Opinions Change?

The Legalization of Marijuana

Northwest University

Cherie Henry

April 4, 2019

The Legalization of Marijuana

Introduction

Marijuana, which has a scientific name of Cannabis Sativa, is a plant that has sparked mixed feelings not only in the United States but all over the world. Jamaica has been the oldest nation that has come out openly to legalize marijuana, and it has been preaching the same gospel to other parts of the world (Campbell, Twenge & Carter, 2017). Different nations are now seeing the need to legalize marijuana . The need to legalize marijuana arises from the fact that some research studies have found out that Marijuana may be used for medicinal purposes. However, irrespective of the fact that nations that advocate for marijuana legalization have outlined the reasons for doing so, the issue is still a contentious topic. The controversial debate on whether to legalize marijuana has been argued from two different perspectives. There are those who support the legalization of marijuana and here are those who are against it. This paper therefore seeks to examine the arguments from these two perspectives.

Arguments for legalization of Marijuana

Individuals who support legalization of marijuana argue that the idea of legalizing marijuana has immense public support . Indeed, most surveys and polls conducted shows that majority of the public prefer support legalization of marijuana. For example, a poll conducted by Quinnipiac University in April 2017 showed that 94% supported the idea of legalizing marijuana against only just 5% who were against legalization of marijuana. It is still a contentious issue and has sparked many arguments that continue to increase the heat on the debate of whether to legalize marijuana. In the United States, more than ten states have so far legalized marijuana. What is more fascinating is the fact that other states are following suit and there are headed in the same direction. The states that have legalized marijuana have legalized for recreation and medical use. The legalization of marijuana in a number of States in the US shows that indeed the issue of legalizing marijuana is gaining huge public support.

Another reason why some individuals support legalization of marijuana is because it was discovered that it can be used to treat some ailments. It is therefore evident that the topic of legalizing marijuana was medically motivated (Campbell et al. 2017). The empirical findings of various approved clinical studies have concluded that marijuana can be useful for medicinal purposes. For example, a research study which was published in the journal of American Public Health Association found out that the percentage of opioid-related deaths declined by about 6.5% after legalization marijuana use in Colorado State. That particular study also suggested that marijuana may be alternatively used to fight pain among opioid patients. It was also discovered that it is much safer. Apart from the few States in the United States, there are other countries that have come in the open to legalize marijuana. Some of the nations that have legalized marijuana include Canada, Belize, Jamaica, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay, Cambodia, Laos, and Belgium. These countries that have legalized marijuana do not have close connections. It can be seen that majority of these countries that have legalized the use of Marijuana are Latin American countries. It can therefore mean that the idea of legalizing marijuana is very popular among the Latin American people. Since marijuana has been found to be medicinally important, then its legalization may pave way for game-changing medical discoveries for some ailments.

The proponents of marijuana legalization also base their arguments on addiction and use of substandard marijuana. They argue that the reason why some people are affected by marijuana is because of the quality of the marijuana that they are exposed to. The fact that marijuana is illegal gives the peddlers an opportunity to sell substandard marijuana, and that affects the health of the smoker. If marijuana was legalized, there could be a chance for the users to get significant information pertaining to the use of the substance. As a result, the use of substandard substance would be frustrated. The legalization of marijuana would also promote the selling of high-quality marijuana because competitiveness would be promoted (Paschall, Grube, & Biglan, 2017). When there are different players in the industry who have been allowed to compete against each other, they are likely to focus on improving quality with the aim of winning more customers.

Some people also support legalization of marijuana because they believe that it can be a potentially new source of revenue and jobs. They argue that if marijuana is legalized it will be a boom for the economy of the US and also respective States. According to the report released from New Frontier Data, it is estimated that marijuana industry will have created more than 280,000 job opportunities by the year 2020. Legalizing marijuana may open up a new source of revenue for various States and also the Federal government. This is because they may get revenues after taxing the sale of medical and recreational marijuana. Monte Zane & Heard (2015) carried out a study to determine the implications of marijuana legalization in Colorado. For example, in Colorado State, an estimated $200 million was collected as revenue from taxing marijuana sale in 2016. This argument therefore justifies legalization of marijuana.

Argument against legalization of Marijuana

Religious leaders and community leaders have been on the front line when it comes to arguing against the legalization of marijuana. They argue from the basis of the effects that the substance has on the users. Marijuana is addictive, and it also affects the reasoning ability of the user. From a religious perspective, the leader believes that a substance that affects the decision-making process of a person should not be consumed (Monte, Zane, & Heard, 2015). Apart from the religious leaders, the members of the public have not been happy with the issue of legalizing marijuana. According to (McGinty, 2016) there has been emerging public discourse with regard to state legalization of marijuana for recreational use in the US.

The abuse of marijuana has been evident in many cases and has led to deteriorating health conditions. The opponents of marijuana legalization have argued that the use of cannabis has negative effects on the health of an individual. Health concerns have been raised with regard to the use of marijuana. Many studies have found out that marijuana use has dangerous effects on health. For example, Northwestern University published a report in their journal which showed an oddly-shaped hippocampus among adolescents who heavily used marijuana at ages 16 and 17 for a duration of three years. Hippocampus is a region in the brain which is concerned with long-term and short-term memory. This means that marijuana has adverse effects on the brain. Apart from brain, marijuana can damage other critical organs of the body such as lungs.

The bipartisan argument

Even though there are people who have taken a hard position on whether marijuana should be legalized, there is a group of people who believe that the whole issue should not take an emotional turn and the argument should not be biased. The bipartisan parties believe that if the implementation of any law was to take place, it should take place not based on the emotions but on scientific facts (Hall & Weier, 2017). It would, therefore, be essential to call all stakeholders in this case and try to investigate some of the effects that might come with the legalization of marijuana (McGinty et al, 2016). The people who take this perspective believe that the legalization of marijuana should be based on the effects that it might have on the members of the community. It would not make sense to legalize a substance that can wipe the whole young generation, and at the same time, it would be unfair to stop the legalization of a substance that might have more benefits than harm. This is because it may spur economic growth and also used in the medical sector to treat some chronic diseases.

The sections of people who take the bipartisan position believe that research would be essential in this case. The best way to deal with an issue is by making sure that extensive research is carried out with the primary aim of knowing the facts that are associated with the issue at hand. The reason behind it is because people who support the legalization have points which they consider to be facts (Hall & Weier, 2017). The same case applies to people who are against the legalization. When two parties present two different arguments and provide points that are factual to them, it becomes imperative to have a neutral body that helps in knowing which side presents facts that cannot be refuted, and which side presents mere assumptions. According to (Schwartz, 2017) marijuana without smoke should be legalized.

Conclusion

The controversial topic of the legalization of marijuana continues to attract attention internationally. However, nations that feel it is right to legalize marijuana have done so. In some nations, the arguments continue taking center stage, and it is not clear on what will happen. Each side of the argument presents points which are strong. Therefore, it means that there is still a long way to go before all nations that want to legalize marijuana can do so.

Cherie,

Again, having a whole section about the bipartisan approach is unique to your controversy. Play up on this. This should be part of your thesis. Or if it does not feel central to your argument, consider using it as the conclusion – a surprising and interesting turn in the argument.

Your conclusion needs work. It should reflect your thesis, and restate the arguments you have built over the course of your essay.

You have some work to do in organizing. See my notes above, and all the topics you mention. It might be helpful to create a simple outline, so you can see what each paragraph should be about. Then, you can cut sentences and/or paragraphs and paste them into the appropriate spots. Then you’ll know just where to add additional research, analysis, or transitions. You are well on your way.

References

Banys, P. (2016). Mitigation of marijuana-related legal harms to youth in California. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 48(1), 11-20.

Campbell, W., Twenge, J., & Carter, N. (2017). Support for marijuana (cannabis) legalization: untangling age, period, and cohort effects. Collabra: Psychology, 3(1).

Gardenier, D., Brennan, M., & Weber, L. M. (2017). Should Marijuana be Legalized? The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 13(2), 116-117

Ghosh, T. S., Vigil, D. I., Maffey, A., Tolliver, R., Van Dyke, M., Kattari, L., ... & Wolk, L. (2017). Lessons learned after three years of legalized, recreational marijuana: The Colorado experience. Preventive medicine, 104, 4-6.

Hall, W., & Weier, M. (2017). Has marijuana legalization increased marijuana use among US youth? JAMA Pediatrics, 171(2), 116-118.

Hauser, N., Sahai, T., Richards, R., & Roberts, T. (2018). Corrigendum to “High on Cannabis and Calcineurin Inhibitors: A Word of Warning in an Era of Legalized Marijuana”. Case reports in transplantation, 2018.

McGinty, E. E., Samples, H., Bandara, S. N., Saloner, B., Bachhuber, M. A., & Barry, C. L. (2016). The emerging public discourse on state legalization of marijuana for recreational use in the US: Analysis of news media coverage, 2010–2014. Preventive Medicine, 90, 114-120.

Monte, A. A., Zane, R. D., & Heard, K. J. (2015). The implications of marijuana legalization in Colorado. Jama, 313(3), 241-242.

Paschall, M. J., Grube, J. W., & Biglan, A. (2017). Medical marijuana legalization and marijuana use among youth in Oregon. The journal of primary prevention, 38(3), 329-341.

Schwartz, R. (2017). Legalize marijuana without the smoke. CMAJ, 189(4), E137-E138.

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Is legalization in Latin America particularly related to the popularity of the drug? If so, this seems like part of the argument in the paragraph above, not a part of this paragraph which is discussing medical importance of marijuana.

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Beliefs of religious leaders/groups

Beliefs of community leaders

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Recreational use.

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