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Ethics on legalizing marijuana
Debate about legalizing marijuana
Discuss the controversy of legalizing marijuana
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Legalization of marijuana has become an increasingly popular topic for debate in society. Support for this idea continues to rise, as “sentiment in favor of legalization has increased by 20 [percentage] points in just over a decade” (Dionne and Galston). The crucial ethical issue to consider in this debate is the effect of legalization on future generations. This can be divided into three ethical issues regarding risk, gender, and sustainability. The stakeholder of distributors is an important group to consider, as the dynamic of this group would change drastically if marijuana were legalized. The interests of this stakeholder are the following: profitable sale of product, compliance with legal requirements, and maintaining the reputation of the company. It is necessary to look at the impact on the distributors by analyzing the issues through application of ethical theories and principles in order to determine the solution to this ethical dilemma that will have the best possible outcome.
In determining the best course of action, one must assess the risks of each of the two extreme solutions and apply ethical theories of analysis to these risks. There are three main risk factors that distributors have to consider; these factors are: health concerns, dosage ambiguities, and driving inhibitions. This leads to the main ethical issue regarding risk, which is whether selling an unsafe product to consumers that does have known benefits can be considered ethical. Marijuana use has both positive and negative health related consequences. It has “been approved to treat side-effects of chemotherapy, AIDS-induced anorexia, nausea, and other medical conditions” (Elsevier). However, “long-term marijuana smoking is associated with an...
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...e legalization. One marijuana advocacy group created a series of guidelines that distributors should use in advertising. One guideline, relevant to gender ethics, was that one “should not depict scenarios that undermine or negate the basic human dignity of a person or group of people based on their race, gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, age, and physical or mental ability” ("Marketing Ethics for the Cannabis Industry"). If marijuana distributors were to follow this then there would be no question under the utilitarianism theory as to if legalization was ethical in terms of gender ethics. Based on the ethical theories, the legalization of marijuana to lessen gender stereotypes in future generations can be argued as ethical, especially when legal distributors commit to following the advertising guidelines that prevent gender stereotypes.
The series “High Profits” demonstrates the works and restrictions of the United States government regarding the issue of legalizing recreational marijuana. Breckenridge Cannabis Club business owners, Caitlin Mcguire and Brian Rogers, demonstrate both the struggles and profits of this up and coming industry. This series portrays virtually every viewpoint possible by including opinions from an array of political actors who discuss the influence of the government on this topic and the impact this topic has on the general public.
Lately it seems that drug policy and the war on drugs has been in the headlines quite a lot. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the policies that the United States government takes against illegal drugs are coming into question. The mainstream media is catching on to the message of organizations and individuals who have long been considered liberal "Counter Culture" supporters. The marijuana question seems to be the most prevalent and pressing of the drugs and issues that are currently being addressed. The messages of these organizations and individuals include everything from legalization of marijuana for medical purposes, to full-unrestricted legalization of the drug.
Comparing marijuana and other drugs and substances used under abuse mode, it has come out clear that marijuana legalization will, to a great extent improve the living standards of people and econiomic growth. Suggestions are that marijuana be legalized and regulated under the law that regulates the use of tobacco and alcohol. In some countries, cannabis sativa forms the bulky of the cash crops dependent on, and if legalized will tremendously create jobs and shun the illicit market by provision of opportunities in the formal market. A lot of taxpayer’s money, which could be used in improving the living standards of citizens, is spent in dealing with criminal offences related to marijuana use. As well, the criminilization of marijuana leads to prejudice, corruption,vio...
American politicians are constantly finding themselves in a heated debate concerning the legalization of marijuana. Currently the no’s have it but the real question is how long will they be able to keep it that way. Since, "To the agriculturist, cannabis is a fiber crop; to the physician, it is an enigma; to the user, a euphoriant; to the police, a menace; to the trafficker, a source of profitable danger; to the convict or parolee and his family, a source of sorrow" (Mikuriya, 1969). Introduction The future of marijuana in the United States is uncertain.
For nearly one hundred and fifty years marijuana has been illegal in the United States of America. Though marijuana naturally grew in all of our fifty states, it was outlawed due the superior strength and durability of hemp rope. This threatened to replace cotton rope, which would cost wealthy cotton owners a lot of money. To this day marijuana is still outlawed in the U.S., however rope has nothing to do with it. Once slavery and the “cotton boom” were over hemp made a little bit of a comeback in a smoking form. Then, in the early 1940’s the government began releasing anti-marijuana propaganda. In the 1960’s when marijuana became popular amongst pop-culture, a movie by the name of “Reefer Madness” was released depicting marijuana users as fiends and criminals who’s normal everyday lives fell apart, and spun out of control due to the addiction to the drug. Even in the present day organizations, as well as the government, continue to try and sway people from using the substance by portraying users as irresponsible idiots. Some examples of behaviors portrayed in the commercials are: accidental shootings, running over a little girl on a bike, molesting a passed out girl, supporting terror, and impregnating/becoming impregnated. I feel that these advertisements are ridiculously tasteless and misleading. Through personal experience, surveys, an interview, and a case study I intend to prove that marijuana users do not behave in the fashion that the anti-marijuana campaign ads would suggest, and furthermore, I expect to find that the ads so grossly misrepresent the common user, even those who do not use disagree with the negative portrayals. I also challenge you to think about the suggested situations and behaviors from the commercials, I feel that you’ll see every situation and behavior in the advertisements is much more feasible to a person under the influence of alcohol than under the influence of marijuana.
Marijuana has a greater beneficial impact on society then many people realize. Marijuana should be legalized for medical as well as recreational purposes. This is a highly controversial issue that is being debated throughout the country. In essence marijuana is evaluated by the effectiveness of the drug. It is defined as the dried flowered clusters and leaves of a hemp plant smoked for the intoxicating effect. Whether it should be legalized or not is the real question.
“The immorality of marijuana use can only be based on one set of moral beliefs. For example, it is discriminatory to claim that Judeo-Christian abstinence from intoxication is the correct set or moral beliefs” (Arguments For And Against Legalization Of Marijuana). The legalization of Marijuana has many advantages and disadvantages. If this product is legalized, then it would be acceptable to skyrocket the taxes to purchase in-order to maintain control. The disadvantage may be a slight increase of individuals driving while high or intoxicated. “Legal prohibition does not stop consumers from consuming drugs, it does not stop trafficants from producing and selling it. The price of the final product increases to abnormally high values because of the black market status, which together with the powerful effects of drug addiction causes users to commit crimes in order to fund their addiction” (Arguments For And Against Legalization
The legalization of marijuana has been a highly debated topic for many of years. Since the first president to the most recent, our nation’s leaders have consumed the plant known as weed. With such influential figures openly using this drug why is it so frowned upon? Marijuana is considered a gateway drug, a menace to society, and mentally harmful to its consumers. For some people weed brings a sense of anxiety, dizziness, or unsettling feeling. Like alcohol, tobacco or any other drug, those chemicals may not respond well with their body. For other people marijuana brings joy, a sense of relief, and takes the edge off of every day stress. For those who are associated with cannabis, purposes usually range from a relaxant, or cash crop, to more permissible uses such as medicine, and ingredient to make so many other materials. We now need to look at what would change if marijuana were legal. Benefits to the economy and agriculture, health issues, and crime rates are three areas worth looking at. Deliberating on the pros and cons of this plant we can get a better understanding for marijuana. From there it will be easier to make a clear consensus on what is best for the nation.
Criminalization of cannabis causes a weakened economy due to taxpayers paying to financially support America’s inmates and all of the tax money available if marijuana was regularly taxed. Also, with lawful cannabis not available, crime rate and violence within city our streets continues to be an issue. Prohibition of cannabis in the United States sponsors extreme violence and corruption and fails to curb the availability to children ("Marijuana Legalization and Regulation”). With cannabis being criminalized, the United States is also losing the largest potential cash crop because of marijuana’s many uses and benefits.
Nowadays many people want to fight for their right either for support or prevent the legalization of marijuana. According to Altieri, 58% of Americans say marijuana should be legalized, while 42% are opposed (2013). In one perspective, marijuana is no longer a strictly partisan issue in some cities, such as Colorado and Washington, which convenes a lot of supporters to raise their voice for the legalization of marijuana (Lyman 2014). However, on the other hand, there are many people disagreeing for the legalization of marijuana because of the negative consequences that marijuana produce. To illustrate, the legalization of marijuana is a debatable point between advocate and opponents. Although many people say marijuana should not be legalized, there are many reasons why marijuana should be legalized, such as economic, medical, and social.
Legalization of marijuana has become an increasingly popular topic for debate in society with “sentiment in favor of legalization [increasing] by 20 [percentage] points in just over a decade,” bringing support for legalization to 52% (Dionne and Galston). The most common arguments for reforming current legislation are the following: enforcement wastes public resources, taxation can provide a new source of revenue, and enforcement of current laws is discriminatory (Dionne and Galston). It is necessary to look at the impact on the primary stakeholders by analyzing the various harms and benefits through application of the ethical theories of utilitarianism and deontology, in order to determine the solution that will result in the best possible outcome.
The legalization of marijuana is considered a controversial issue, something that can benefit people for medical purposes, but what about recreationally? Marijuana has been illegal since 1937, but there’s never been a bigger push for legalization. There are several reasons why it is illegal, because of government propaganda and big industry not wanting to lose money, but this will be discussed later. The purpose of this paper is to educate, theorize, and discuss various aspects of marijuana, such as its history, development, and the advantages and disadvantages of marijuana legalization. Finally, my personal reflection on legalization and marijuana in general will be discussed.
The legalization of marijuana will have a huge impact on the economics of the United States to the point that I feel that government will assist in the continuation of these companies. If it is passed in the government the selling of marijuana could generate millions of dollars in tax revenue. Colorado is the latest state that has approved the selling of marijuana for recreational use. This topic has been tossed around by the officials for years now. Legislators in Colorado have “consider excise and sales taxes on marijuana of up to 30 percent combined” (Frosch, 2013). With the rapidly growing market and marijuana industry rules and regulations had to be put into place. Even this tax charge needs to be implemented and enforced. “These taxes are set high enough to finance the administration of new laws, but not so high that customers are driven back to the black market” (Frosch, 2013). There are many financial benefits as a state can help pay for the enforcement and other fundamental issues. One bad thing about taxing so high is that you can simply crowd out the regulated market. It is important to find the right balan...
The use of drugs and mind-alternating substances has been a part of society for decades. The ‘high’ that people attain from the use of such substances is very attractive and exciting however, the effects of this use are minimized. Particularly for youth, a group of individuals who are seeking independence and experimentation, drug use represents the balance between taking risks and taking responsibility for one’s actions. However, the developmental processes of adolescents are known to not encompass the maturity required to fully think through such decisions. As such, the use of a ‘smaller-scale’ drug like marijuana is even more minimized. The purpose of this paper is to discuss what the risks of using marijuana are for youths, why they are the most affected, how this problem has progressed over the last three decades, and what preventative measures and treatment options are in place. It will also discuss what schools, parents, and government agencies could be doing to help improve the issue, and the impact that this issue is having on society.
As you know, Marijuana is the most frequently used illegal drug in the U.S causing a huge controversy in today’s society. I think that in some ways not legalizing marijuana could hurt us and our country. I know that you, as a member of the CALM, feel very strongly on your opinion of legalizing marijuana. The CALM does make very convincing arguments about crime, youth, and health with the use of marijuana. While some of these arguments can be persuasive to many, I think that my following propositions on crime, health, and medicinal marijuana also provide a swaying argument.