The United States as it grows in an alarming fashion seems to always have problems that grow with it. Out of all the problems that grow in this nation, drug consumption is the largest. Marijuana should be legalized for medical purposes, relieving stress, and recreation.
Marijuana affects natural mind functions like learning, remembering, or coordination it does not alter other bodily functions. Allowing it to keep the label of illegal creates no difference in the daily consumption, but contributes on other aspects that need to be handled. It also does not stop people from getting a hold of Marijuana. The current status of making marijuana illegal is doing more harm than good. Legalizing it would benefit the United States in many aspects varying from our economy to our citizens’ health. Marijuana is presented to many people as just another drug. Little do they take time to research on the healing effect marijuana has, or on the stress reliever effects it can have if used properly. The healing powers of marijuana have been proven scientifically through test trials with people suffering from illnesses like cancer or disorders like ADHD. In states where the drug is used for medical purposes the disease rate for some diseases has been cut in half since the introduction of Marijuana as medication. Legal, medical marijuana is allowed in 27 states, but not all strains of the plant only the strains that have been proven to heal. Strains of medical marijuana are combined together to possess a more preeminent outcome to deal with the prescribed matters they are made for.
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Marijuana cannot cure a disease, but it can make the outcome of that disease less hurtful, and make the disease slower which gives a patient more time to fight the disease. In a report by Marcotte Wilsey he states, “Nabiximols has shown promise for helping people with cancer pain that’s unrelieved by strong pain medicines” (Wilsey 1). Marijuana hits nerves in the body that prescribed drugs cannot get too. This strand is the main one that causes numbness in feeling when smoking or inhaling the vapors. Another common thing Marijuana treats heavily are sleep disorders like insomnia or sleep Apnea. In this report by The Huffington Post it states, “ The National Cancer Institute announced in a study that patients who ingested a cannabis plant extract spray reported more restful sleep” (Jacques 7). Marijuana in these cases mellow out the patient's mind making them relaxed and thus producing the outcome of sleep. Still the amount of people that can be treated like this is a small amount due to the fact that marijuana is not legal in many states. This is a redundant problem when there is proof of the good marijuana does for these people in the states where it is legal. Not only does it help people with diseases, but also it brings in a great amount of revenue in those states.
Recreational use of marijuana as of 2016 is now allowed in seven states. Three of those states have recently allowed the use of marijuana recreationally. The other four have been allowing the use of marijuana recreationally for almost five years. When it comes to talking about marijuana’s revenue powers the four states that bring the biggest revenue in are Washington, Colorado, California, and Nevada. Predictions that market experts have made on what revenue marijuana sales will bring in the future in these states is remarkable. David Scheep a money watch specialist said, “The growing acceptance and legalization of marijuana is helping the U.S. cannabis industry expand well beyond niche status. It is forecasted to pump from $24 billion to $44 billion annually into the country's economy by 2020” (Scheep 1).
Marijuana is already a 24 billion dollar business, and it is predicted to double. This number could be triple or quadruple the amount if marijuana is allowed in all fifty states. Through 2015 Scheep reports, “retail sales of medicinal and recreational marijuana this year are expected to grow as much as 26 percent over 2015, totaling as much as $4.3 billion” (Scheep 4). This revenue comes from only these four states where marijuana sales have had time to bring in these numbers. Imagine what the government could do with all that money coming in. It could fund education, health, and road projects for our nation. Assuming that all the states could bring in a good amount of revenue off of this business. The amount of new things the United States would have money for would be unthinkable. The revenue would reach numbers our country has not seen in quite some time. This ends up being a gold mine that the United States is not taking advantage of. Instead, we waste time arguing this stupendous opportunity, which should have been made a long time ago. These arguments come from the common people and our nation's politicians.
In any type of argument, there are always two sides those who support the issue and those who are against the issue. When it comes to legalizing the use of marijuana, both of these sides are strongly present. They are present in the general population and with that comes the presence of it in politicians. After all, they are the ones who decide where the United States moves as a whole. Even with some of the best heads in our political seats, many politicians have admitted to using marijuana for personal use. Some like president Obama saying, “When I was a kid I inhaled frequently, that was the point” (Krieg 5). President Obama knows how bad of a habit smoking marijuana is, but he does not think using it is worse than alcohol or tobacco consumption. One of Obama's biggest points in why we should legalize marijuana is that people should not be thrown in jail for marijuana charges. Many jails are overflowing with inmate population and it is a waste of taxpayer’s money.
Even in these past presidential debates we had politicians like Jeb Bush and Rand Paul saying they had their encounters with the drug. Seemingly as there are those people and politicians who support it, there are also those who do not. The ones who do not support the legalization are not sure of how young adults would handle being in a culture where it is okay to consume marijuana. A report on the drug said, “Marijuana is currently the leading cause of substance dependence other than alcohol in the U.S.” (Walsh 10). This is a solid point to not want marijuana in the hands of the younger generation, but something that is not understood is that marijuana will continue to find its way too the younger generation regardless of its legalization. This is the same problem that is also brought with underage drinking or illegal gambling. Jodi Gilman, a journalist for the Washington post talks about the use of marijuana in adults, and how it has increased 50 percent in the past six years. Adults that are well along in their adult life will use marijuana; it is not just young adults who will use marijuana. Using marijuana does not make the user dumb or slower than the person who does not use the drug. People tend to push other people out because of their actions personally I know people who are way smarter than me who use marijuana so I do not see the consumption of marijuana as an issue. Those who do will have to understand the continued growth this drug will make in our country.
Personally the use of this drug does not have an outcome of where you will end up in life. My mother and father both have admitted to using the drug in their younger years and they are both equally successful. People who use marijuana get a label put on them, a label society gives them. Marijuana users should not be labeled just as people who like the same gender should not be labeled or a mother who decides to get an abortion. I know what my goals in are in life and marijuana has not gotten in the way of them. Same goes with the people I associate myself with everyday everyone has a set mindset.
In conclusion, the legalization of marijuana will make our country better than it is right now. Why would I say this with certainty, well only because of the facts I have presented you with in this paper. From economic growth too medical wellness marijuana will help millions across our nation. Keeping it on the illegal status will continue to give the United States problems that it does not need. Making it legal would give us great revenue and give us a great plan for the future. With all the benefits presented we might wonder why it is not legal yet, but hold your hopes up high because the legalization is much more imminent as the days go by.
Works Cited
- Gilman, Jodi. 'Cannabis use in young adults: challenges during the transition to adulthood.' Psychiatric Times, Dec. 2015, p. 15. Huffington Post, Web. 28 Nov. 2016.
- Hernandez, Elizabeth “Colorado Monthly Marijuana Sales Eclipse $100 Million Mark” The Denver Post. The Denver Post, 09 Oct 2015. Web.
- Jacques, Renee. 'This Is Why Marijuana Should Be Legal Everywhere.' The Huffington Post, 24 Oct. 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
- Krieg, Gregory. 'Presidents and Politicians Talk about Smoking Pot.' CNN. Cable News Network, 20 Apr. 2016. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.
- Minton, Barbara. “Marijuana Kills Cancer Cells, Admits the U.S. National Cancer Institute.” Natural Society. N. P.,25 Aug. 2015. Web.
- “Republican Views on Marijuana.” Republican Views. N. P., 09 Nov. 2014. Web. Schepp, David. 'Legal Marijuana: A $44 Billion Business by 2020?' CBS News. CBS
- Interactive, 18 Mar. 2016. Web. 19 Nov. 2016 Wilsey, Marcotte. 'Marijuana and Cancer.' Marijuana and Cancer. American Cancer Society, 3 Apr. 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.
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