use (Hall & Weler, 2015). The early introduction, access and use of marijuana during the adolescent age may be drastic. It may consequentially impair educational outcomes and attainment and crime rate (Joffe & Yancy, 2004). Another argument against the legalization of marijuana is the gateway theory; there is growing concern that youth exposure to marijuana may lead to their consumption of harder drugs (Demrongplasit, Hsiao & Zhao, 2010).

Adverse Effects

Experiments conducted on new ways to use and produce THC products has resulted in unexpected health effects which include increased prevalence of burns, increased health care visits due to ingestion of edible products and cyclic vomiting syndrome (Monte, Zaine & Heard, 2015). Overwhelming evidence shows harms of marijuana consumption as cognitive impairments, interaction with mood state, and a negative course of psychotic symptoms (Braillon, 2018). There have been suggestions as well that marijuana use is linked to immune system deterioration, lung cancer, harmful effects on blood circulation, short-term memory loss, drug dependency and withdrawal-related symptoms like loss of appetite and anxiety for heavy users (Demrongplasit, Hsiao & Zhao, 2010).

Effects on Motor Vehicle Fatalities

There has been increasing attention to impaired driving focusing mainly on marijuana yet other psychoactive drugs (Fischer, Murphy, Rudzinski & MacPherson, 2016). Mastern Guenzemberg (as cited in Hall & Weller, 2015) found increases in the percentage of crash involved drivers and resultant fatal injuries on drivers who tested positive for cannaboids in the American states of Hawaii, Washington, and California, after the legalization of marijuana. Higher doses of marijuana toxicity have been well established as high risk for motor vehicle accidents (Spithoff, Emerson & Spithoff, 2015).

Marijuana Potencies

Since marijuana plant could be grown domestically, regulating the number of plants may be problematic, if not impossible. The legalization of marijuana for recreational use in Colorado has seen five times as many “pot shops” (marijuana shops) as it has McDonald's outlets and potency has skyrocketed (Meacher, Nutt, Liebling, Murray & Gridley, 2019). From the Colorado experience, marijuana is very potent, and the government may not easily control its cultivation, sale and consumption when legalized.

Family and Societal Effects

Studies have shown that marijuana consumption negatively affects users’ senses of responsibility and judgment. It adversely affects the family and societal values of users (Mitcher, Nutt, Liebling, Murray & Gridley, 2019). Heavy Marijuana users give more priority to it than family and societal responsibilities (Joffe & Yancey, 2004).