Introduction
The issue of Marijuana legalization has long been a very debatable topic for discussion among the governmental institutions and different social layers. It has to be noticed that the legalization of Cannabis sativa is a very controversial topic that may arouse arguing opinions. However, marijuana has been known for centuries to help the medical care procedures. For instance, ancient Chinese writings have cannabis’ medical use recorded back in 2700 BC. Contemporary perception of Marijuana has altered with the span of time and use of it as a drug. Unfortunately, the understanding and application of cannabis has altered and now it is taken as a dramatic damage to society, which is definitely partially true. Nevertheless, it has to be mentioned that legalization of marijuana could have dragged much more beneficial and prolific results for the government and medicine, respectively. The government can earn money from taxes on cannabis’ sale and the medicine get much more benefit that outweighs its abuse outcomes. So, legalization should be regarded as a plan for action despite the claims of organizations that consider legalization to cause drug crimes rates’ increase.
Origins
Cannabis originates from South and Central Asia. This is one of those significant plants that have several forms to be distributed in. Unprocessed, it comes in form of dried leaves; processed, it is kief – the powder sifted from flowers and leaves. “It is rich in trichomes and is consumed in its powder form” (Rose 73). When compressed it is used to make balls of hashish, which can be chewed or smoked. Marijuana users usually smoke resin at times when cannabis is not available (Marshall 126). The ancient Assyrians were the first to smoke marijuana. In the United States it is used illegally. There are furious debates over its harmful and useful features, both of which have significantly outweighed each other. Overall, people continue to use marijuana illegally despite its prohibition and the harsh laws that have been laid by various governments against its use (Marshall 128).
Medical Benefits
For many decades it has been deemed that legalization can have seriously terrible consequences. However, people forget that governmental prohibition acts in the beginning of 1900s caused the actual drug abuse and turning decent and loyal citizens into lawbreakers. So, this is a very debatable topic: whether it is marijuana abuse that was first or the governmental prohibition law in 1919. It has to be noticed that marijuana unlike cigarettes and alcohol is no as harmful as people are used to think. Moreover, the role of the government in forming such a dreadful opinion about marijuana is underestimated. Statistics shows that there are many more car accidents (hence lethal outcomes) because of alcohol than there are caused by hemp. In fact, marijuana is the safest therapeutically active medical substance humanity has ever known. Therefore, marijuana could be safely used in medical treatment though with supervised directions. Within the debates over marijuana abuse, it has to be mentioned for the sake of justice that there are over 400,000 deaths from alcohol poisoning in the United States annually. So, it is hard to determine if the Government gains anything from prohibitions of marijuana. Besides, the government has no right to dictate when one should give up his her own freedom (Marshall 127). The pros and cons of consuming alcohol need to be discussed here, therefore. Heavy drinkers are likely to be helpless when drunk, they will probably need someone to take them home because the Central Nervous System gets frustrated and a person cannot walk. However, the extreme amount of smoking marijuana puts a person to sleep, nothing more. Of course, this debate may lead to discussing the following circumstances and being asleep while driving is a bad thing, too because it can cause death as well as alcohol does. However, compare and contrast of alcohol vs. marijuana is brought up to show unconditional direct consequences the person undergoes. Namely, alcohol poisons your liver and kills you, while marijuana does neither of such impacts. Marijuana is not completely healthy, of course. “The only well confirmed negative effect of marijuana is caused by the smoke, which contains three times more tars and five times more carbon monoxide than tobacco. But even the heaviest marijuana smokers rarely use as much as an average tobacco smoker” (Grinspoon 179).
Contemporary medicine has gone very far and it is much more advanced today than it used to be several decades ago. However, there are those cases in medicine that desperately need the use of marijuana for treatment. For example, it does reduce nausea when a cancer patient takes up chemotherapy. Marijuana is used to treat patients with AIDS and sclerosis. The medical effect of marijuana is significant on patients with glaucoma – it lowers down the eye pressure. Therefore, if the government of the United States took action today, we would see the results immediately. The patients with different illnesses ranging from manic depression to Multiple Sclerosis will feel better. Once marijuana is legalized, it may become the most useful thing on the planet and the government could have got lots of money from taxes into the state’s budget.
Social Attitude towards Legalization of Marijuana
Of course, people who have never consumed marijuana are frightened at the possibility to have marijuana legalized. They are scared because it has been announced that marijuana users are criminals and unworthy people. “For instance all forms of violence are associated with drug use, family break up and children negligence” (Katel 123). The listed above consequences are regarded as the result of marijuana and other drugs’ abuse. However, as it was mentioned before many people have no other choice than become the criminals because of the law that does not allow buying marijuana freely. That is why the society undergoes dreadful results of hypnotism that marijuana brings only grief and destruction. Unfortunately, majority of people do not understand how destructive other forms of addictions may be for the society, whereas marijuana is the mean to make patients’ lives easier. Moreover, the mass opinion of the United States citizens about marijuana usage influences the overall adaptation of the legalization since we live in the democratic society, although nobody pays attention that this very opinion has been initially formed by the actual government. Therefore, according to the societal views, there is practically no chance to exercise new social politics as per the usage of marijuana. Thus, this is a very slight chance for the medical branch to use marijuana legally and give an opportunity to earn on taxes and hence invest back in medicine. Unfortunately, this alternative was not voiced widely to people and not everyone is aware of this opportunity. Namely, very few people understand that legalization of marijuana will lead to reforms in medical treatment, hence overall economical changes for better, and ultimately the actual social and medical level upraise.
Disadvantages of Legalization of Marijuana
Marijuana’s medicamentous advantages are evident. For example, researchers suggest that numerous medicinal properties of marijuana protect the body against a number of malignant tumors. Cannabis has also proved to be beneficial to a gamut of conditions ranging from depression to multiple sclerosis (Asenjo 112). However, there is a definite opposition to all of the advantages that cannabis offers – the societal changes that may result from marijuana’s legalization. Since it will become available to everyone, more addicts will appear, given that marijuana is an addictive dug. Thus, more people will get addict and more of the population of the United States will become unable to carry out aware and mature decisions as per the social behavior. This way, the society can be changed and perhaps not for better. However, this issue may be immediately argued with the help of the right for freedom of speech. America is a free country with the freedom of choice and the freedom of speech; thereby authorities take this right away by not letting the choice to appear.
Conclusion
Legalization of marijuana has long been a very debatable issue among political authorities and the US nation overall. It is evident that medical treatment with the use of marijuana would be beneficial for both: patients and the government because of the opportunity to earn on taxation. This, in its turn, will suppose the government to invest money elsewhere including the medical sphere. So, ultimately the government not only reduces the rate of crimes and levels up budget amount, it is also a very good opportunity to show people marijuana is not a threat, rather it is a way out of economical and moral crisis.
Works Cited
Asenjo, Bill. Marijuana, Ed. Jacqueline L. Longe. Vol 3. 2nd Ed. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Print.
Grinspoon, Lester. Marihuana: The Forbidden Medicine. New Heaven: Yale University Press, 1997. Print.
Katel, Peter. “Legalizing Marijuana. Should Not Be Treated Like Alcohol and Taxed?” The CQ Researcher, 2009. Web.
Marshall, Patrick. “Marijuana Laws, Should state and federal marijuana laws be reformed?” The CQ Researcher 15. (2005): 125-148.
Rose, Kenneth. Prohibiting and Temperance. Detroit: Charles Scribner’s Son, 2004. Print.