According to the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, marijuana has become to most commonly used illicit drug by Americans. To understand the increase in drug use over the years, it is necessary to explain the background and history of marijuana. Marijuana has a history that dates to 2737 B.C. where is was used in ancient Chinese medicine to treat illnesses such as malaria and gout. In 1611, marijuana became a staple commercial crop in the settlement of Jamestown however when the production of cotton in 1890 became the leading cash crop, marijuana fell off the market. The revival of marijuana use was seen during the prohibition movement in the 1920s. (Brande) When the Federal Bureau of Narcotics was established in the 1930s, the main goal was to shift the outlook of marijuana from a fun and carefree drug to a “violent narcotic”. (“History of Marijuana in America”) With the rise of student protesters in the 1960s, the peaceful rebel group became known as hippies which were the face of marijuana users during this time. In the early 90’s, and increase of marijuana in adolescence opened a gateway to legalization to where thirty-four states began moving towards legalization of marijuana for medical purposes. Bring everything up to date, today, twenty-three states in the US have legalized marijuana for medical purposes and four states have legalized it for recreational use. (Brande) The broad argument with marijuana is should it be legalized at a federal level. Currently, marijuana is illegal under the federal government, however states can decide whether they would like to legalize the medical or recreational use. The topic of legalization is not just a “yes” or “no” type of debate. There are many avenues to explore with the extent of what should and shouldn’t be legalized. A collection of questions proposed by researcher Johnathan Caulkins include “Should people be allowed to use marijuana? If yes, does that mean only people with medical need, or social and recreational users as well? Adults only? In public, or only in private?” (Caulkins XIX) Understanding the background of where the US and the world has come from as far as where marijuana originated and its past uses are important in supporting the argument of this paper. The US used to not have prohibition laws against marijuana which was an era of hippies, love and peace. The past time era could be what American society today would be like if legalization laws were to be passed. There are many health, social, and economic benefits to legalization like relieving symptoms of patients with AIDs, decreasing the crime rate, and providing a huge margin of tax revenue to the government. Declaring Marijuana legal in all fifty states would drastically benefit the United States and its citizens.

In every debate, there are too sides. There is a side that argues for the topic and then a side that argues against the topic. Several arguments have been made against the legalization of marijuana. Some of the arguments made include dependence or abuse of the drug, the gateway effect, impaired mental health, and adverse education outcomes. In a study testing the dependence of marijuana done by James Anthony, it was found that roughly 9% of people who used marijuana wound up becoming clinically dependent. (Caulkins 58) In 2009, there was roughly 350,000 admissions to rehabs due to dependency of marijuana, many of which were adolescents. (Caulkins 60) Because of this statistic and many of the admitted patients were young teens, this contributes to the argument that marijuana is a “gateway drug” to many other harder drugs such as cocaine or heroin. There are two possible explanations as to why marijuana could be a “gateway drug”. One reasoning is the social interactions that some experience whenever using marijuana.  In Jonathan Caulkins book, Marijuana Legalization: What everyone needs to know, if buying and using marijuana provides more contact with peers who prefer harder drugs, these same peers may influence one’s subsequent behavior to use these harder narcotics. (69) The second reasoning behind marijuana being viewed as a “gateway drug” is simply the consequences of drug use. The feeling one gets when high could increase the curiosity for other mind-altering experiences achieved only by the use of harder drugs. Also, the previous standoffish outlook towards other drugs before using marijuana could be revised to a less risky outlook. (Caulkins 69) Another argument previously mentioned about the negative effects of marijuana that would help make the debate against legalization stronger is the effect of marijuana on one’s mental health. In a study on mental health results done by Theresa Moore at the University of Bristol, strong evidence found suggest that marijuana in fact does cause psychotic symptoms. In a person who uses marijuana frequently, between one in four and one in five will experience psychotic symptoms at least and an increase risk of experiencing these symptoms was founded to be 40%. (Caulkins 72) There was found to be a direct connection between a higher THC level, which is one of the active ingredients in marijuana, and experiencing these psychiatric symptoms. Going back to marijuana being a “gateway drug”, this argument connects somewhat to another argument which says that marijuana have negative effects of the education of adolescents and young adults. Marijuana puts its uses at a calm and relaxing state. This would be a concern for any faculty and staff of a school because when a child shows up to school under the influence, they are more likely to perform poorly and lack focus and attentiveness. For a parent, the fear of their child using marijuana correlates with the “gateway” effect. The child might get mixed up with other peers who are doing the same drug and these teens may be those who don’t take school seriously. Researchers don’t necessarily believe that marijuana has negative effects on cognitive development, but moreover that the social aspect of marijuana will contribute to a rise in drop-out students. (Caulkins 76) These arguments about the negative effects of marijuana are valid reasons as to why the United States should not proceed with the legalization of marijuana, however when looking at the positive effects and the adverse outcomes that they have on health, social, and economic aspects of society, the pros start to outweigh the cons. 

Several of these arguments against legalization hold truth and validity. Not all negative effects of marijuana have been studied and researched, however the positive effects that marijuana has can could have provide reasoning behind this argument to find a common ground between the extremes. On the left side, there is the extreme of full legalizing marijuana and allowing for use, sale, and distribution. On the right side, the extreme is to not have any form of marijuana legal whether that’s medical or recreation. As mentioned before, marijuana legalization isn’t just a vote yes or no debate given that there are degrees of legalization that could be implemented. Finding this common place between both sides of the spectrum would allow for the two sides to coexist peacefully. Previously discussed were several negative effects of marijuana when used by young teens. Researchers at the University of Maryland found that teens who used marijuana before the age of 15 were five times more likely to develop a dependency or abuse toward marijuana than those who started using the drug at 18. (Caulkins 70) This negative effect is no doubt agreeable amongst most so the solution to this problem would be to set an age limit for the use of marijuana just as there was an age limit set for the consumption of alcohol. The drinking age moved from 18 to 21 in the 1980s due to research findings that the frontal lobe of the brain wasn’t fully developed until the age of 21. The frontal lobe is crucial in problem solving, memory, judgement and impulse control, alone with social and sexual behaviors. So, the solution would be to make the legal age for marijuana use 21. This would fix the issues with teens lack of motivation and performance in school along with help prevent the possible cognitive damage to the frontal lobe in adolescents. A solution for the issue of dependence and abuse would be to control the levels of THC allowed in marijuana. There is a link between an increase of admissions into rehab for dependency and the increase in potency of marijuana over the years. By regulating and putting limitations around THC levels, a decrease in dependency in individuals will be expected. Other solutions for issues not mentioned however are relevant are if marijuana was to be legalized, could people smoke in public? A proposed solution could be yes, however just like there are designated smoking areas for people who smoke cigarettes, there would be designated places for people to smoke marijuana. Whenever solutions are to be made between two argumentative extremes, there is compromising and understanding that needs to be done. 

There are several arguments as to what positive effects marijuana has on society. Effects on health that involve treating HIV/AIDS or some of the conditions brought on by neurodegenerative diseases, effects on society which include decreasing the crime rate, and effects on the economy which would positively benefit and boost it. In an experiment testing marijuana and HIV/AIDS patients, it was found that the mood, weight gain, and appetite of the patients was improved. (Lutge) Also in patients that have neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease, the THC in marijuana reduces neuroinflammation and immune cell activation. (Marcu) These are just some of the positive effects that marijuana can have on the health of an individual. Others include treating symptoms for chronic pain, sleeping disorders, and anxiety. (Caulkins) Positive effects on society range from controlling the drug war, to improving public safety, to decreasing numbers of those incarcerated.  Ethan Nadelmann, the founder of Drug Policy Alliance, provides a valid reasoning behind legalization in his TED Talk, “...legally regulating and taxing most of the drugs that are now criminalized would radically reduce the crime, violence, corruption and black markets, and the problems of adulterated and unregulated drugs, and improve public safety, and allow taxpayer resources to be developed to more useful purposes.” (Nadelmann) Nadelmann mentions the legalization of any drug that is now criminalized, however to relate it to this argument, the legalization of marijuana would have these same effects. Complete prohibition of marijuana is only creating a void in which criminals fill by selling illegally. When the underground drug trade is brought above ground, it can be intelligently regulated. As far as marijuana, it can be taxed just how alcohol is. (Nadelmann) Ethan Nadelmann makes a compelling argument, he not only mentions some things that would be reduced socially like the crime and violence, but he also mentions what legalization would do economically. Two economists, Gavin Ekins and Joseph Henchman, work for a company called Tax Foundation whose mission is to lead the tax reform debate in a smarter and simple way. Both economist calculated the tax revenue that could be obtained from the legal sale of marijuana.  A mature marijuana market has the potential to generate $28 billion in tax revenue. (Elkins and Henchman) If marijuana was taxed like tobacco is, at $23 dollars a pound, it could make $500 million a year. (Elkins and Henchman) Not only did Elkins and Henchman calculate the possible revenue generated from the marijuana market, they also discussed the revenue and money coming from states who have already legalized medical marijuana at the state level. Colorado is a state that has proven that with state mandated legalization, marijuana sales can generate enormous economic revenue. At the start of legalization for Colorado, the tax revenue from the market was at around $70 million for the year, however in 2016, it was estimated that Colorado would make close to $140 million dollars for the year. The economic benefits that are available from legalizing marijuana are immense. In one article found in Time Magazine, it talks about how Microsoft is going to create a program that helps track marijuana sales. Although the use of pot is still illegal by the federal government, this software is to help states take marijuana plants from seeds to sale. Microsoft plans to partner with a company called Kind, which is a company that aims to make the pot business more mainstream.  At least five new states will be voting on the use of marijuana this fall. 

Although full agreement may never be reached on the topic of legalizing marijuana, there can be a common ground reached that can try to appease both parties. American legalization laws would impact all citizens in ways that are still unknown and debated, but those who care the most for pro-legalization are those who are positively impacted the effects that marijuana can have one them. Lives that would be touched would be those families who need marijuana to help with their three-year-old daughter’s epileptic seizures, or the mother whose son got sent to prison for harmlessly using marijuana, or even the economic market in general.  I think that marijuana should be legalized but obviously with limitations and restrictions that should be regulated by the government. These limitations include an age restriction, dedicated smoking areas, and THC potency regulations. This is just a proposed start to the debate on legalization of marijuana. 
