Introduction
Marijuana is currently one of the most used illicit drugs in the USA and many other countries across the globe. It is estimated that more than 3 million individuals living in the USA use marijuana on a daily basis and the number is likely to increase, especially due to the increased legalization of the drug. The medical use of marijuana is now legal in 29 states in the country, which means that the negative perception of marijuana is rapidly changing. On the other hand, some of the states that have permitted marijuana as recreational drug include Alaska, California, Colorado, Nevada, and Oregon. Supporters of legalization of marijuana mainly argue that it can enhance quality and safety, increase tax revenue, and be accessible to medical use. On the contrary, opponents of the legalization maintain that it is addictive, can cause a health problem, and it is a gateway drug (Fiala et al ., 2018). Therefore, some factors should be considered before marijuana is legalized for recreational use.
First Argument
1 st Argument: Marijuana should be legalized for recreational use because it does not only benefits individuals, but also the society at large.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Premise 1: Enhancing the quality and safety of marijuana
Premise 2: An increase in tax revenue
Premise 3: Increased availability of medical marijuana for various patients.
Conclusion: It is clear that marijuana benefits individuals and the public at large. Many marijuana users are now consuming sub-standard marijuana that is laced with harmful chemicals. As a result, legalization of marijuana will improve the quality as well as the safety of the drug. Secondly, the government and the public will benefit from increased revenue, which will be used to finance various public projects and programs. Also, the legalization will increase the availability of medical marijuana to millions of patients suffering from different such as cancer and epilepsy.
A defense for the First Argument
The available statistics and scholarly information prove that legalization of will benefits the individuals and the society. Currently, with outlawing the use of marijuana for recreational purposes, many end users are buying low-quality marijuana that poses a lot of threat to their safety and health. However, with making marijuana a recreational drug, the state and national governments will constitute laws that ensure that all the marijuana products meet the required quality and safety standards (Fiala et al ., 2018). Consequently, this will improve the health standards of users. Besides, the enhanced quality and safety control will help in reducing the cost of health in the country.
Increased revenue is another major benefit of the allowing of marijuana a recreational drug. According to the latest report that was released by the New Frontier Data on cannabis industry, allowing recreational use of marijuana will enable the government to collect at least $132 between 2018 and 2025 (Wilkinson et al ., 2016). The report revealed that the federal government alone would collect additional $51.7 billion when marijuana is legalized. In 2015, the legal sales of marijuana to almost a billion US dollars, leading to the collection of tax revenue of about $135 million. Therefore, there will be a significant increase in tax revenue when marijuana is legalized for recreational use, which will be useful in financing various public projects.
Also, legalization of marijuana for recreational use will make medical marijuana accessible and available for patients suffering from various chronic diseases. The available evidence shows that medical marijuana can be used to treat various diseases such as epilepsy, different types of cancers, and medical disorder like posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Importantly, marijuana can be used to relieve chronic pain. About 15% of patient with chronic pain rely on marijuana as pain control drug (Crippa et al ., 2013). Hence, with an increased number of people suffering from chronic diseases, many people now need medical marijuana than before. It is, therefore, important for both the state and national government to consider legalizing marijuana because of numerous benefits to individuals and the public at large.
Second Argument
2 nd Argument: Marijuana should not be legalized because it is highly addictive, misused by people as a gateway drug, and it is associated with numerous health problems.
Premise 1: Marijuana is highly addictive
Premise 2: It is used as a takeaway drug
Premise 3: Marijuana is linked to many health problems.
Conclusion: Some studies have shown that marijuana users develop the dependence on the drug mainly because of its withdrawal symptoms such as irritability and anxiety. It is estimated that about 30% of cannabis users develop marijuana use disorder that can lead to severe addiction ( Pepin et al ., 2017). At the same time, people who use marijuana are susceptible to other lethal drugs such as cocaine and heroin. Also, marijuana is linked to many other health risks such as mental disorder, lung cancer, and psychosis. As a result, the drug should not be legalized because of its many negative effects on the end users.
Defense of Opposition Argument
Even though there is still controversial debate on whether marijuana is addictive, the available evidence shows that marijuana users highly depend on the drug. Although some people have maintained that there is no scientific fact to prove that marijuana physically addictive, it has been proved that it leads to psychological addiction, which is known as cannabis dependence disorder (Aydelotte et al ., 2017). Furthermore, marijuana addiction is a progressive problem that always results in the addiction of other drugs. This explains why marijuana is a getaway drug. Scientific studies have proved that marijuana might lead to the use of other lethal drugs because of because of marijuana use disorder. Therefore, the legalization will cause not only the misuse of illegal marijuana but also the use of other dangerous drugs like heroin. Consequently, there will be increased financial pressure on individual users and the government as they try to address marijuana-related problems.
Besides, marijuana should not be legalized because the drug is associated with numerous health problems. The drug impairs cognitive abilities such as attention and concentration, including decision-making and planning. People using marijuana have high chances of suffering from schizophrenia and depression ( Pepin et al ., 2017) . Therefore, the drug decreases the mental health of users. Marijuana also causes psychotic disorder or psychosis. Like cigarettes, marijuana increases the risks of suffering from lung cancer because it also contains carcinogens. Hence, legalizing marijuana will lead to more health problems.
Analysis of the Reasoning
The first argument is based on the notion or reasoning that marijuana should be legalized for recreational use because of the improved quality and safety, increased tax revenue, and availability of medical marijuana to various patients. It is true that the government will be forced to establish and enforce the quality and safety standards when marijuana is legalized. However, it is still not clear that the quality control and protection laws and regulation will improve the quality and safety of marijuana. Nevertheless, it is apparent that legalization of marijuana will increase tax revenue. Currently, a large quantity of marijuana is sold in the black market, which means that the government does not collect revenue from such trade transaction. As a result, the revenue will increase when the drug is legalized for recreational use. Also, studies have consistently revealed that a significant number of patients suffering from chronic pain use marijuana as a pain reliever, even though it is still illegal ( Lusk, Paul & Wilson, 2015) . Consequently, the legalization will make it available for many patients with chronic pain.
The second argument, on the other hand, is based on the reasoning that marijuana should not be legalized for recreational use because addictive, a getaway drug, and it leads to many health problems. Interestingly, there are no conclusive findings on the arguments, as scientific studies have yielded conflicting results. Researchers are yet to determine whether marijuana is addictive. The assertion that marijuana leads to a mental disorder such as schizophrenia is still controversial because, as scientists are yet to find the cause of such mental disorder among marijuana users. Some scholars argue that people use marijuana to deal with symptoms of various mental problems and that marijuana is not the primary cause of such disorders ( Nathan & Joycelyn, 2017). Therefore, it is still not yet clear whether the assertion opposing the legalization of marijuana for recreational use is true.
Conclusion
The legalization of marijuana is still a controversial issue that is yet to fade away in the USA. Even though legalization of marijuana for medical use is rapidly gaining momentum in many states in the country, legalization of the drug for recreational use is yet to be embraced by many people. However, it is clear from the analysis of the two arguments that argument for legalization of marijuana for recreational use is based on facts and can be authenticated by scientific studies. On the contrary, those opposing the legalization base their arguments on inconclusive facts that can be disputed. Hence, there are more reasons to legalize marijuana for recreational use than to illegalize the drug in the USA.
References
Fiala, S. C., Dilley, J. A., Firth, C. L., & Maher, J. E. (2018). Exposure to Marijuana Marketing After Legalization of Retail Sales: Oregonians’ Experiences, 2015–2016. American journal of public health , 108 (1), 120-127.
Aydelotte, J. D., Brown, L. H., Luftman, K. M., Mardock, A. L., Teixeira, P. G., Coopwood, B., & Brown, C. V. (2017). Crash fatality rates after recreational marijuana legalization in Washington and Colorado. American journal of public health , 107 (8), 1329-1331.
Nathan, D. L., & Joycelyn Elders MD, M. S. (2017). The physicians' case for marijuana legalization. American journal of public health , 107 (11), 1746-1747.
Crippa, J. A., Hallak, J. E., Crippa, J. A., & Zuardi, A. W. (2013). Marijuana, feijoada and the debate on drug legalization. Frontiers in psychiatry , 4 , 7.
Lusk, S. L., Paul, T. M., & Wilson, R. (2015). The Potential Impact of the Legalization and Decriminalization of Marijuana on the Vocational Rehabilitation Process. Why the Buzz? Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling , 46 (2), 3.
Pepin, J. D., Hoss, J. D., Gillian, L., Holmes, M. P. H., & Baker, C. (2016). Public Use of Recreational Marijuana: A Legal Landscape of State Law. Seton Hall Legislative Journal , 41 (2), 2.
Wilkinson, S. T., Yarnell, S., Radhakrishnan, R., Ball, S. A., & D'Souza, D. C. (2016). Marijuana legalization: impact on physicians and public health. Annual review of medicine , 67 , 453-466.
