Legalization of marijuana

Legalization of Marijuana

Christian Bonilla

Galen College of Nursing

Legalization of Marijuana

Thesis: Legalizing Marijuana has always been a controversial topic that many are not in favor of. Marijuana is a drug that many people look down upon as a bad choice, a poor judgement of character or taboo. However, legalization of medical Marijuana should be instituted in all fifty states of America. Legalizing Marijuana has many benefits that outweighs the negative aspects of it. The legalization of Marijuana has benefits such as: (a) marijuana can be used medically to aid in pain relief, (b) can generate revenue for the economy, and (c) decrease the usage of opioids.

I. Paragraph two includes benefits of how marijuana can be used medically

A. List different disease that marijuana can help with.

1. Reduce seizures.

2. Aid in pain relief with a patient that has cancer.

a. “Medical Cannabis appears to serve as both a complementary method for symptom management and treatment of medication side-effects associated with certain chronic conditions, and as an alternative method for treatment of pain, seizures, and inflammation in this population.” (Bruce et. al, 2018)

b. “Cancer is a qualifying condition for patients to obtain medical cannabis certification in most of the states where medicinal cannabis is legal.” (Clark, 2018)

B. Examples of studies of how medical marijuana has aids certain patients

1. Examples will be provided

2. Examples will be provided

II. Economically, legalizing medical marijuana increases revenue.

A. States where marijuana is legal taxes the use of Marijuana. Each state varies on how much tax will be. State and local excise tax collections on retail cannabis sales surpassed $1 billion for the first time in 2018. This marks a 57 percent increase over 2017 levels, driven partly by the start of legal retail sales in California and partly by rapid growth in cannabis tax revenues in five other states reporting revenue data: Alaska, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington State. (Davis, Hill & Phillips, 2019)

B. “A mature marijuana industry could generate up to $28 billion in tax revenues for federal, state, and local governments, including $7 billion in federal revenue: $5.5 billion from business taxes and $1.5 billion from income and payroll taxes.” (Ekins & Bishop-Henchman, 2018)

III. Legalization of marijuana decreases opioid dependence

IV. Counterargument: Opposers envision that legalization of marijuana will induce addiction and dependence on the drug.

A. “Data clearly show that about 10% of those who use cannabis become addicted.” (Wilkinson, 2013)

V. Rebuttal:

References

Bruce, D., Brady, J., Foster, E., & Shattell, M. (2018). Preferences for Medical Marijuana over Prescription Medications Among Persons Living with Chronic Conditions: Alternative, Complementary, and Tapering Uses. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 24(2), 146-153. doi:10.1089/acm.2017.0184

Chawla, Y., Brown, A., Calice, M., Dederich, B., Johnson, J., Maul, B., & McBride, B. (2018). Medical Marijuana in Wisconsin: A Cost-Benefit Analysis. Retrieved from https://www.lafollette.wisc.edu/images/publications/cba/2018-CBA-MARIJUANA.pdf

Clark, C. (2018). Medical Cannabis: The Oncology Nurse’s Role in Patient Education About the Effects of Marijuana on Cancer Palliation. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 22(1), 1-7. doi:10.1188/18.cjon.e1-e6

Davis, C., Hill, M., & Phillips, R. (2019). Taxing Cannabis. Retrieved from https://itep.org/taxing-cannabis/

Ekins, G., & Bishop-Henchman, J. (2018). Marijuana Tax Legalization and Federal Revenue. Retrieved from https://taxfoundation.org/marijuana-tax-legalization-federal-revenue/

Gardiner, K., Singleton, J., Sheridan, J., Kyle, G., & Nissen, L. (2019). Health professional beliefs, knowledge, and concerns surrounding medicinal cannabis – A systematic review. Plos One, 14(5), 1-14. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0216556

Harris, R. (2018). Opioid Use Lower In States That Eased Marijuana Laws. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/04/02/598787768/opioid-use-lower-in-states-that-eased-marijuana-laws

Philpot, L., Ebbert, J., & Hurt, R. (2019). A survey of the attitudes, beliefs and knowledge about medical cannabis among primary care providers. BMC Family Practice, 20(1), 1-7. doi:10.1186/s12875-019-0906-y

Wilkinson, S. (2013). More Reasons States Should Not Legalize Marijuana: Medical and Recreational Marijuana: Commentary and Review of the Literature. The Journal of the Missouri State Medical Association, 110(6), 524-528. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6179811/.