Introduction
The current society is struggling to define the ethical standards of living. This moral philosophy has been on the limelight for a long time, with a lot of applications and definitions of ethics being related to the various ethical theories including deontology, virtue ethics and utilitarianism. There have been deliberate attempts to recommend, defend and systemize the concepts of wrong and right conducts in the society. In defining ethics, the character of individuals and the human moral behavior is examined vis-à-vis how it is expected to be. The use of drugs has been a contentious issue in as far as ethics is concerned. The legalization of marijuana in a number of states including Colorado has sparked a lot of debate and mixed reaction in terms of its effect on the morals and societal ethics.( Jones & Mortin, 2002)
Legalization of marijuana
Colorado recently legalized Marijuana. The issue of legalizing marijuana has been a heated argument over the past years with many reasons being attributed to the ethical implications of the drug. Generally, some governments have illegalized marijuana, with reasons that it is a harmful substance that leads to a slow down of development and rise in crime. It is the most common drug that is used in the United States of America, though it is most often than not termed as an illicit drug. Its use has risen over the years in America, with more than 4% adults in America using it yearly, at least once.
Ethical issues of marijuana
The Utilitarianism aspect of ethics has come under scrutiny in relation to the use of marijuana. As much as it is a theory based on hedonistic beliefs of maximization of happiness, it stipulates that this happiness should be acquired through...
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...ities in Colorado and beyond. However, the arguments concerning its medicinal use and continued use has made the Colorado State and most state governments in the United States of America to pass legislation legalizing its use. Marijuana is widely used among the youths and has a deep history. Whether legalized or not, this usage will continue and the only important thing is to try and conduct public education and awareness on the same.
References
Chris Conrad (1997). Hemp for Health: The Medicinal and Nutritional Uses of Cannabis Sativa. Inner Traditions * Bear & Company.
Dale Gieringer and T. Carter (2008). Marijuana Medical Handbook: NY: Cengage Learning
Jones, P., Mortin, J. (2002). Marijuana: Early Experience With Four States' Laws That Allow Use for Medical Purposes. New York: DIANE Publishing.
Leonard, B. (2007). Marijuana: Facts for Teens. NY: DIANE Publishing
Legalization of Marijuana has quickly become a controversial issue in America. In the United States, legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes is spreading to the state level. For example, in November 1996, the people of California and Arizona voted to legalize marijuana for medicinal reasons. As a result of Proposition 215 in California, patients now smoke marijuana provided their physician recommends its usage. A prescription is not required, and marijuana continues to be illegal to prescribe. The Clinton administration responded that it “would not recognize these decisions, and would prosecute physicians who recommend or provide marijuana to their patients.” Although California and Arizona are the only two states to have already passed laws regulating marijuana usage, twenty-six states and the District of Columbia have laws and resolutions regarding marijuana usage. These laws and resolutions range from establishing therapeutic research programs, to allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana, to asking the federal government to lift the ban. Despite the states’ desires to have marijuana legalized for medicinal purposes, the US National Institutes of Health examined all existing clinical evidence about smoked marijuana and concluded that, “There is no scientifically sound evidence that smoked marijuana is medically superior to currently available therapies.”
One of the most common illegal drug in the United States is marijuana. There are mixed views about this drug, some people want it legalized, other people don't. In this essay, I hope to display the facts about this illegal narcotic, and explain many vie
"State Medical Marijuana Laws." Legislative News, Studies and Analysis. National Conference of State Legislatures, 2014. Web. Apr. 2014. .
The legalization of Marijuana in Colorado has been great news for every user over the age of 21, but has anyone bother to ask the question “What negative impact will this decision have on the children of Colorado”? The legalization of marijuana will increase the risk of use by adolescents and teenagers in our schools. We are sending a message to our younger generation that it’s ok to get “high”. A quote by –Nine-Inch Nails “Kind of like a cloud I was up, way up in the sky and I was feeling some feelings you wouldn’t believe… I decided I was never coming down.” (1)
Ever since marijuana’s introduction to the United States of America in 1611, controversy of the use and legalization of the claimed-to-be Schedule I drug spread around the nation. While few selective states currently allow marijuana’s production and distribution, the remaining states still skepticize the harmlessness and usefulness of this particular drug; therefore, it remains illegal in the majority of the nation. The government officials and citizens of the opposing states believe the drug creates a threat to citizens due to its “overly-harmful” effects mentally and physically and offers no alternate purposes but creating troublesome addicts hazardous to society; however, they are rather misinformed about marijuana’s abilities. While marijuana has a small amount of negligible effects to its users, the herbal drug more importantly has remarkable health benefits, and legalizing one of the oldest and most commonly known drugs would redirect America’s future with the advantages outweighing the disadvantages.
Wilson, Clare “The Case for Marijuana by Prescription." Marijuana (Contemporary Issues Companion). Tardiff, Joseph, ed. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 2008. 63-70. Print
Cannabis, more commonly known as marijuana, is a plant that people have been using recreationally for years. In fact, people have consumed marijuana since ancient times. Until 1906, the year the United States Congress passed the Pure Food and Drug Act. The debate on whether or not marijuana should be legalized in the United States has really blown up within the last decade. And finally, in 2012, Colorado became the first state to officially legalize marijuana for medicinal and recreational uses. The prohibition of marijuana has gone on for far too long, and it is time for America to change its views.
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. In determining the ethicality of legalizing marijuana, it is necessary to understand the background of the issue, and to identify the most important stakeholders. In the 1930s, many states began outlawing the substance; ironically California was the first of these states (Rendon).
The Effects of Marijuana Marijuana is a mood altering or psychoactive drug that has many nicknames, such as pot, weed, ganja, sensi, herb, and. others. The. It is an ancient drug that dates back to hundreds of years to the Asia. Many cultures have used it during meditation, religious.
Marijuana has been linked with both medical and recreational use for nearly 10,000 years. This dates back to the writings of Chinese emperor Shen Nung stating that the plant was useful as a medical treatment for several ailments including gout, malaria and even senility. Later, it was also used in India and the Middle East for recreational purposes as an alternative to alcohol which is forbidden by the Muslim faith. This paper will argue, applying a Utilitarian perspective, for the benefits of legalizing marijuana in the United States. It will conclude that marijuana is no more of a health hazard than legal substances such as alcohol and tobacco nor does it contribute to an increase in crime.
Despite the 1976 ruling by the federal government that marijuana has “no acceptable medical use”, sixteen states have passed medical marijuana laws that allow for patient use o...
Marijuana is the third most common leisure drug in the United States after alcohol and tobacco. Millions of Americans smoke marijuana despite the strict laws against its use. Marijuana is less dangerous compared to tobacco or alcohol. Smoking marijuana can cause breathing problems and coughing just like cigarettes and some people get addicted after using for a while. Regulating and legalizing marijuana will bring Americas greatest cash crop under law, create economic opportunities and jobs in the formal economy as opposed to the underground market. Adopting a legally controlled market for marijuana will ensure that consumers buy the products from a safe and legal source. Marijuana has been approved in some states for medical uses to ease the effects of different health challenges. Colorado and Washington legalized m...
What is a drug? A drug is “a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being” (Drug, n.d). We the people have established that marijuana is an illegal drug. Lately around the United States we are starting to change the rules for that. There are states that have deemed it O.K. to sell marijuana to the public for health reasons. With this happening a lot of things are being brought up. One of the main topics that come up is the economic value that this revenue will generate and how it will affect the states.
Marijuana continues to be one of the most used illegal drugs in the United States. Marijuana has been used for many years and at one time was legal to consume. Throughout the years, marijuana has been used for treatment of different medical conditions and has been used recreationally by people of all ages. While the use of medicinal marijuana has proven to be effective in treating medically ill patients, society continues to question its recreational use and the long-term effects it will have on its users. Some feel that legalizing marijuana will only open up avenues for the use of more potent drugs, causing an increase in criminal activity.
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.