Legalization of Marijuana

by Elizabeth Craven, Senior

November 30, 2016

There have been many controversial ideas about marijuana and whether or not it should become legal. Most, however, don’t know the true facts about “weed.” To educate the population, pros and cons have been put together to help the reader create an informed decision on legalizing marijuana. These pros and cons shall include topics such as the effects on the economy, the human body, and other various categories.

The effects Marijuana has on the body are vast. Medical Marijuana has been known to help patients with epilepsy, without the nasty side effects prescriptions drugs are known for. It also strengthens bones, and “medical marijuana can be a safe and effective treatment for the symptoms of AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, pain, and glaucoma,” as stated in the article “Medical Marijuana vs. Prescription drugs.” Some strains help with pain more than others. A patient had stated “I tried a strain with lower THC and a higher percentage of the CBD and it rid me of my pain better than anything I have ever tried before.” Furthermore, there has been no reported deaths of marijuana overdose, ever, while many other prescription drugs can kill when too many are taken within a given amount of time.

However, Medical marijuana, like all other types of smoke, contains carcinogens, yet marijuana was not was not proven to cause cancer. A theory behind this is due to THC’s properties, “the THC present in cannabis smoke should exert a protective effect against pro-carcinogens that require activation,” stated author of the article “Cannabis and tobacco smoke are not equally carcinogenic.” In other words, due to the THC in marijuana, the carcinogens in the smoke remain dormant. In fact, marijuana has been linked to actually kill numerous cancer types, according to Melamede.

Smoking two joints during a short period can cause the same amount of microscopic damage to the cells lining the airways to the lungs as 20 cigarettes, according to “Facts about Marijuana and Marijuana Abuse.” A joint is a way to smoke marijuana by rolling pot in smoking paper, like a cigarette. Medical marijuana side effects include: dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, dry or red eyes, heart and blood pressure problems, lung problems, impaired mental functioning, headache, dizziness, numbness, panic reactions, hallucinations, flashbacks, depression, and sexual problems, according to the article “Marijuana.” This all depends on the strain and if the cannabis is smoked or eaten. Edibles help avoid problems with the lungs, red eyes and dry mouth, but the effects take longer to occur.

Marijuana is addictive, although it takes a very long time for this to happen. If anything is addictive, than withdrawals are expected to occur; marijuana is no exception. Some of the mental withdrawal symptoms include; irritability, anxiety, depression, restlessness, a low appetite, and the inability to sleep at night and then feel tired all day. The physical withdrawal symptoms include; stomach, sweating, shaking, fever, chills, and headaches.

Legalizing Marijuana for recreational use can benefit the economy, which has shown to be true in many of the states that have already done so. Colorado has had an increase in tax revenue of about five million, and the city of Oakland’s tax revenue increased about 1 million due to the legalization of marijuana. With this in mind, Washington is expected to have an increase of tax revenue of 500 million. Due to legalization, the sheriff’s department sold and gained an approximate 600,000 dollars worth of growing permits. An estimated 13.7 billion dollars would be saved by ending the enforcement of the prohibition of Marijuana. Also, prison costs will be cut by about 1 billion dollars annually by removing the inmates serving time for marijuana related crimes. All of these would save the taxpayers an intense amount of money, according to the article, “14 Reasons why Marijuana is Good for the Economy.”

California growers have acquired an approximate of 14 billion a year in sales of marijuana. The weed will become cheaper when legal as well, helping the smoker save a little cash, and eventually spread their cash somewhere else to help the economy a bit more. Newspapers found money in this as well. By advertising dispensaries, the “Sacramento News and Review” noticed an increase in sales as they increased the amount of dispensaries they advertised, earning enough money to hire three new employees. Also, Wegrow centers Image result for pros and cons of marijuana have created up to 75 jobs. Economists state the Marijuana Business could become a 45 to 100 billion dollar business, and a booming business has always been promoted in the U.S.

Marijuana isn’t all good for the society. Many D.U.I.s have increased in the states since legalization, leading to an increase in car accidents as well. Children are getting ahold of weed more easily, causing them to start smoking at a younger age, even when the legal age of using weed recreationally is 18. Many kids have been suspended because of weed related activity. Smoking marijuana at a young age is linked, but not proven, to affect the children’s education. Pot smokers tend to have a harder time finding the drive to learn and retain the information from school, or even graduate from high school. However, this is not the case with everyone. Some students with a high grade point average admit to smoking marijuana recreationally.

Marijuana is no worse than Alcohol. Both damage the body, but alcohol tends to do a better job at that. Alcohol damages the liver to no end, causes many cancers, and can cause death when too much is consumed during a short time, or prolonged throughout life. I have personally witnessed the difference between a life long pot smoker who only smokes pot and the lifetime alcoholic who only drinks. There is a reason why marijuana is prescribed by doctors and alcohol is not. The pot smoker and alcoholic are about 50 to 60 years old. However, the one who smokes pot tends to act and look younger than the alcoholic. When drinking, people tend to make poor decisions and do things they wouldn’t normally do. They act like they are on the top of the world, but in reality they can barely stand up straight without swaying and stumbling. When high the person tends to be more relaxed and go with the flow. This is different for everyone, but I have yet to see an angry stoner.

Marijuana has been very controversial, and with good reason. There are many pros and cons to take into consideration. Drugs will always be out in the world, and will be attainable. It is up to the people on how they want to handle this situation, whether to legalize Marijuana or to keep it under wraps and try to protect people from getting a drug that has better effects on your body than alcohol. With all the information given I hope you can now make an educated decision on whether or not marijuana should become legal.