The Debate about Legalization of Marijuana

Drugs are a major influential force in our country today. The problem has gotten so out of hand that many options are being considered to control it or even solve it. Ending the drug war seems impossible. The war on drugs seems to be accomplishing a lot, but this is not true. Different options need to be considered. Legalization is an option that hasn't gotten a chance but should be given one. Although many people feel that legalizing marijuana would increase the amount of use, marijuana should be legalized because it will reduce the great amounts of money spent on enforcement and increase our country's revenue. There are also many benefits that can be uncovered to help people if the legalization of marijuana is given a chance.

Legalizing marijuana would increase our economy's revenue. During Prohibition, alcohol was still sold and used, but people were doing it illegally. The 21st Amendment repealed prohibition, and alcohol taxes were increased. The same thing should happen with marijuana. Marijuana should be taxed heavily to increase our revenue. Marijuana would be made by the same people who make aspirin, so the quality would be assured, containing no poisons or adulterants.

Making marijuana legal will reduce the great amounts of money spent on enforcement every year. Drug dealers and users are one step ahead of the enforcement process. If one drug lord is caught, another one will show up somewhere else. Marijuana Legalization Organization We cannot win. "In 1987, 10 billion dollars were spent just on enforcing drug laws. Drugs accounted for about 40 percent of all felony indictments in the New York City courts in 1989. This figure is quadruple what it was in 1985. Forty percent of the people in federal prison are drug law violators" (Long 114). One can only imagine what this figure would be like today. Too much money is wasted on a cause that seems to have no end in sight. All of this money could be used on better things.

Since the 1970s, more than a dozen government-appointed commissions have examined the effects of marijuana and made public policy recommendations regarding its use. Overwhelmingly, the conclusions of these expert panels have been the same: marijuana prohibition causes more social damage than marijuana use, and the possession of marijuana for personal use should no longer be a criminal offense. "Marijuana prohibition causes more problems than it solves and ruins thousands more lives than it supposedly tries to save." (NORML 1)

By lifting the ban on marijuana use and treating it like other drugs such as tobacco and alcohol, the nation would gain immediate and long-term benefits. This change in the law would greatly improve the quality of life for many people. Victims of glaucoma and those needing anti-nausea treatment, for example, would find marijuana easily available. Also, the cloud of suspicion would disappear, and doctors could get on with investigating marijuana's medical uses without fear of controversy. It might become possible to discuss the dangers of marijuana use without getting caught up in a policy debate.

Pro-marijuana legalization groups such as the Physician's Association for AIDS Care and the National Lymphoma Foundation argue that marijuana should be legalized in order to treat terminally ill patients. Among them are AIDS victims who find that marijuana stimulates their appetites so they can fight off dangerous emaciation; glaucoma sufferers who have used marijuana say it has prevented them from going blind; and cancer patients for whom it alleviates the severe nausea that often accompanies chemotherapy and sometimes makes lifesaving treatment impossible.

The reason that marijuana poses a health threat is because most people smoke it, and any kind of smoking is hazardous to your health. Marijuana Legalization Organization But there are other ways to use marijuana that pose no health risk, such as digesting the drug. Marijuana Legalization Organization There is anecdotal evidence that marijuana in food form produces a more enjoyable high. But eating weed is not a choice for most people because it takes more marijuana to get stoned that way, and marijuana is expensive. Marijuana Legalization Organization "So most people who use pot choose to smoke it and risk damaging their health simply because it is illegal and therefore expensive." Marijuana Legalization Organization

Because marijuana is not regulated, there are no safeguards against contamination by pesticides, herbicides, and other toxic chemicals. In this sense, it is actually the fact that marijuana is illegal that causes the health danger. If marijuana were legal, steps could be taken to reduce the health risks associated with its use by avoiding contamination.

Marijuana can produce a variety of reactions. In most cases, it makes a person feel relaxed; in others, it causes anxiety and rapid mood changes.Marijuana may cause a person to lose his sense of time and space; minutes may seem like hours, and depth perception is altered. (The World Book Encyclopedia, 161) The effects of marijuana last from 2 to 5 hours if smoked, or up to 12 hours if eaten or drunk. (The World Book Encyclopedia, 162) Regular use of marijuana does not cause the kind of addiction that can result from nicotine, alcohol, or heroin. (The World Book Encyclopedia, 162) Scientists have found no proof that marijuana leads to stronger drugs or causes users to lose interest in life. "In 1971, the US National Institute of Mental Health reported that in the strength and amount taken by most American users, it does not seem to harm the body." (The World Book Encyclopedia, 162)

Meanwhile, the black market would disappear overnight. Some arrangements would be made to license the production of marijuana cigarettes. Modern medicine can use the benefits of medicinal marijuana. Thousands of dealers would be put out of business, and a secret part of the economy would come into the open.

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