What is marijuana and why are people so crazed about it. Why do so many people push for the legalization of marijuana. Are they just “potheads” trying to find a reason to smoke more. “Pot, “weed”, “Mary Jane”, “gas” whatever you may call it is being legalized within the United States. The question commonly asked is how would legalizing an illegal drug benefit anyone. In this proposition, how marijuana would benefits Americans health-wise as well as help the government profit from tax revenues will be explained. As well as the negatives to legalization of marijuana such as easier access to the substance to adolescence as well as social and mental declines. 

First of all marijuana is a greenish-gray mixture of the dried flowers of Cannabis sativa that contains a psychoactive chemical I responsible for the “high” effects that people seek, is known as  delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse. The chemical effects of THC are what people are crazed about and push for legalization but they’re many more important components that could push legalization further than just because people like getting high.

Why is marijuana illegal in the first place? That’s a question that I honestly would’ve asked until a fellow student gave the reasons in class and I give her my gratitude for that, but the reasons are because of fear of yellow journalism and a lot of racism. The prejudices and fears that greeted these peasant immigrants also extended to their traditional means of intoxication: smoking marijuana. “Police officers in Texas claimed that marijuana incited violent crimes, aroused a ‘lust for blood,’ and gave its users ‘superhuman strength.’ Rumors spread that Mexicans were distributing this ‘killer weed’ to unsuspecting American schoolchildren as well as “Marihuana influences Negroes to look at white people in the eye, step on white men’s shadows and look at a white woman twice.”

Why should I care some readers may be asking as the raise a couple of eyebrows at each paragraph. Well you should care because whether you like it or not marijuana is  going to becoming legal in all 50 states sooner or later. Also you never know if you want to try it yourself and know all the pros and cons beforehand.

 One of the marijuana medical benefits such as decreasing anxiety by relieving pain and suppressing nausea. According to researchers at Harvard Medical School suggested that marijuana acts as a sedative in low doses. Also it helps regulate a healthier metabolism and reaction to sugars. Adding to that medical marijuana is being used to treat the autoimmune disease Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, from some of the chemicals in marijuana seem to have a calming effect on the immune system, which may be how it helps deal with symptoms of Lupus. It’s likely to be used for PSTD for veterans The last health benefit I’m going to explain is how marijuana treats inflammatory bowel diseases by the body increase the permeability of the intestines, allowing bacteria in. The plant-derived cannabinoids in marijuana block these body-cannabinoids, preventing this permeability and making the intestinal cells bond together tighter.

The long-term impacts of marijuana use on health care and public safety, including the effects of abuse and dependence. It also addresses the regulatory implications of legalized marijuana and makes recommendations for best practices for primary care providers. While “Substance Abuse and Mental Health Serves. Admin Survey”, NSDUH is the primary source of statistical information on the use of illegal drugs, alcohol, and tobacco by the U.S. civilian, noninstitutionalized population aged 12 or older. NSDUH collects information from residents of households and non-institutional group quarters (e.g., shelters, rooming houses, dormitories) and from civilians living on military bases. The survey excludes homeless persons who do not use shelters, military personnel on active duty, and residents of institutional group quarters, such as jails and hospitals. 

 According to Jonathan P. Caulkin,, “International treaties and the laws of almost every country forbid growing, selling, and possessing marijuana. That makes lawbreakers  out  of  more  than 125 million  people  who  have used marijuana in the past year, and those who supply them. It creates illicit markets with a total value in the tens of billions of dollars per year.” Coming to the point that legalizing marijuana would reduce criminal charges and produce revenue for the government because everybody love marijuana.

 Canada lags behind jurisdictions such as Colorado and Washington in the legalization of recreational marijuana -- but not in consumption. An empirical study conducted in downtown Toronto and studies by Statistics Canada reveal that marijuana use is widespread amongst Canadians, which suggests that the current regulatory regime is not effective as a deterrent. This paper details the results of the above-mentioned studies, reviews the regulatory framework of recreational marijuana use in Colorado, Washington, and Canada, and uses taxation data from Colorado to estimate the potential financial gain of marijuana legalization in Canada. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of the non-financial benefits of legalization. If you would like to smoke a joint, it will cost you about ten dollars in Denver. If it is your first time, you will also need to purchase a small reusable white bag for an additional two dollars. In Seattle, you do not need the bag, though the joint will cost you twice as much. In 2015, marijuana sales in Colorado almost reached the billion dollar mark 1 while in Washington State the sales reached 257 million dollars. In Toronto, a joint will cost you a 1000 dollar fine or six months in jail, or both/ However, Canada's criminalization of recreational marijuana does not seem to be an effective deterrent, based on the smoking patterns of Canadian
