The question of whether laws prohibiting marijuana use reflect the socio-political values of communities remains contentious. A section of the population contend that marijuana should be banned, given that it is associated with numerous harmful effects. The other faction of the population argue that marijuana has beneficial uses that promote human life, hence should not be prohibited. Supporters of marijuana use maintain that the substance is safe, and is linked to a wide range of social, economic, and health benefits. However, opponents of marijuana use argue that the detrimental effects of the substance outweigh its perceived benefits, citing research scientific research findings. Overall, given the potential of marijuana to promote risky and unsafe behaviors in the community, the laws prohibiting its growing, manufacturing, processing, distribution, sale, and use reflect the socio-economic values of the community.
First, marijuana is a major gateway drug that promotes the use of hard drugs in the community. According to Walsh & Lund (2019), users of the substance have been found to have greater likelihoods of abusing hard drugs including cocaine and heroin, influenced by the notion that abusers of hard drugs usually start with the use of less harmful drugs and substances. This view is corroborated by Maier et al. (2017) , who established that the use of mild drugs including marijuana and alcohol act as an initiation stage to the abuse of other more detrimental drugs. In their study, Maier et al. (2017) noted that 65% of the study participants started using bhang before advancing to abuse heroin. On the other hand, none of them cited heroin as being a gateway drug to the use of bhang. Hard drug abuse has been linked to increase in the rate of crime in communities, given that the drugs affect the minds of individuals, destroying their judgment and rational thinking. People who abuse hard drugs tend to act on impulse, leading to a heightened probability of committing offenses such as petty theft and more serious crimes such as robbery with violence. According to Maier et al. (2017), in half of all the street crimes that occur in the U.S every year, the victims perceive the criminals to have been under the influence of alcohol and hard drugs ( Maier et al., 2017). Such crimes include but are not limited to sexual assault, robbery, assault, and rape. Furthermore, when drug addicts are financially unable to support their addiction, they may resort to crime to fuel their habits. Given that marijuana serves as a gateway to other harmful drugs that inflict damage to communities, if follows that the laws prohibiting its use reflect the socio-political values of communities.
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Moreover, cannabis use can harm communities by altering the minds of users, with its prolonged use having the potential to cause cognitive deficiency. In their study, Szaflarski & Sirven (2017) reported that prolonged use of cannabis causes a decrease in the level of IQ among users. The reduction in the cognitive abilities of individuals translates into lower educational attainment as well as reduced chances of getting meaningful employment. The impact is increased school dropout rates, increased violence, and juvenile delinquency. Legalization of marijuana would imply easy access of the substance by anyone, including school children. Research findings by Szaflarski & Sirven (2017) link long-term use of cannabis to brain damage, reduced verbal abilities, and reduced general learning ability. The overall impact would be reduced qualified manpower in the community, presenting serious socio-political and economic challenges in areas such as leadership and industrial productivity. In light of the possible impact of marijuana on the cognitive abilities of users, communities can only retain its socio-economic values by implementing the laws that prohibit its growing, manufacturing, processing, distribution, sale, and use.
Overall, the laws that prohibit cannabis use keep communities safe, given the potential risks that members of the community can face when the prohibitions against marijuana are lifted. To begin with, lifting such bans would imply an increase in the use of cannabis, which causes both physical and mental illness. Lifting the prohibition, for example, would expose users to the risks of developing schizophrenia, chronic bronchitis, and delayed brain development. In particular, research findings have indicated that prolonged cannabis use worsens depression, and leads to brain damage, lung cancer, and epilepsy. Additionally, lifting the prohibitions on marijuana would subject communities to crime, compromising the safety of the community. The reason is that many criminals have been found to commit crimes under the influence of alcohol and drugs such as marijuana. The majority of criminals who commit aggressive crimes have been reported to have abused alcohol and drugs simultaneously. Research findings have also established a close correlation between the type and level of drug abuse and the form of crime committed. Drug use increases the intensity and rate of delinquency. Moreover, given that most addicts are unemployed, they are compelled to commit crimes both to acquire drugs and to sustain themselves. Worse still, increased cannabis use would increase the rate of school-drop outs and joblessness in the community, coupled with the rising cost of living, which would further drive people into criminal activities to earn and support their families. The increasing cases of unemployment-related crimes in the society would retards the economic activities in societies and the overall potential of a community to develop. Effecting the laws that forbid marijuana would serve to keep societies safe while also upholding other socio-political values of communities.
References
Maier, S. L., Mannes, S., & Koppenhofer, E. L. (2017). The implications of marijuana decriminalization and legalization on crime in the United States. Contemporary Drug Problems , 44 (2), 125-146.
Szaflarski, M., & Sirven, J. I. (2017). Social factors in marijuana use for medical and recreational purposes. Epilepsy & Behavior , 70 , 280-287.
Walsh, J. D., & Lund, D. E. (2019). Implications of the Legalization of Marijuana in Canada Affecting Educational Policy. Interchange , 50 (4), 501-515.
