Legalizing Marijuana
To legalize or not to legalize? This is the most popular question amongst people who live in America when the topic of marijuana is mentioned. This debate has been going on since the 1960’s, deliberating whether or not marijuana is safe or not. To end this long debate, marijuana should be legalized because it is no worse than alcohol and therefore rules will be enforced marijuana like how alcohol is.
Marijuana is a psychoactive drug which has an active ingredient called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as THC. It can be used by smoking it or consuming it. When marijuana is consumed, the THC travels from the lungs to the bloodstream, which then can reach out to any other organs in the body. Because the brain has many receptors, especially ones that are cannabinoid receptors, that the THC acts upon and thus effects the function of the brain. Some effects to the brain could be distorted perception, impaired coordination, difficulty with thinking and problem solving, and learning and memory problems.
Alcohol, on the other hand, is a psychoactive substance that affects many part of the brain and thus affecting one’s actions and such. It has the ability to change consciousness, perception, and behavior. Alcohol can cause difficulty walking, slurred speech, impaired memory, and slow reaction times. Not only that, people who are longtime drinkers have a risk of developing critical and persistent changes in the brain. People can develop brain disorders like the Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, or have liver disease.
The debate whether or not to legalize is a problem because it hurts America financially. If marijuana was legalized, the government can stop spending money preventing alcohol, and tax marijuana like they do with alcohol. “The ACMD report comes one day after a report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation determined that decriminalizing pot would save $71 million dollars in police resource….” (British Health Experts, Liberal Democrats Back Pot Law Change). This quote shows that in Britain, the action to prevent marijuana at the utmost possible was too costly. Not only that, people who want to, can create businesses and sell marijuana as well. More jobs can be created and the employment rate can rise.
Why is alcohol legalized but not marijuana? Overconsumption of alcohol may lead to violence, crime, and sexual assault, whereas marijuana does not. “Cannabis reduces likelihood of violence during intoxication” (Hoaken, Journal of Addictive Behaviors). In addition, studies show that people who are impaired with THC are more aware of what they are doing than people who are impaired with alcohol. “But the THC cigarette smokers drove significantly slower than the liquored-up subjects, who zoomed down the virtual lanes. The drinking drivers also tended to be confident and boast a sense of control, while the pot smokers seem to be "’more aware of their impairment’" (Portner, Who Drives Better: Drunks or Stoners?).
Furthermore, alcohol leads to reckless behavior and serious injures, whereas marijuana does not. "Alcohol use in the six hours prior to injury was associated with [an elevated] relative risk compared with no alcohol use. Cannabis use was inversely related to risk of injury.” (Gmel, Alcohol and cannabis use as risk factors for injury – a case-crossover analysis in a Swiss hospital emergency department).
Marijuana should be legalized. The government can enforce a law where people of a certain age may purchase alcohol. Sure, people who are not of age will be able to get their hands on marijuana and abuse it, just like alcohol is abused today. The thing about marijuana is that it is not as dangerous as liquor. “Alcohol is one of the most toxic drugs, and using just 10 times what one would use to get the desired effect can lead to death. Marijuana is one of – if not the – least toxic drugs, requiring thousands of times the dose one would use to get the desired effect to lead to death” (Gable, The Toxicity of Recreational Drugs).
If the government were to legalize the use and selling of marijuana and people were able to grow their own and sell, they should have a license to sell, like a liquor license. By creating businesses of selling marijuana and/or baked goods with a pinch of marijuana in them, creates jobs. Resources that are used to prevent the use of marijuana will be reduced and will be more focused on underage smoking. The extra money that comes from taxing marijuana and the
reduced resources to stop marijuana can be used for something else. Like alcohol, each state may have their own rules about smoking marijuana.
If each state wanted to have their own rules about smoking marijuana, they would be more than welcome to do so. The legislatures of a state can get together and talk about the laws of marijuana and amended it to their liking. Afterwards, it will be sent to several committees in a chamber, which will either be in House or Senate. If the bill was able to pass through all the committees and the floor votes, then it will be sent to the Governor of the state for a signature and will become a state law.
People would not be on board with the idea of legalizing marijuana and selling it to people who are of age. One thing is that underage people would be able to get their hands on it. Parents believe that marijuana is a gateway drug, meaning that using marijuana can lead to more uses of dangerous drugs like cocaine and meth. People only think this way of marijuana because it’s illegal. Because it’s illegal, the use of marijuana will lead to other illegal, dangerous drugs. “Clearly, people who use marijuana overwhelmingly do not move on to other drug use. That's why the number of people who use marijuana will always be more than 10 times greater than the number of people who use cocaine, heroin, etc.” (Morgan, Research Proves Marijuana is Not a "Gateway Drug"). This quote states that people who use marijuana routinely do not move on to other dangerous drugs, and because they continuously use marijuana, the number of people who smoke marijuana will always be greater than the number of people who do more hazardous drugs like cocaine, heroine, etc.
If parents were worried about their children being able to get their hands on some marijuana and experimenting on it, the parents themselves can just have their children try some weed at home, where it is safe, and the parents are right next to them if anything were to happen. Parents are only worried about the dangers of drugs near their children because they fear that they will test their curiosity with strangers wherever they could be.
Not all places have to be accepting of marijuana. If a certain business or area does not like an environment of people smoking marijuana, they
themselves may enforce a rule to not smoke it, just like no smoking for people who smoke cigarettes. Marijuana would be treated like how alcohol would be treated. If one were to be done with a long day’s work, they could go to a bar and smoke some marijuana to relax and relieve some stress; just as if that one person were to have some Scotch, but instead taking a hit with some weed.
This problem should be solved because it will also solve our economic problem. The solution of legalizing it and allowing for people to sell and/or purchase at a certain age is a great solution because it will be treated like alcohol. This is worth the trouble because it will get America out of the economical predicament it is in. Implementing this solution will make people who like smoking marijuana happy, but those who do not, will not affect them in any way. If they do not like it, then stay away from it, just as they would if they do not like the idea of alcohol and cigarettes.
Works Cited/References
42 States That Allow Underage (under 21) Alcohol Consumption. 11 Mar 2011. 28 Nov. 2011 ?resourceid=002591>.
Alcohol and cannabis use as risk factors for injury – a case-crossover analysis in a Swiss hospital emergency department. 29 Jan 2009. 28 Nov. 2011
British Health Experts, Liberal Democrats Back Pot Law Change. 14 Mar 2002. 28 Nov. 2011 health-experts-liberal-democrats-back-pot-law- change>.
G2, Jerry. Why Legalize Marijuana?. . 28 Nov. 2011 marijuana>.
Gable, Robert. The Toxicity of Recreational Drugs. June. 2006. 28 Nov. 2011 -toxicity-of-recreational-drugs/3>.
How to Pass a State Law. 3 Dec. 2011 .
Morgan, Scott. Research Proves Marijuana is Not a "Gateway Drug". 27 May 2009. 28 Nov. 2011 /research_proves_marijuana_not_ga>.
Portner, Jessica. Who Drives Better: Drunks or Stoners?. 27 May 2009. 28 Nov. 2011 drives-better-drunks-or-stoners>.
Stannard, Lia. HOW DOES MARIJUANA AFFECT THE BRAIN?. 8 Mar, 2011. 28 Nov. 2011 marijuana-affect-brain/>.
Winslow, Lance. The Legalization of Marijuana Debate. 2 Mar. 2009. 28 Nov. 2011 marijuana-debate&id=2053504>.
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