In the past ten years, the fortification of the legalization of marijuana has grown exponentially. The active ingredient in Marijuana (THC) has been proven more and more beneficial throughout nationwide research. Legalizing cannabis is not only extremely important in the medical field, also recreationally. The legalization in states such as Washington or Colorado have shown the substance as an effective commodity in the United States economy. Based on the plethora of information provided by the many sources cited in my work, the positive effects brought on by the legalization of recreational marijuana use drastically outweigh the negative ones.

 Should marijuana be legal for recreational use nationwide? The debate on marijuana legalization has been and continues to be one of most controversial topics throughout the United States. There are basically two different sides of the argument, for instance in this case one is either for the legalization of recreational use of marijuana or for a federal act denouncing all uses of marijuana other than medical in most viewpoints. When comparing the two sides it doesn’t come down to the stereotypical hippies versus the do-gooders, it represents all types of people rather than those outdated generalizations. Those pressing for federal and/or state legalization consist of multiple points such as the comparison to tobacco, the legitimate medical studies done to show the benefits, and the amount of money it could bring in. Now on the other hand, the opposition has its own set of counters to the push of legalization like the facts that it is a drug that causes the conscience mind state to become impaired, it is addictive, and it is a gateway to other harder substances. After extensive research through different scholar websites, articles, etc., I have come to a more in-depth understanding to the controversy.

Marijuana has been utilized by people to achieve euphoria for a long time with documented uses dating all the way back to 2737 B.C. From China, it spread to India and North Africa, from there to Europe. Through this time, it was utilized for its many beneficial properties. Once in North America, marijuana (also known as hemp) became a major crop being used as a source of fiber. This became very prominent during World War II when the war caused Asia’s supply of the crop to be cut off. Marijuana was also used in the United States from 1850 through 1942 as a prescription drug for conditions such as labor pains, nausea, and rheumatism. In the 1930s a campaign was started to portray marijuana as an extremely addictive substance that would lead to narcotics addiction. From that point forward it began being widely seen as a “gateway drug” (The History of Marijuana Use). Eventually the Controlled Substance Act of 1970 classified marijuana in with heroin and LSD as a schedule 1 drug, which means it has a high risk of abuse with relatively no medical use. This has remained firm up until recently when the firm hold on cannabis laws has begun to loosen for the first time.

The first sign of laws loosening their firm grip on the drug was the legalization of prescription marijuana for medical purposes. Marijuana has been proven to help with a number of medical ailments. These include epilepsy, asthma, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s, and many others. One of the biggest of the list is cancer. Marijuana is very commonly used by cancer patients for many reasons. A big one being that it is very affective in lessening the pain caused by chemotherapy as well as helping control the nausea and vomiting that follows, but as previously stated, helping cancer patients is not the only medical advantage that marijuana provides. Cannabis has been struck down for years even though it contributes multiple groundbreaking advances in medical treatments that have not been advanced in years. Patients who suffer from epilepsy benefit greatly from marijuana use. This was proven in a study done by Robert J. DeLorenzo, of Virginia Commonwealth University. DeLorenzo gave marijuana extract and synthetic marijuana epileptic rats to test the effects it would have. The marijuana rid the rats of the seizures or about 10 hours. This works through the active ingredient in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (also known as THC) and canabidiol. The two control seizures by binding the brain cells controlling excitability and regulating relaxation (Loria). Marijuana can also help with an even more severe seizure disorder called Dravet’s Syndrome. This severe disorder causes extreme seizures as well as development delays. Marijuana treats this illness in a very similar way to epilepsy. The active ingredients target the brain cells and controls their hyperactivity. According to a documentary called “Weed”, marijuana has managed to limit the seizures of a little girl from 300 a week to just one every seven days (Loria).

As well as epilepsy and other seizure causing conditions, marijuana also helps to slow the progression of another brain affecting illness called Alzheimer’s. According to a study done by Kim Janda of the Scripps Research Institute suggests that the active ingredient in marijuana, THC, slows the formation of amyloid plaques by blocking the enzyme that makes them. These plaques kill brain cells and cause Alzheimer’s. In similar fashion, the same drug also helps with the pain of multiple sclerosis. The THC in the marijuana binds to receptors in the nerves and muscles to relieve pain and muscle spasms. These are just a few examples from the long list of medical benefits from the use of marijuana. Although there are a lot of medical benefits, what about the non-medical benefits? Things such as financial, social and legal benefits. As it turns out these benefits come in plenty. 

The legalization of marijuana has a multitude of benefits that draw from a financial, social and legal standpoint. Colorado was the first state to fully legalize marijuana for recreational use in the United States. Having this done opened up a whole new market for business in that state. In the first year of legalization, legal weed created 18,005 full-time jobs in the state of Colorado and added about $2.4 billion to the state’s economy. The legalization has created multiple different sources of income for the state. New businesses have opened which have created a whole new market for people and bigger businesses to invest in. From a social standpoint, the legalization has also generated a greater tourist attraction. People from all over the country have traveled to Colorado to experience the freedom of being able to consume marijuana without worry of legal consequences. This brings in revenue to the state through tourists purchasing items from in state businesses as well as increases the number of people visiting the state. This new legalization also benefits the state on a legal/financial front.

Marijuana is one of the most popular drugs in the country. Thousands of people go to jail every year due to possession, selling or use of marijuana. Each person that gets sent to jail costs the state a substantial amount of money. By decriminalizing marijuana, you eliminate that annual cost of sending thousands of people to jail. The money that is being saved can be put toward schools or other things that will improve the quality of life in that state. 

Of course, for every argument there are two sides, and this one is no exception. Just like there are a lot of reasons marijuana should be legal, the opposing side has its fair share of reasons as well. A big one being that it is bad for your health. As an example, if someone were to smoke marijuana there could be serious health risks. Smoking any substance can be seriously harmful and yield potentially life threatening effects on your respiratory health. this type of action could lead to things such as lung cancer, asthma, and many other respiratory issues and diseases. There is also the fear of marijuana use endangering public safety. Marijuana, when consumed, does alter your state of mind. This could lead to problems if a person who is under the influence of marijuana decided to drive a car. They could be more likely to cause an accident. There is also a chance that marijuana use during work could alter the quality of your work. This could cause problems for people in a dangerous work fields or for those who provide public transportation such as a pilot or bus driver.

There is a big fear that if marijuana becomes legal nationwide, that the industry will become just like another “big tobacco”. The introduction of a new legal drug that could cause harm to society just like alcohol and tobacco. Pro marijuana people provide very similar promises that tobacco companies introduced when they were just starting out. This leads to the belief that history is repeating itself and the world is just going to end up with another harmful substance ruining their communities. Along with this fear is the belief that marijuana is a “gateway drug”. This means that people who use marijuana will in turn eventually switch to harder more powerful drugs in search of a better high. This is a very reasonable belief as it has proven itself to be mostly true on more than one occasion. Many people believe that the use of marijuana will increase after legalization due to it being in easier access, but this is actually a common misconception. The drug is already readily available illegally in almost all states and the legalization will in turn lower the amount of illegal marijuana being sold, along with diminishing the astonishingly high incarceration rates for marijuana related crimes.  

These are all valid reasons to be skeptical of legalizing marijuana nationwide. With this being said, there is a compromise from both sides that can be met to mostly work for everyone. If marijuana is legalized, it should be regulated just like it is already in Colorado and the other states that have already passed the legalization. There will be an age limit for purchase and consumption. The government will be heavily involved in the regulation of dispensaries in terms of how they will get their product, how much of it and how it is grown. These are just a few of the many restrictions and regulations that are involved with the selling and consumption of legal marijuana. 

The legalization in states such as Washington or Colorado have shown the substance as an effective commodity in the United States economy. Based on the plethora of information provided by the many sources cited in my work, the positive effects brought on by the legalization of recreational marijuana use drastically outweigh the negative ones. Marijuana is commonly misconstrued as a harmful drug that does nothing but cause harm to yourself and people around you, but this is simply not true. Marijuana can be beneficial to not only people as a whole but to the country as well.
