Legalizing Marijuana – The Marijuana Debate
Author: Dr. Shruti
The statement, legalizing Marijuana is still a controversy as this topic is highly debated for the last many years. To go further in detail, we should first understand what is Marijuana. Marijuana is also called Cannabis. It is obtained from the hemp plant and its dried leaves. As of now, it is popular with the term, weed. It is an illegal drug in most countries worldwide, as it is classified under Schedule 1 for drug scheduling. According to some, it is a public health concern while for others it is not dangerous as alcohol and has few therapeutic benefits such as pain and anxiety relief. Amid this debate, states, where it is legal, are as follows-
- Colorado – Nov,2012
- Washington – Nov,2012
- Alaska – Nov,2014
- Oregon – Nov,2014
- Washington, D.C. – Nov,2014
- California – Nov,2016
- Maine – Nov,2016
- Massachusetts – Nov,2016
- Nevada – Nov,2016
- Michigan – Nov,2018
- Vermont – Jan,2018
- Guam – April,2019
- Illinois – May,2019
- Montana – Nov,2020
- New Jersey – Nov,2020
- South Dakota – Nov,2020
- Arizona – Nov,2020
- New York – Mar,2021
- Virginia – April,2021
- New Mexico – April,2021
- Connecticut – June,2021
This legalization has been started in 2012 and last was done in 2021. In all the above-mentioned states, if a businessman wants to sell this drug he must possess a license to do so. The tax collected which is collected on this varies from state to state. States have legalized it on their own because the federal government is against legalizing it. Countries like Canada and Uruguay have completely legalized it.
Marijuana legalization – It means the removal of all penalties on using marijuana.
Marijuana decriminalization – It means removing the hard penalties like putting someone behind the bar and keeping penalties like fines for breaking traffic signals.
Medical marijuana – It means prescribing marijuana to some medical conditions such as pain, anxiety, and stress by the doctors. Many studies have supported this statement by stating that marijuana helps in nausea, vomiting, chemotherapy, and some chronic pain.
Regulation of Marijuana
The public is in support of legalizing marijuana. Even the DRA (Drug Policy Alliance) also stated that it should get legalized for adult use.
To conclude the debate on marijuana legalization, the below section discusses the pros and cons of it-
Pros of Marijuana Legalization
The most important aspect is money as it helps in more accumulation of money on taxation. Just like alcohol and tobacco, it is also a reliable source of tax.
It is useful in medical conditions like pain reliever, stress reliever, chemotherapy, nausea, vomiting, and glaucoma. It has been proven from past studies that it has many medical benefits.
It is less harmful than alcohol and tobacco. Nothing has been proven from the past studies that marijuana causes death like alcohol or tobacco use.
Unlike tobacco smoking, as it was taken by oral route or in vapor form, doesn’t affect anybody. Anybody can enjoy freedom using it without harming anybody.
If got legalized then people can research it, to share the outcome of this illicit drug. Also, it helps in medical health research by stating its positive effects on human health.
Legalizing it reduces health risks as people take risks on possessing marijuana.
It is one of the largest crops so it helps in boosting the economy by creating jobs and giving employment to the people.
It also helps in safety, as after legalization, the standard safety requirement will be shared with the public so that they can consume it safely.
It doesn’t have risks like cocaine, heroin, and other illicit drugs.
Cons of Marijuana Legalization
Most common is that it increases the risk of schizophrenia. Studies have shown that it affects the mental ability of teens.
Restrictions on it prevent its use by teens or children. Taking these drugs in any form is a crime that leads to jail along with harsh fines to be paid.
Also, if we will allow people to have this drug openly then chances are more that they will demand other illegal drugs to be in regular use which is a major public health concern.
Another most important factor is profit businesses like that of alcohol and tobacco companies. Companies don’t think of serious health effects to their use. There are chances that the legalization of marijuana will create the same scenario.
Last and the obvious reason is drug addiction and when someone tries to stop his habit then he or she faces consequences like social pressure, unable to communicate his feelings, wanting to be alone, etc which has affected his social life, career, education, and of course health.
How Public is supporting this matter?
Legalizing marijuana is not today’s debate but it started in 1969 with the public supporting it only 12% which rose to 31% in 2000 followed by 66% in 2018.
Many debates have been done, but still, there are no results. People are consuming it worldwide. We should strategize on how to deal with it.
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