Federal Legalization of Marijuana

Marijuana should be federally legalized because it is one of the safest substances known and an abundant amount of well-documented studies clearly confirm it has the potential to provide medicinal uses for sick and dying people; not to mention billions of taxpayers' dollars are being wasted on efforts to keep it outlawed. There is proof that cannabis has been used all throughout human history.

Medical marijuana has many satisfying potential therapeutic uses. Archeologists in Asia have discovered evidence showing that cannabis has been used as a medicinal and mood altering agent dating as far back as the beginning of prerecorded history. Their conclusion is that “ancient cultures cultivated cannabis for pharmaceutical, psychoactive, and divinity purposes” (Paul Armentano). Despite the federal prohibition banning any kind of cannabis use, modern society continues to indulge on the benefits of marijuana use; whether it's recreational, therapeutic, or industrial. There are many patients being denied the beneficial therapeutic uses that marijuana has been proven to aid in treatments. Marijuana can be used to provide pain relief particularly from neuropathic pain, glaucoma, nausea, and movement disorders. As well as it is a highly effective appetite stimulant for HIV patients and patients who suffer from dementia. It can also treat nausea in cancer patients that are undergoing Chemotherapy. Sick and dying people are being denied the medicinal uses of the drug.

The federal government is also failing to acknowledge the harmlessness of the drug. Out of the six substances: cannabis, caffeine, cocaine, alcohol, heroin and nicotine; cannabis is ranked as the least addictive. Even though it is one of the least addictive drugs out there, i...

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... dangerous drugs. This idea is called the gateway effect. This theory has played a large part in the public and government's disapproval of marijuana use. However, contrary to popular belief, recent studies have confirmed that this theory is invalid. "This evidence supports what's known as the common liability model ... [which] states [that] the likelihood that someone will transition to the use of illegal drugs is determined not by the preceding use of a particular drug, but instead by the user's individual tendencies and environmental circumstances. The emphasis on the drugs themselves, rather than other, more important factors that shape a person's behavior, has been detrimental to drug policy and prevention programs” (Marijuana Use Per Se Not a 'Gateway' To Illicit Drug Use, Study Says). While the concern of the gateway effect is justifiable, it holds no truth.