Government prohibition on marijuana has been a back and forth debate. U.S citizens have been protesting the legalization of marijuana since the 1960’s, but it has become a bigger issue in the last five years. Ending prohibition on marijuana would be very beneficial decision to the U.S citizens and the government. Marijuana should be legalized for economic, illness treatment, and healthy recreational choices in the U.S. These are the main reasons why marijuana should be legalized.
Marijuana should be legalized because it brings in a lot of extra tax and revenue income to the state. The state of Washington estimated that the legalization of marijuana could bring in an additional $500 million in tax revenue (Bradford). Washington government officials
…show more content…
Marijuana has been proven to help or cure illnesses such as malnutrition, certain cancers, glaucoma, nuerotherapy, nausea, migraines, movement disorders, and HIV/AIDS “Is marijuana medicine”. This is important because it shows illnesses that have been effectively treated by marijuana, and with national legalization all patients could have access to this medicine. “For instance, recent studies have shown that marijuana extracts may help kill certain cancer cells and reduce the size of others. Evidence from one cell culture study suggests that purified extracts from whole-plant marijuana can slow the growth of cancer cells from one of the most serious types of brain tumors” “Is marijuana medicine”. This is important because every 1 in 161 (0.62%) will be diagnosed with a brain tumor in their life, and extracts from the cannabis plant can stop growth or kill cancer cells from the tumor. This is important because if cannabis becomes legal it could be helpful for a patient’s treatment to stop the growth of certain cancers. Also two FDA approved drugs Nabilone and Dronabinol contain (THC), they treat nausea from chemotherapy, and treats body pains from HIV/AIDS “Is marijuana medicine”. This is important because the food and drug administration allows (THC) the cannabis extract to be in a medicine that can be prescribed throughout the U.S. and that proves that it is safe …show more content…
Illegal marijuana is an estimated as a $36 billion dollar industry in the U.S. (Bradford). Illegal marijuana is obviously a big problem is America between the cartel, and other big drug lords they are collecting billions of dollars from marijuana. If prohibition ends it will decrease their power and bring that money to the states and government. The legalization would also drastically decrease the number of drug dealers, and other drug involved crminals. Also “The government would save $13.7 billion on prohibition enforcement by legalizing marijuana” (Bradford). Prohibition enforcement costs the U.S. government billions of dollars that they could be spending on more resourceful things such as schools, healthcare, and creation of jobs. This shows that there is plenty of extra money being spent on stopping the use of something that is already legal in 21 states. A 2007 study found it costs the tax payers annually $42.8 billion dollars to fund marijuana prohibition (Bradford). Instead of all the money the tax payers are putting towards stopping people from using cannabis, if it was legal they would be paying a lot less taxes and their state economy would be much better. This is important because if people are already consuming cannabis why the tax payers should be having to pay for it when the consumers would be funding, and giving back to the
Marijuana is a relatively harmless drug that governments around the world have made illegal. If legalized, marijuana can be beneficial to society in a number of ways: whether it be for medical, economic, or public safety reasons. Marijuana has been proven to treat several life debilitating, and even life threatening diseases. Although it is not a cure, marijuana can ease the pain and suffering of a dying person. Another benefit of legalization is the financial gains that governments will accomplish through the taxation of marijuana. This is a realistic claim if marijuana sales are compared to that of cigarettes; governments make billions each year from cigarette taxes (Caputo and Ostrom 484). Every year law enforcement spends countless man-hours trying to apprehend marijuana dealers and growers. This time would be better utilized in dealing with more serious crimes. This essay will display some main reasons why marijuana is a substance with beneficial uses and applications. First, marijuana can be used as a treatment for the effects of diseases such as AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, and other terminal diseases. A study carried out in California clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of marijuana as a treatment for cancer: “Over 74 percent of the cancer patients treated in the program have reported that marijuana is more effective in relieving their nausea and vomiting than any other drug they have tried.”(Zeese 1990). Chemotherapy for cancer patients often produces nausea and vomiting. Marijuana has been proven to relieve these symptoms and there have been no known side effects recorded (Ad Hoc Group of Experts part 4).
Why isn 't marijuana legal in the United States? Marijuana could serve many purposes to the human body and the community. In 1937, the government issued the Marijuana Tax Act. This act immediately criminalized marijuana. This means you can not have possession of the drug for medical purposes or not. This act is still in effect today, but it should be repealed .
America is in a war. A drug war with marijuana.Marijuana is a hallucinogen grown naturally as the cannabis plant. Smoking pot clearly has far fewer dangerous and hazardous effects on society than legal drugs such as alcohol, yet it is federally illegal. It is established scientific fact that marijuana is not toxic to humans; marijuana overdoses are nearly impossible, and marijuana is not nearly as addictive as alcohol or tobacco. But, the marijuana prohibition continues to be thriving. Marijuana prohibition causes more problems than it solves. This nation spends too much money where it could be making more money. If America were to legalize marijuana, it would cause a healthier economy, improve health care, and it would be safer than legal drugs like alcohol and cigarettes. The prohibition ruins thousands more lives than it supposedly tries to save and it should stop.
There have been 20 million arrests since 1965 for the possession of marijuana, also known as cannabis. The amount of crime and arrests for possessions of the illicit drug has increased due to the prohibition. Cannabis was a major cash crop for the industrial production prior to its illegalization. It has been estimated that the United States spends approximately $7.7 billion each year to prohibit the use of marijuana alone. Currently the number of people incarcerated is six to ten times higher than European countries (NORML). Today the United States wastes billions of dollars to fight against the war on drugs, for the imprisonment of hundreds of thousands of people, and etc. It’s also brought a raise of violence and crime relating to the dealing and production of the drug. Marijuana should be legalized because its ban has been futile in preventing illicit production, regulating it would allow new development in medical treatments, and would give a boost to the economy. The illegalization of the drug has a much more negative impact then it does well, in fact it’s pushed drug cartels to produce more of the drug because of the high demand and the millions of dollars they’ll make from profits.
Marijuana can do so much for the society if it is used right, which is why marijuana should be legal. The government should try and do their best if they do not want to have more people in jail , and that way they can build more schools by using the taxes of marijuana. Marijuana legalization can help so many people by taking away the pain and not have to worry about money on medication. Legalizing Marijuana is not as bad as alcohol or tobacco, which will not cause so much deaths, unlike alcohol or tobacco. If marijuana is legal then people will not have to worry about being prosecuted or even arrested for the simple possession of marijuana. Marijuana should be legalized and the government should stop making it such a big deal and not get more people into prison because studies have shown that there has been more prisons built since the 1980s compared to schools, and more money goes to prisons than to
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.
So far, twenty-three states have legalized cannabis for medical uses. Originally, medical marijuana was use for lesser ailment like pain or insomnia due to the lack or research. Then as people started to do more research they realized marijuana could actually help patient with more serious conditions like glaucoma, or to help those who suffer form seizures, or even to fight cancer. Marijuana helps people with cancer a great deal. For starters, the chemicals in marijuana make patients hungry and help to keep patients strong. Second, research has shown promising evidence that the chemicals in cannabis fight the spreading of cancer cells and even help to kill cancer cells. Medical marijuana also helps to prevent users from obtaining other serious afflictions. Currently, researchers are studying the way the chemicals in marijuana effect amyloid plaques. Amyloid plaques, are the number one cause of Alzheimer’s disease, and researchers now believe marijuana use can help fight and help prevent this horrible disease. All of these studies could help to one day make incredible break throughs in modern medicine, and possibly find cures for Cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Medicinal marijuana is just one reason for the legalization of
You will be in amazement at how long our government has despised such a great thing. Let’s begin with the US revenue gains that would occur from legalizing marijuana. Marijuana Offers Extreme US Revenue Boost in several Different Ways. Shouldn’t we want to collect revenue due to taxation other than criminalization? Marijuana is too expensive for our justice system and should instead be taxed to support beneficial government programs....
In conclusion Marijuana has positive effects on both society and the wellbeing of individuals and should be legalized. It would be a logical decision for the government to legalize Marijuana due to the fact that firstly the government can monitor and tax Marijuana thus helping the economy. Secondly Marijuana can be used as medical therapy; thirdly there would be less youth and adults in jails and prisons. Point in fact the government would be able to manage all facets about Marijuana as follows price, importation and exportation and diminishing any drug cartels/markets. Additionally youth would not be prosecuted with possession of cannabis and fear an undetermined future. Lastly the positives incidentally outweigh the negatives over this concerning topic and thus a monumental decisions to legalize Marijuana.
Cannabis is a natural plant that has been made illegal by the United States, and has been a controversial topic ever since the 1920’s. Marijuana is a substance that has been used hundreds of years ago as an herbal medicine and also can be used for textile products from hemp, which is from the Cannabis Sativa plant. Because of marijuana being categorized as a schedule one substance, it has no medical value and cannot be researched in the United States. Marijuana is said to be a gateway drug and is very unhealthy for adolescents with premature brains. The marijuana prohibition should finally come to a close because there are many benefits from cannabis and it is less harmful than both alcohol and tobacco.
In America, marijuana is the most used drug after alcohol and tobacco. Marijuana is used by millions of Americans, despite the harsh laws illegalizing the drug. Some states, such as Washington and Colorado have legalized marijuana for recreational use. Efforts to legalize the drug in other states have been unsuccessful such as Proposition 19 in California, which failed in 2010 despite uptight campaigns. Billions of dollars are spent at the state, local, and federal level to fight the use of marijuana. Millions are arrested for marijuana offenses and sentenced for extended periods. Marijuana has negative effects on the human health and high potential for addiction. Legalizing marijuana will eliminate the black market, which is responsible for the increase in violence, crime, and corruption. Resources used for mass incarceration in the war on drug can be redirected to rehabilitation to decrease drug abuse and addiction.
How many more times are you going to be lied to by the government? The government has made it seem like the marijuana plant is a drug that has no good use and is bad for the people. But that’s not true. They keep it illegal for reasons to benefit them. Marijuana has so many reasons why it should be legal. It should be legalized for 3 main reasons:It is safer than other substances that our legal, it could help with a wide range of different medical conditions,and it could be very beneficial and help the economy and industry.
Those against medical marijuana have given many reasons for why it should not be legalized. One of the main reasons they argue is that “Marijuana smoke may contain known carcinogens and produces dependency in users” (Medical). But there have been many studies it has be proven that it actually does have some harm that is also associated with smoking, but the according to National Academy of Science they believe that “marijuana’s short term medical benefits outweigh any smoking-related harms for some patients”(Medical). Though marijuana has been proven to be less damaging to the lungs than tobacco, a study in 2006 “found no evidence that marijuana smokers had higher rates of lung cancer” (Medical Marijuana). The FDA have conducted test proving the effectiveness of marijuana many times and have found that the cannabinoids in marijuana are helpful in “treating pain associated with chemotherapy, postoperative recovery, and spinal cord injury, as well as neuropathic pain, which is often experienced by patients with metastatic cancer, multiple sclerosis, diabetes”.
Marijuana should be legalized because of its medical use, and religious use, Legalizing Marijuana would also generate billions of dollars in revenues and taxes for the U.S. government; whereas prohibiting Marijuana would cost taxpayers billions of dollars every year. Marijuana has a medical use, which people with certain health problems can benefit from if marijuana is legalized.... ... middle of paper ... ... There isn’t any good reason why marijuana should be illegal, because researchers haven’t found any conclusive evidence that prolonged use of marijuana can damage the human brain or nervous system.
First of all, marijuana can have many positive effects on crime. Legalizing marijuana can actually decrease crime rates in the U.S. This past year, it was counted that 6.9 million people are inside the American’s jails and prisons. 60,000 of these individuals were there for marijuana according to one study. With the legalization of marijuana, it would cut the amount of tax we pay for these jails and prisons, costing us a total of 1.2 billion. Last year a total of 7 to 10 billion dollars was used towards arresting and processing against marijuana. The big picture here is that 90% of those arrests were just for possession. It is crazy that as a country we spend most of our time trying to stop the biggest drug in America when it is just wasting our money. There are less arrests on violent crimes than marijuana charges combined. These “violent crimes” consist of assault, rape, robbery, and murder. How awful is it that we waste our time on this drug when there are so many other bigger problems we could be solving or people to be saved. Cocaine and heroin arrests have actually decreased by 1/3 from 1991 to 2000. While marijuana has more than 700,000 people are ar...