Currently, marijuana, or more popularly weed, is an illegal drug in most countries across the world. Over the recent past, however, some states in the US including Colorado and Washington have legalized the recreational use of the drug. While the reasons for such developments are open to debate, it is no doubt that the drug raises mixed reactions across all sectors of the economy. Most antagonists of its legalization have cited the many health concerns regarding its use and its association with crime. However, supporters of its legalization argue that the drug is not harmful to the users and that it indeed is helpful in the health and medical sectors. Regardless, the legalization of the drug has both pros and cons ranging from individual to societal impacts.

The most cited benefit of the drugs legalization is the social aspects that it positively heralds. Human rights activists have floated the idea that criminalization of the drug is an unwarranted intrusion of individual rights of the people including their freedom of choice. In addition, the comparative effects of the drug are no less than those of other drugs and substances[1]. For instance, tobacco and alcohol are both legal in most countries yet their effects are more adverse to the health of the users compared to those of marijuana. On the contrary, recent studies have pointed out to the health benefits of marijuana in prevention of diseases such as glaucoma, AIDs, and cancer. Although these benefits are open to debate and are not certainly proven, they present a strong argument for the legalization of the drug. The association cited between crime and the drug is only due to the criminalization of the drug. In fact, it is only because of the illegal selling of the drug that the association gains logical impetus.

In addition to the social reasons for the legalization of the drug, law enforcement is also a determining factor. Most of the arrests and convictions relating to marijuana are not as a consequence of illegal sale or manufacture. Rather, about 85% of the recorded prosecutions are as a result of the act of possession of the drug[2]. On average, more than 850,000 arrests related to marijuana occur in the United States leading to overcrowding of the available prisons. It is not logical to commit so many resources in the criminal justice system to a drug that is not harmful to the users. Essentially, such resources could be channeled for use in other sectors of crime including terrorism where the country faces great challenges. In addition, most of the penalties related to marijuana use and possession are very harsh and often cause lifelong social harm to the affected youths.

The economical impacts of marijuana trade should be a strong pointer to the importance of its legalization. In the US, marijuana is among the top selling agricultural products and its potential to employ large numbers of farmers is quite clear. In fact, there are suggestions that the sale of marijuana in California State generates more than $13 billion dollars every year albeit in illegal trade[3]. Legalizing marijuana would mean that this revenue could be converted into taxes thereby improving the government’s sources of income. Moreover, the government has continuously spent billions of money in the fight against marijuana thereby wasting taxes of the people. This money could be saved and used for fight against diseases in the US rather than end up fighting useless and inexistent societal harms. It is estimated that the government could save more than $8 billion annually if the drug were to be legalized today.

Despite the many advantages of legalizing marijuana, the same process could have numerous disadvantages to both the people and the government. Top among the reasons against legalization of marijuana is the fact that most Americans consider its use to be immoral. Therefore, states cannot be involved in the trade of a substance considered immoral by the larger part of the American society. Despite reports that marijuana has no harmful effects on the users, its long-term use may pose specific harm to the users health and general well being. Moreover, marijuana is classified as an addictive drug and is normally abuse by the users thereby predisposing them to the dangers of the same. While most of the negative effects of marijuana usage are bestowed upon the users, there is the possibility of passive smoking[4]. The onset of second-hand smoke from the marijuana may expose other people to the health dangers of the drug. Also, the use of marijuana is attributed to the increase in use of harder drugs such as cocaine and heroin. This scenario is known as the gateway effect and is much more devastating to the users because of the potency of developing harmful health effects.

The use of marijuana, if legalized, could also spell doom to the general public who require protection by their government. As thus, criminalizing the use of marijuana is in the best interest of the people as they are safer when the drug is illegal. There is a very high possibility of marijuana users engage in other crimes beside its sale and therefore exposes the lives of other people to harm. The government should therefore maintain the drug as illegal to keep the offenders incarcerated and away from the society where they are much more likely to bring harm.

Legalizing the use of marijuana would only bring more problems to the people as the drug could fall into the hands of children. The government has a duty of protecting children from the dangers of the drug and legalizing the same would be working against that responsibility. There is evidence that drug use among children has negative effects on the development of both body and mind among the young people. Children should be protected from these effects because they exhibit lower levels of reasoning and responsibility and cannot thereby be left to make the right choices[5]. The use of marijuana is also reported to affect other functions of the brain including accidents resulting from driving under its influence. The drug should not therefore be legalized for these reasons.

The legalization of marijuana is a controversial topic that elicits mixed reactions based on the different viewpoints. Whether the drug should be legalized is open to debate and lawmakers need to consider and weigh the benefits of each proposition against the drawbacks of the same. That notwithstanding, the legalization of the drug is a sensitive subject that requires a sober approach because of the sensitivity of its impacts on both individual and societal aspects. Nevertheless, the drug has both pros and cons that should be considered in the decision of legalizing its use.

Bibliography

Cerdá, Magdalena, Melanie Wall, Katherine M. Keyes, Sandro Galea, and Deborah Hasin. “Medical marijuana laws in 50 states: investigating the relationship between state legalization of medical marijuana and marijuana use, abuse and dependence.” Drug and alcohol dependence 120, no. 1 (2012): 22-27.

Kilmer, Beau, Jonathan Paul Caulkins, Rosalie Liccardo Pacula, Robert J. MacCoun, and Peter Reuter. Altered state?: assessing how marijuana legalization in California could influence marijuana consumption and public budgets. Santa Monica, CA: RAND, (2010).

Monckeberg, B. F. “[Pros and cons of legalizing marijuana].” Revista chilena de pediatria 85, no. 2 (2014): 229-237.

Swift, Art. “For first time, Americans favor legalizing marijuana.” Gallup Politics (2013).

Van Ours, Jan C. “The long and winding road to cannabis legalization.” Addiction 107, no. 5 (2012): 872-873.

[1] Monckeberg, B. F. “[Pros and cons of legalizing marijuana].” Revista chilena de pediatria 85, no. 2 (2014): 229-237.

[2] Van Ours, Jan C. “The long and winding road to cannabis legalization.” Addiction 107, no. 5 (2012): 872-873.

[3] Kilmer, Beau, Jonathan Paul Caulkins, Rosalie Liccardo Pacula, Robert J. MacCoun, and Peter Reuter. Altered state?: assessing how marijuana legalization in California could influence marijuana consumption and public budgets. Santa Monica, CA: RAND, (2010).

[4] Cerdá, Magdalena, Melanie Wall, Katherine M. Keyes, Sandro Galea, and Deborah Hasin. “Medical marijuana laws in 50 states: investigating the relationship between state legalization of medical marijuana and marijuana use, abuse and dependence.” Drug and alcohol dependence 120, no. 1 (2012): 22-27.

[5] Cerdá, Magdalena, Melanie Wall, Katherine M. Keyes, Sandro Galea, and Deborah Hasin. “Medical marijuana laws in 50 states: investigating the relationship between state legalization of medical marijuana and marijuana use, abuse and dependence.” Drug and alcohol dependence 120, no. 1 (2012): 22-27.

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