Should Marijuana Be Legalized

Should Marijuana be Legalized?

Should marijuana be legalized? This is a question that, in recent years, has seen headlines of various news sources. It has become a big deal as a few states in the US have legalized it for recreational use and even more have legalized marijuana for medical use. There are many opinions on the legalization of marijuana. There are those who believe that marijuana should be legal for recreational use. Some believe that marijuana should only be legalized for medical use, and some who believe that marijuana should not be legal at all. There are multiple reasons on each stance that support that way of thinking. All these viewpoints, and reasons that support each view, will be looked at and discussed throughout this

paper.
There are a multitude of reasons why marijuana should be legalized, and a multitude of reasons why marijuana should not be legalized.

One of the various reasons why marijuana should not be legalized is the potential threat of driving while under the influence of marijuana. Under the effects of marijuana, the user can be prone to having weaker body movement, difficulty with problem solving and thinking in general (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2016). Should marijuana be legalized, it would become more widely available and more widely used by people; with that comes more opportunities for citizens to drive while under the influence of marijuana. A study on citizens in the Colorado and Washington states found that 43.6% of marijuana users have driven while feeling the effects of marijuana at least once (Davis et al, 2016). Furthermore, in Colorado, a state that has legalized recreational marijuana, 21.02% of all fatal traffic related deaths involved drivers that were under the influence of marijuana in 2015

(Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, 2016). That same statistic in 2006 was only 6.92% (RMHIDTA, 2016). This number has been on the rise since 2006 but actually dropped in 2013, the year that Colorado legalized recreational marijuana, then rose by almost 5% the following year (RMHIDTA, 2016). The statistics in RMHIDTA’s (2016) report show that ever since the commercialization and legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado there has been an uptick in marijuana related traffic fatalities. These numbers may or may not be a consequence of the legalization of marijuana or marijuana at all, but that being said one could more easily be driving under the influence of marijuana now then before legalization of recreational use of the drug.
With the legalization of marijuana, medical or recreational, comes more availability of the drug. Parents that might possibly use the drug will most likely keep it within the house they live in with their children. This poses a problem; minors could easily steal marijuana from their parents if the parents do not keep it locked up. This is what one could assume at least; however, a study across one million teens in the US found no significant difference in teen marijuana use in states that have legalized medical use marijuana and states that have not legalized pot at all (Gale, 2015). But, legalizing pot for medical or recreational use will not necessarily help the 34.9% of 12th graders in the US already using marijuana (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2015). Although studies show that legalizing pot for medical use does not increase the amount of teens using marijuana, it could make it significantly easier for those teens who are already using marijuana to obtain the drug. And that is just medical marijuana, recreational marijuana would be even more widespread and even easier for teens to get their hands on. However, there is still no increase in teens that use marijuana in states that have recreational marijuana. Colorado, a state that legalized recreational marijuana in 2013, shows no significant uptick in teen use of the drug (Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, 2015). States that have legalized pot makes it more available; and, contrary to the belief that it would raise teen marijuana use, does not raise teen marijuana use. These studies show that marijuana use in teens shows no relation to the legal status of marijuana.
Legalizing pot comes with its benefits, major taxes can be applied to medical or recreational marijuana. Since a state has the power to legalize the drug, a state also has the power to tax marijuana as much as it wants. In Washington, a state that has legalized recreational marijuana, the total tax rate on recreational marijuana is approximately 44% (Henchman, 2014). That is a lot of money that Washington is taking in, it is projected to make 1.9 billion dollars only five years after it has been legalized (Henchman, 2014). This projection does not include sales tax from medical marijuana, as both Colorado and Washington keep their medical marijuana programs separate from their recreational marijuana programs (Henchman, 2014). On top of regular sales tax paid for by the customer purchasing the marijuana, very many licenses are required for every process in getting that marijuana to the customer (Hudak, 2015).In Colorado for example, the growers of marijuana must have licenses to do so, and to get the license that is required, one must pay fees that go straight to the government (Hudak, 2015).
States and local governments are not the only groups that benefit from marijuana; many businesses that are not directly related to the marijuana business will also benefit. The first type of business to be affected first is commercial real estate (Flynn, 2016), with “3.7 million square feet of industrial space” (pg. 28) being taken up in Denver by marijuana business. Many other types of businesses will feel the affects of marijuana business as well; businesses that are involved in fields such as construction, vertical farming, high tech, security, legal firms, and more (Flynn, 2016). This could stimulate growth in businesses other than marijuana. Bringing in a whole new type of business will affect other businesses, and in this situation it could be a good effect. For a new business to open up, there are multiple things needed. A shop will have to be setup to sell the drug, which would either be space rented or an entire new building built; this shop will also need employees to keep it running. And this is just one step of the process, there will also be an agriculture process which will stimulate other areas of business.
From a medical standpoint, marijuana is usually portrayed as a bad drug with negative consequences.

Over the past few decades “90% of all cannabis research focused on the negative outcome of cannabis use” (Holt, 2016, para. 5). This was to support the 1937 Marihuana tax act (Holt, 2016), to show that using marijuana is bad for you and therefore even more reason why it should not be legal. There is not much known on the positive effects of marijuana usage because of this, There are many people that think marijuana is not addictive, although that is not entirely true as 30% of marijuana users may develop some degree of addiction; and minors that use marijuana before they are 18 are more likely to have addiction problems later on in their life (NIDA, 2016). Marijuana is usually known for causing mood changes when used and even giving altered senses (NIDA, 2016). This is why people use the drug, to get that feeling. There are many symptoms that come with the drug upon use; with heavier use, impaired body movement is a possible side effect (NIDA, 2016). To most, this is most likely an undesirable or unwanted effect of the drug; however, someone that has a disease such as cerebral palsy or huntington's disease may find this drug useful. Cerebral palsy is a disorder in which the patient experiences uncontrollable muscle behavior; such as lack of controlling muscle movement, stiffening of muscles, and even seizures (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 2016).

Marijuana is a drug that can help suppress the symptoms of cerebral palsy. Some of the effects of marijuana, such as impaired muscle movement and altered senses (NIDA, 2016), can actually be used to treat the symptoms of cerebral palsy. Marijuana, in some patients with cerebral palsy, helps subside the pain related with cerebral palsy, gives the patient more control over their seizures, gives the patient more control over their spastic muscle movement, and more (Cerebral Palsy Guidance, n.d.). Many doctors want to be able to prescribe this drug to patients, and although 28 states have legalized the use of medical marijuana, there are still many people that do not have access to a potential therapy drug. There are many patients that still use marijuana, even though it is legal, but still tell their doctors that they do (Mirman, 2014). For some, marijuana is a drug that no other doctor-prescribed drug can do. For some patients, marijuana treats their symptoms in a way other drugs cannot. There may be concerns of people being prescribed medical marijuana then abusing it. Mirman (2014) says that he prescribes his patients all kinds of drugs that can be abused, but has fail safes to help prevent that. Doctors prescribe patients drugs based on what they need. If a doctor thinks that a patient may abuse the drug being prescribed, he or she can make changes to the prescription; maybe prescribing a lower amount or a different drug. But, marijuana being an illegal drug for so long leaves some people to believe that there are no good benefits to using it as a medical treatment, and therefore should not be prescribed to patients as it could lead to abuse of the drug. Mirman (2016) poses a question that counters this ideology, “would you deny a patient tylenol because some people use it to commit suicide?” (para. 6). Although the example he presents is a little out there, it is still in the realm of possibility; and shows that just because marijuana can be abused it is prescribed by a responsible doctor. If a doctor thought that a patient was there just for the marijuana and could be abused by the patient, he or she would not prescribe marijuana to that patient. However, this does not mean that this drug could not be abused by someone that is prescribed medical marijuana, but definitely shows a comparison to a system that is already have in place.
Marijuana has been the center of attention and controversy for the past decade. There are good reasons why marijuana should be legalized, and good reasons why marijuana should not be legalized; some reasons more convincing than others. It seems that there is a large amount of people on both sides, yes to legalized marijuana and no to legalized marijuana. Perhaps the U.S. will come to legalize marijuana; but does the good outweigh the bad?