The Toke Takeover

The Toke Takeover The drug marijuana has been around for many years. Until recently, the public opinion for the most part has been one of no tolerance. People were once appalled by marijuana and the drug was closely associated with many sketchy practices like gangs and criminals. But within the last few years, a trend has started that is shifting American’s minds into thinking that marijuana isn't so bad after all (Galston and Dionne Jr.). Many activists are pushing for the legalization of the drug for both medical and recreational purposes. Let’s start with medical marijuana. According to procon.org, there are twenty-three states where the use of medical marijuana is legal. Twenty of these states require the user to live in state (“23 Legal

Marijuana can be smoked in different ways and has a thick, sweet and sour smell. There are many different ways to smoke it, including hand rolled cigarettes or pipes (DrugFacts: Marijuana). Different names for the drug vary by region but the most common are cannabis, pot, weed, grass, and Mary Jane. Extensive research spent on the drug has concluded that marijuana can cause respiratory problems and other illnesses, although the question of it causing lung cancer has not yet been answered. A New Zealand study claimed that teen smokers lost an average of 8 IQ points from the age of 13 to 38. Other studies show that marijuana is addictive. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 9 percent of marijuana smokers become addicted with increasing numbers in young people and daily smokers (DrugFacts: Marijuana). With much research done on the drug and inevitably more to come, the benefits and harms of marijuana are sure to be on voters and lawmakers minds as they review new laws to legalize

In 2013, a Gallup poll resulted in more Americans supporting the legalization of marijuana than opposing. Also, a Pew research poll in 2014 brought back results of fifty-four percent of Americans supported marijuana. (Merica) How and why has the public opinion changed? There doesn’t appear to be a clear answer and people are torn over which side to choose. Galston and Dionne Jr. state, “Many of those who favor legalization do so despite believing that marijuana is harmful or reporting that they feel uncomfortable with its use.” Perhaps the biggest reason legalization supporters give is that the government is not capable of stopping the sale of illegal marijuana. They argue because prohibition laws are too hard to enforce, the drug should just be legal (Galston and Dionne Jr.). According to Lapidos, a recent poll showed that seventy two percent of Americans believe that government costs to keep prohibition going are more than it’s worth. The recent trend is not a cause of political liberality but a simple realization that our country would be better off if we just let it go (Lapidos). A poll by the Pew Research Center began asking people in 1969 various questions about marijuana. The questions mostly asked if Americans were comfortable with marijuana in different situations, like smoking in public for example. The poll also asked, bottom line, if people are for or against legalization of