The Ongoing Fight to Legalize Marijuana

The purpose of the topic was to educate the public/audience on why marijuana should be legalized. The problems that were discussed were: cannabis as medicine, history of cannabis, economic impact, reduction in illicit crime, comparison with other medicines, religious purposes

The audience was the classroom a group of students studying A levels and the essay was written tailored to young people in their late teens for greatest impact. With the explanation in both simple and complex terms the listeners to my speech will be able to educate others having been educated themselves. The current legal situation is laid out in layman’s terms to reach a wide variety of audiences.

The history of cannabis was first noted, then the quandary of controversies surrounding its legalization and medical use was also discussed. There were many whose faces showed that they had learnt a lot from listening to my speech

The testimony of a religious user gave as close to a first person view of this topic as is possible. It is stated that cannabis has been smoked for thousands of years. During the Zulu wars the Zulus used marijuana before battle to clear their minds before going to war. The karma sutra describes using cannabis to heighten sexual experiences and become closer to one’s lover. As aforementioned there is a medicinal aspect to the use of cannabis

Previously the actual medicinal properties of cannabis were unknown however decades long research has indicated that cannabis helps to alleviate menstrual cramps, headaches, lack of sleep and appetite, seizures and inflammation in the muscles. This remarkable find led to Uruguay’s legalization of the plant in 2014. Due to there being no side effects for using cannabis and there being no reported deaths it is one of the safest drugs to have been discovered rather than concocted. Creams and oils treat many skin conditions.

Economically cannabis has caused a boom in every economy it has been involved in. The governments of Canada Jamaica Israel and Uruguay have seen steady growth due to taxes - before legalization underground sellers used to keep all of the profits and now taxes from dispensaries have been made to create new road projects, schools and vocational programs. Marijuana tourism, Tourism in Uruguay and Jamaica has risen due to the sale of marijuana and adventure packages that include it, regulation of prices. There used to be fluctuations in the prices of marijuana based on availability. This led to the government of Uruguay imposing as law that marijuana be sold for no more than a dollar US per gram. Crime has gone down especially drug related because the market is regulated by governments. Security employment rises which adds jobs to the economy. Also robberies to steal marijuana have nearly dissipated in countries that choose to legalize marijuana .Also many men who suffered sanctions for the criminal use of marijuana have had this expunged from their records due to the fact that it is no longer a crime which opens opportunities for former users who were incarcerated to gain their freedom and gain jobs in avenues previously unavailable due to having a record and they even now have the ability to gain a green card or visa to the United States which with a criminal record would have been impossible.

Unlike medicines such as Tylenol which damage the liver medicines which cause drowsiness, marijuana has no side effects. CBD has been shown to improve the mental health of those afflicted with PTSD greater than previously used medications which were associated with seizures due to vitamin drain associated with the medications. Marijuana acts as a regulator to the mood of these individuals. The sale of dab pens, bongs, papers pipes and batteries for pens has also contributed business to stores and taxes to the economy through the employment of producers of accouterments, delivery packaging advertisement sale and security of the stock associated with cannabis. This complimentary good inflation in sales due to it being legal are all ways that cannabis benefits the economy.

Lastly religiously cannabis grants total religious freedom to the Rastafarian community who have come under perjury and incarceration due to expressing their religious practice now have the freedom to practice their religion without fear of persecution. The Rastafarian community is endemic to many Caribbean and Afro communities and this granted freedom will ensure that these communities will be preserved.

The writer chose this topic and presented it because it was a topic audiences found interesting and the effort placed into research was not stressful because it was a topic that was a joy not only to learn about but to teach. The context surrounded the ongoing debate of marijuana in Antigua and Barbuda and shed light on the topic. 

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