Whether or not to legalize marijuana has been a prominent question in our society for the
past couple of years. Although it was once perceived to be a terrible and harmful drug, some
people perceptions are changing. Marijuana, for medical use has been proven to alleviate painful
symptoms of diseases such as AIDS and cancer. Up until a few years ago it had always been
illegal in the United States and possession was considered a felony. But, some states have begun
to legalize not only medical marijuana, but also marijuana for recreational use, calling into
question the laws that are set in place. It was once argued that it was only a drug that destroyed
peoples' lives and the lives of those around them. This has been disproven over the years by
studies that were done and showed the actual effects.

The legalization of marijuana not only has an effect on the users of the drug, whether it is
legally or illegally, but also the people who are close to them. Although alcohol is considered a
drug by some people, and has many negative side effects, it is still legal. But why isn't
marijuana then? The audience should question how much worse marijuana is than alcohol, since
it is proven that marijuana assists people medically. I am writing this because I want to show
others how marijuana is not all bad like people say it is. Although I am not arguing that people
should just sit around and smoke everyday, I think there are some beneficial aspects to legalizing
marijuana for both medical and recreational use. Also, I am not negating the fact that in most
states the drug is illegal, but it has proved effective in some states already. But many argue that
marijuana for medical use is not and cannot be properly regulated.

"California's expansive medical marijuana law permits physicians to recommend marijuana for
'any...illness for which marijuana provides relief.' The law also allows individuals to designate as a legally protected "primary caregiver" anyone "who has constantly assumed responsibility for the housing, health,or safety" of the individual" (Dresser 8).

Many people believe the main problem, other than the fact that marijuana is a drug, is controlling
who can gain access to it medically. This is something that cannot be thought of immediately
but requires work to establish specific rules. This may seem like a lot of effort once the drug is
legalized, but for the benefit it medically provides, it is worth it. By figuring out a medical
marijuana system that prevented it from getting into the wrong hands, the entire process could
become more effective and it might appeal to the strong opponents a little more.

Opium, and other drugs that have similar effects as marijuana, were once legal and used
openly. And surveys among youth show two different conclusions. One saying that
decriminalizing the drug increases use among adolescents and the other saying it has no effect.
Even if marijuana, either for medical or recreation use, is legalized, for adults and not
adolescences, it could have the same outcome as alcohol.

"Early adolescents have a concrete approach to morality: laws are obeyed to avoid punishment. As such,
young adolescents would be most susceptible to the deterrent effects of drug laws. This deterrent effectcould dis- appear or lessen with legalization of marijuana. Once adolescents gain the ability to think abstractly, challenges to the apparent hypocrisy of "do as I say, not as I do" can be anticipated"(Joffe e635).

On the other end of the spectrum, people argue that the use of alcohol and tobacco are much
more harmful than the use of marijuana. Although there are side effects and precautions to be
taken when dealing with such a controversial topic, it has been proven that marijuana is not as
harmful as most people think. It is very similar to alcohol in the way people view it and the
effects it has on them. People need to consider what is legal in today's society and how the
effects are very similar to those of marijuana.

While the use of heroin and cocaine has decreased, the use of marijuana continues to
increase. Marijuana has been used since around the 1850s for medical reasons but began to be
abused in the 1920s by upper-class people. Even though doctors and professionals in Europe
were aware of the addictive effects, they began to use it in the 1980s to alleviate symptoms of
serious diseases, such as HIV and AIDS. Advocates today also say that medical marijuana may
help alleviate some symptoms of cancer, which could make it appeal to these people also.
Marijuana has more of an appeal in Europe and other countries outside of the United States.
These countries are known to have much more relaxed laws then those that we currently have
here.

"Australia has decriminalized the use of marijuana in some territories, and Canada as well as Switzerland
and other European countries are reconsidering their approach to marijuana. However, the most widely
publicized approach to regulation of marijuana is that of The Netherlands. Under a complex system of
"law-on-the-books" and "law-in-action," Dutch law permits personal use of marijuana but outlaws
possession"(Joffe e632).

Over the past few decades, laws and punishments regarding the possession and use of marijuana
have varied greatly, even from state to state. Starting in 1915, California and Utah were the first
states to outlaw marijuana use, and the others soon followed. Up until the 1960s, penalties were
harsh and still increasing for marijuana possession. But, then California, Vermont and Alaska
began decreasing the penalties. Medical marijuana is now legal in states such as California and
Arizona. And, after the most recent election, recreational marijuana was approved in Colorado
and the state of Washington. This is changing what we knew to once be true and pushing the
limits of what people believe to be acceptable.

Also contributing to the consideration was the AIDS epidemic in the 1990s. In today's
time, medical marijuana is legal in some states and very few even allow marijuana for
recreational use. Although programs, such as D.A.R.E, have been developed to treat addicted
people, they are not very effective. A strong influence that contributes to the discussion of
legalizing marijuana is social media, which is readily available to many people. The article also
points out that, "since 1996, support for the legalization of marijuana has increased nearly
threefold, and one-third of Americans support the legalization of marijuana" (Paul,2003). The
major increase in support for the legalization is said to have occurred from 1977 to 2003, when
marijuana was found to possibly alleviate the some symptoms of AIDS.

Even with proven benefits of the drug, there are still many people who are completely
against its legalization. They believe the positive effects it has on the patient are still not enough
to make the drug legal and question the addictive properties of it. But, morphine, which is also
used to treat pain, is highly addictive. And it is chemically made, where marijuana is a natural
substance that is grown in nature. Cancer patients are prescribed morphine to numb some of the
pain, and in states such as California, they are given marijuana to increase their appetite and
decrease nausea. The main struggle in the battle for the legalization of medical marijuana is the
doctors verses the lawmakers. I am not saying that all doctors support this method of treatment.
But for those who do believe in this for treatment, they are having to deal with both state and
federal laws. The disconnect being the true effectiveness because of all the risks the lawmakers
believe the drug has. For legalization to even become a possibility, doctors and lawmakers must
understand the other's viewpoint on the issue and come to a common agreement.

Researchers also analyzed the effectiveness of increasing penalties and discovered that it
does little to deter the user. Also show towards the end of the article is a study that was done to
help determine North American's attitudes toward the use of the drug. Drug trouble and usage in
families is also an important factor to consider. Although there has been a slight increase in
trouble, it is not significant at all. Also, much of this trouble stems from factors that are
transmitted to the youth from their parents. There are tables within this journal that show the
difference of support over the years and in the United States compared to in Canada. Even
though the number of teenagers who have tested positive for marijuana is growing, these teens
are less likely to move onto using hard drugs. If they are less likely to use hard drugs, and the
side effects of marijuana use are similar to those of alcohol and tobacco, then why should
marijuana not be legalized? Promoting the use of drugs is not something I support if they are
extremely harmful to the body and lead to worse drugs. This argues the fact that marijuana is
considered a "gateway" drug, like many people believe. People need to examine whether this is
truly and extreme gateway drug or if it has less of an effect than they think.

Another fact to consider it the cost of production verses the price it is sold for, and how
these increase based on a change in demand. It is no secret that marijuana is widely produced in
Latin American countries, and that the cost of production is almost non-existent compared to the
profit they make. This makes a person question whether the price would rise if the demand was
higher, which would occur if marijuana became legalized. But, one study done disproves the
theory that as demand increases, so does price.

"One interesting thing to note from such a scheme is that the street price of marijuana stays exactly the same, so the quantity demanded should remain the same as the price is unchanged. However, it's quite likely that the demand for marijuana would change from legalization. We saw that there was a risk in selling marijuana, but since drug laws often target both the buyer and the seller, there is also a risk (albeit smaller) to the consumer interested in buying marijuana. Legalization would eliminate this risk, causing the demand to rise"(Moffatt).

But, if the government decided to take marijuana upon legalizing it, the price would definitely
increase. The Obama administration has reiterated numerous times that they will make no effort
towards the legalization of marijuana, saying that it would further burden the criminal justice
system and argues that the tax revenue from the drug would be offset by higher social costs.
They need to seriously consider all the benefits of legalizing marijuana and the true impact it
would have on the government before disregarding it completely.

This is a very controversial issue that will take many years to have a definite solution.
Although there are positives towards the legalization, there are also strong opponents to it too.
Medically, marijuana has already been proven effective in treating many symptoms of serious
diseases and its legalization in many states seems to be working. But still questions on what will
happen to people, especially the youth, are presenting themselves. People who try to push off
and ignore the issue are not doing it any good because it is becoming and ever-prominent
question and issue in our society.
