The date is May 8, 1977. The Grateful Dead are performing at Barton Hall in Ithaca, New York, on the campus of Cornell University. The concert hall is sold out, and the Dead Heads are having the time of their lives. This was a date that would go into the record books of Grateful Dead lure, as perhaps the greatest Dead show of all time. As Jerry Garcia belts out “If you get confused, listen to the music play!”, the distinct smell of marijuana can be noticed by every person inside of the concert venue. A staple of Grateful Dead shows, the smell was one that was not unfamiliar to a show like that. The live shows were the draw for the fans, it was not the studio albums. The shows created a sense of community and togetherness that was unprecedented. Marijuana, and its impact on one’s own expansion of the mind, played a key role in that euphoric atmosphere that only a Grateful Dead show can reproduce. During the 1960’s and 70’s, the drug was the identity of the counterculture. It represented the youth in America who wished to rebel from society’s bounds and the world’s evils. Marijuana was symmetrically despised by the older generations, who argued against its impact on society and how it would set the country back. Yet, over time, America’s opinion on marijuana has changed. As of 2017, the states of California, Nevada, Massachusetts, Maine, Colorado, Alaska, Oregon, and Washington, along with the District of Columbia have fully legalized marijuana by ballot measure. This would lead one to believe that marijuana is on track to becoming legal throughout the United States. Yet, the Trump administration, especially Attorney General Jeff Sessions, have ardently vowed to crack down on marijuana throughout the country. This clear rebuttal of the actions of those eight states leads to a common question: does the legalization of marijuana stand to beneficially or detrimentally affect the United States? With the heightened political arena within the last year, the debate on marijuana will surely come to a head at one point in the length of the Trump Administration. It is a debate that already has very strong opinions on both sides of the spectrum. The public will need to be well-informed in order to show their members of Congress exactly how they feel about the issue. The federal government should legalize marijuana due to its potential economic gains, well-known health benefits, the necessity for further research into potential health benefits yet to be uncovered, and finally to end the harmful and discriminatory “War on Drugs.”

For one thing, legalizing marijuana would have far reaching economic benefits on the United States. When considering the potential revenues for states, it is important to understand where and how that revenue would be flowing. The sale of marijuana would be taxed heavily, similar to the taxes placed on cigarettes. This would directly lead to a stream of new revenue that would allow the government to use more public funds for programs which may have been at risk. The state of Oregon recently implemented a law legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, and its sale at dispensaries. The state followed the trends of other states, like Colorado, in determining the revenue potential of marijuana. This decision was, therefore, a financial one. Oregon’s government will impose that each “ounce of flowers will be taxed $35 per ounce, each ounce of leaves is levied $10 per ounce, and immature plants get tacked on $5 an ounce” (Basu). These tax revenues will be implemented by the state to help fund other programs that could use the inflow of funds. Oregon is projected to collect $10.7 million in revenues in the next two years, while Colorado recently collected $70 million in revenue from the tax on marijuana (Basu). As state and local governments are continually cutting and defunding programs due to budgetary constraints, any new form of revenue could be vital to a state’s economy. 

Taxes would not be the only source of revenue for the government, as there is yet another economic benefit for both the government, as well as business owners. The ownership of marijuana dispensaries is an area of business that will explode upon the mass legalization of marijuana. It is an area of investment that has been closed off from the American business owner except for those in the states where it is already legal for marijuana to be sold. As dispensaries become legal, owners will need to be licensed by the government to sell, as there needs to be many regulations in place to prevent the sale of unsafe marijuana. The sale of such licenses would reap benefits for the government. Making marijuana legal, and thus regulating it, would ensure “that quality control tools, sales restrictions, and licenses are in place” (Ducatti Flister 99). The sale of licenses to potential dispensary owners is yet another potential source of revenue for the government. As investors have their first crack at owning a marijuana dispensary, a fee in order to obtain a license is certainly something that would be welcome by the business owners, who value the license as a sign of credibility to potential customers.

Another economic benefit of legalizing marijuana is the money that it could save for the government, rather than the money it could make. Governments in the United States, both at the state and federal level, spend an extraordinary amount of money on marijuana cases in the legal system, as well as excess funding to law enforcement agencies in an attempt to cut down on marijuana. If marijuana were made legal, the government would save a remarkable amount of money. Of the 113,00 police reported drug crimes in Canada in 2011, 54% of them (61,020) were for marijuana possession (Ducatti Flister 98). The amount of money wasted on prosecuting marijuana crimes that would be eliminated with the legalization of marijuana would have a radical effect on the budgets for both the federal government and for state governments across the country.

In another way, marijuana should be legalized due to its well-known health benefits. It is important to look at this from a variety of viewpoints. To show its full effect, one must look at how marijuana effects diseases that impair different parts of the body. The first focus surrounds mental health. Out of the 2.7 million troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, over 500,000 of them have suffered or are suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Thompson 36). The most common drugs that sufferers use to counter PTSD involve opioids in some form or another. The United States is currently enduring a national opioid endemic, with over 14,000 US deaths in the year 2014 accredited to opioid overdoses (Thompson 37). It is commonplace to hear politicians today argue about different ways in which they are hoping to solve the opioid crisis. Veterans face this problem in a very personal way, as opioid overdose fatalities among veterans are twice the national average (Thompson 37). As the severity of mental illness should not be underestimated, many feel like they have no option except to turn to opioids to try and counter their PTSD. Yet, veteran Jose Martinez had an eye-opening experience when it came to using marijuana. Martinez credits marijuana for treating his PTSD and “made me become the person I used to be” (Thompson 37). Jose Martinez is a perfect example of how marijuana can be utilized, if legalized, to not only help those suffering from illnesses like PTSD, but to help curtail the opioid epidemic this country faces. Veterans have sacrificed so much for this country; they deserve every treatment possible to help them acclimate back into society. 

Another way to look at how marijuana can beneficially affect one’s fight against disease is to look, this time, at a neurological disease, not a mental disorder. Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurological disease in the United States (Babayeva 2). Common drugs on the market to help treat Parkinson’s have adverse long-term effects and only treat the body’s motor systems. As well, the common drugs have no effect on the progression of the disease, it is only helping in the short-term (Babayeva 2). That is where marijuana comes into play. Marijuana can absolutely play a role in helping to counter the effects of Parkinson’s, in all phases of the disease. A survey of Parkinson’s Disease patients in Colorado found that “marijuana has been demonstrated to improve motor symptoms including tremor, rigidity, and bradykinesia as well as nonmotor symptoms such as pain and sleep disorders” (Babayeva 2). In this case, it is abundantly clear that marijuana has more benefits than does the current treatment plan for Parkinson’s Disease. Marijuana, when used for medical purposes, clearly serves more than one purpose. Marijuana has a positive impact on both mental disorders and neurological diseases. Marijuana can be used in a very diverse way to treat a plethora of diseases and disorders. This crossover between the diseases marijuana impacts makes it that much more valuable to the medical community.

Additionally, marijuana should be legalized due to the necessity for further research into the potential health benefits yet to be uncovered. In 1970, the federal government classified marijuana as a Schedule 1 narcotic. This classification lists marijuana as a drug that has no perceived medical benefit. Other Schedule 1 drugs, as classified by the United States government, include heroin, LSD, and ecstasy. For some reference, cocaine and crystal meth are Schedule 2 drugs. This means that all scientists need to do to study drugs like crystal meth are just make some on their own. There is no need for further government interaction. However, as newspaper columnist, playwright, and marijuana advocate David Schmader notes, to study a Schedule 1 drug like marijuana, scientists “must be pre-approved by the FDA, apply for government grown marijuana from the National Institute of Drug Abuse, and be temporarily deputized by the DEA” (Schmader 5:41-5:50). It is extremely difficult to find funding into Schedule 1 drugs due to these difficulties attached to them. Not to mention, that “most funding for drug research comes from the pharmaceutical industry which views weed as a threat and has a vested interest in keeping it labeled as a dangerous drug with no medical benefits” (Schmader 5:58-6:07). There is not much room for scientists who genuinely care about whether or not marijuana can have a positive impact on the human body. The combination of the powerful lobbying by the pharmaceutical industry, as well as politicians not wanting to look “soft on drugs” has led to this stagnation in marijuana studies. No politician is willing to argue against the Schedule 1 classification due to the fear of retribution by those in the pharmaceutical industry, as well as those on the far right. The legalization of marijuana would allow politicians to attempt to genuinely help constituents by advocating for the long overdue studies into marijuana.

Not to mention, that studies of marijuana completed so far have been far from conclusive. The restrictions placed on the drug, as previously stated, creates too small of a sample size for any researcher to draw a complete and thorough outcome. Marijuana needs to be legalized to give those looking for the chance to study the drug the opportunity to come to a reasoned and fact-based result. As each continuous study comes out, some “have documented increased risks of cerebrovascular events…However, other studies have failed to observe any increased risk of adverse health outcomes associated with marijuana use” (Vin-Raviv 325). There has been too much parity when it comes to these studies for anyone to draw their own result. Citizens cannot make their own informed decisions, and politicians will fall back into their own comfort zones where they know it will not cost them votes. Scientists deserve the right to have their results verified. By decreasing the impact of any result, the federal government is essentially ensuring that their policy will not be threatened. This is the exact thinking the leads directly into marijuana needing to be legalized. It would finally give scientists and researchers the resources and the power to complete thorough tests that would derive facts. 

Furthermore, marijuana should be legalized to finally end the “War on Drugs”. The term War on Drugs first came about in the late 1960’s-early 1970’s, as a part of the Nixon administration. The President and his staff portrayed the nation as one that was crumbling because of the drug problem, specifically marijuana. At that time, due to heightened fear and alarm over drugs in this country, the American people full-heartedly backed the President’s declaration. In hindsight, it has become abundantly clear that the War on Drugs was used to blind the public of the fact that Nixon was attempting to incarcerate as many minorities as possible. By focusing the funds for the War on Drugs in impoverished areas, more minorities would take the brunt of the blow. As a matter of fact, “African-Americans are disproportionately affected by marijuana arrests, representing 14% of marijuana users in the general population, but 30% of arrests” (King 3). The reasoning behind that plan of action was a political strategy. The less that minorities were voting, the better the chance Republicans would have to win election. This crass way of thinking has set this nation back over the last half century, and has led directly to the mass incarceration problem facing the United States today.

Another victim of the War on Drugs are those addicted to opioids. As already addressed, opioid addiction is a major issue plaguing small towns across the United States. As the War on Drugs continues, opioid addiction victims have less options for treating their pain and suffering. Doctors have no choice but to prescribe more opiates. This leaves the patients in a never-ending loop that will prolong their addiction that much longer, and potentially to fatality. Yet, there are more studies than ever advocating for marijuana as a suitable replacement for opiates. A recent study found that “in states where medical marijuana was legally available, death rates from opioid overdose were on average 24.8 percent lower than in states without medical marijuana” (Bakalar 1). With the benefit that marijuana has to offer, it makes no sense why the senseless War on Drugs still marches on. The victims of opioid addictions, whom politicians seem to say they are tirelessly fighting for, have much less of a chance of beating their addiction compared to if marijuana was a viable option for them. It is time for people to recognize exactly what the War on Drugs is, an attack on the minorities of this country and a hindrance to those just trying to survive, and it is time for common sense to top political positioning.

On the other hand, there is a clear argument against the legalization of marijuana. One argument is that it will lead to higher usage among adolescents. Although legalized marijuana would only be sold to those above the ages of either 18 or 21, there is worry surrounding the ways that adolescents can circumvent those laws. With more usage and availability of marijuana in states where it is legalized, many fear that it will be destigmatized in the eyes of adolescents. This would, theoretically, lead to higher usages among adolescents, who may be at the most risk for adverse effects of marijuana. Recent studies link adolescent marijuana usage with “impaired cognitive functioning, increased risk of developing marijuana dependence, elevated risks of school dropout” (Hopfer 333). Those arguing against marijuana legalization have a point when it comes to adolescent usage. The argument of this piece in favor of marijuana legalization is obviously for those above the legal age. There is no need to put our youth at a higher risk, as there are already enough risky behaviors out there that many dive into.

Yet, the argument basing around the risk of adolescents facing higher usages is not entirely valid. For one thing, the restrictions and safeguards put in place by local governments on dispensaries will be in place to explicitly prevent those who should not be buying marijuana from doing exactly that. As well, the high taxes placed on marijuana, like the $35 tariff per ounce in Oregon, would curtail potential adolescents who are thinking about circumventing the system. There is not enough money, for the most part, for adolescents to support buying marijuana at these legal dispensaries.

Another problem that many will argue will happen with the legalization of marijuana is the proliferation of synthetic marijuana. Synthetic marijuana are drugs designed to look like, and have a similar effect as, regular grown marijuana. Yet they are in fact coated with a substance that allows them to not be detectible in a common urine drug test. This aspect is especially appealing to adolescents. Not to mention that it is commonly less expensive than regular marijuana (Aoun 4). The main problem with synthetic marijuana is the side effects they cause. Some of the reactions to synthetic marijuana include “hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, seizures (usually within an hour of using), suicidal thoughts, tachycardia (elevated heart rate), elevated blood pressure, and reactive airway disease” (Aoun 4). Many strongly believe that synthetic marijuana usage will increase in adolescents with the legalization of marijuana. This is due to the fact that, those adolescnets who wish to use marijuana, will not have the same resources to attain marijuana as they do today once dispensaries, and the regulations that go along with dispensaries, become commonplace. Adolescents who want to get high will, according to this belief, turn to synthetic marijuana as their only option. The higher usage of synthetic marijuana by adolescents will lead to direct consequences for those who decide to partake in the activity. The argument that legalizing marijuana will only hurt America’s youth will be the argument brought about again.

Once again, this argument is not entirely valid. Marijuana legalization will allow those, of legal age, to go and purchase marijuana from a dispensary rather than a drug dealer. This will cost the drug dealer his entire customer base. No one would risk going to an untrustworthy, unlicensed dealer when they could easily go to a legal and verified dispensary. This will all but put drug dealers “out of business”. Therefore, it is not like adolescents will have much of a choice. They won’t have anyone to go buy marijuana from, whether it be synthetic or not. Marijuana legalization will allow those of age to purchase marijuana, but the safeguards and restrictions put in, that are meant to deter those not able to buy marijuana, will only slow down marijuana usage for adolescents 

Thus, marijuana should be legalized due to its economic effects, its documented health benefits, the necessity for research into marijuana’s potential benefits, and to curtail the harmful War on Drugs. Marijuana came to define a generation in the middle of the 20th century, as a sign of their rebellion, and their determination to leave their own stamp on this planet. It was a sign that conformity would not be the norm, as it had been for the previous generation. Many believed that the 1960’s would be the only time marijuana could define an entire generation of Americans. Those people would be wrong, as marijuana can once again play a lead role in defining a generation. This time, it could define this generation as the one that legalized marijuana, and opened the door to an entire new economic opportunity. One that could lead to prosperous business owners and a government with more abilities to fund the programs it so desperately wishes to. This generation could open the door to creating even more health solutions and treatments that could increase the lifespan and prevent pain for the generations that came before it. As a way to pay back the people who had sacrificed so much in order to set up this generation in the amazing and prosperous position it found itself in. This generation could be the one that ends the War on Drugs, thus helping inch the racial divide in this country a little closer to finally being gone. Making up for the decades upon decades of racially charged arrests and convictions that have plagued the criminal justice system of this country. This generation could be defined by one thing: marijuana.
