The legalization of marijuana is among the most highly debated present day political subjects. From medical safety and teenage usage to potential health benefits, there are an immense number of factors considered in the debate of whether to legalize marijuana. From the discovery that it was able to be used as a drug, people have questioned its value and potential harm to society. By 1970, marijuana was made illegal to produce, sell, and possess. Through the years, society as a whole has grown more accepting of marijuana, and several states have voted to legalize recreational marijuana with many more legalizing marijuana for medical use. By analyzing the history of marijuana and current impacts that it is making in society, this paper will demonstrate how with current research in mind, it is best to have marijuana only legal for medical usage.
Historians believe that the Chinese had discovered some of the healing powers of marijuana as early as the 28th century B.C. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, cannabis was used as medicine for many things, including depression and tumors. In the 1950s and 60s, marijuana became more popular among teens which in turn brought more attention to it from the government. The majority of adults felt adversely to the drug, which led to the criminalization of the production, sale, and possession of marijuana. As the public perception has began to shift so as to view marijuana as harmless and non-addictive, people have become more open to the idea of legalization. Others say that there are indeed adverse effects of marijuana in society and that it can contribute to others becoming hooked on worse drugs like opioids or methamphetamines.
Marijuana is composed of over a hundred different chemicals which are closely related and collectively work to prevent neurotransmitters from being released by nerve cells in the body. Tetrahydrocannabinol, which is referred to as THC, is the leading agent and produces the mild hallucinations that come with using marijuana. Other common effects are drowsiness, euphoria, hunger, hallucinations, and anxiety. The most common method of ingestion is by smoking it, because it goes to the bloodstream faster and more powerfully than by other means, such as eating it baked into food or taking pills with the chemicals, or synthesised versions of those chemicals, in them.
Cannabinol (CBD) is another agent in marijuana, and is the most commonly used part of marijuana for medical purposes. It is mainly used as a pain reliever for such conditions as arthritis. CBD is usually extracted as an oil from the hemp plant versus marijuana simply because the THC levels found in marijuana are significantly higher than they are in hemp.
Marijuana was legal to grow and use at will until the year 1937, when the federal government made it very hard and expensive to obtain legally. Under the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, every sale of marijuana required an incredibly expensive stamp to be purchased from the government. This was used to nearly ban the sale of marijuana altogether because even though people would apply for the stamp, the government would rarely issue one. Soon after this act was passed, all states banned possession of marijuana. The Controlled Substance Act officially banned marijuana at the federal level in 1970, and set up the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse to study marijuana-related issues such as the popularity of use, relation to other drug usage, and success of marijuana laws. The commission reported several things, namely that a total ban on marijuana was “functionally inappropriate,” and that criminally prosecuting private marijuana usage could be “constitutionally suspect.” Even though the commission was set up, their findings were ignored by law-makers and the policy stayed the same for the next twenty-six years, until California began allowing medical marijuana to be used.
When marijuana is smoked, it does cause lung damage, much like smoking tobacco does. Other negative effects are memory impairment, potential cardiac problems, and motivation loss. Despite this, marijuana also has many positive medical qualities. It can be used to help treat glaucoma, aid in pain management for cancer and MS patients, reduce nausea from cancer treatment, and be used as an anticonvulsant for epilepsy.
Even though marijuana is legal for medical use in thirty-three states plus the District of Columbia, only ten states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for recreational use. Those states where marijuana is still illegal can be contrasted with those that have it legalized to show some different ways that marijuana can affect the society surrounding it. One negative consequence of marijuana being illegal is that for those who wish to smoke it, they must involve themselves with crime. This becomes an issue when state resources must be devoted towards enforcing marijuana laws when they could be used elsewhere. The argument is also made that many of the people who wish to use marijuana pose no threat to society, and they just want to use marijuana in the privacy of their own home. Those against marijuana say that it could also cause accidental child exposure, either through smoke being in the air or if it’s baked into brownies or some other baked items.
There is not very much known yet about how the legalization of marijuana affects crime rates, although one study found that between the years of 2010 and 2014 no significant change occurred. The only downside to this study is that only two states had fully legalized marijuana at the time, so it is hard to draw a complete conclusion from that small of a sample size. Overall, youth usage has been declining since its peak in the mid 1990s, but it has also shown to be rising since 2008 in grades 9-12. Those youth that had began use before marijuana was legalized in their state began using more often after legalization. Marijuana usage in teens that had not begun use has not been shown to increase significantly.
Given all this information, I have come to the belief that states should legalize marijuana for medical use, but not recreational. There are thousands upon thousands of people who can benefit from the drug because of their medical condition, whether that be cancer, MS, arthritis, epilepsy, or a vast number of other conditions. If people truly can benefit from a drug, it should be allowed for them to have that drug. I don’t think that recreational marijuana actually contributes to society at all, so I don’t see a need for it. With recreational marijuana illegal, law enforcement has discretion in how they handle marijuana when it is found on a suspect. When the suspect is compliant and just hands it to an officer, many officers let the person off with a warning and simply confiscate the marijuana. This helps reduce costs associated with prosecuting a person simply for a small charge. It will also help deter those who are on the fence about whether to use it or not.
After all is done, the decision rests in the hands of the states. Because there hasn’t been much time elapsed since states began legalizing marijuana, there isn’t much information on how it has affected crime rates and how it has changed society. As time progresses, there will be more opportunities for studies to be conducted on the effects of legal marijuana. Until that time the best we can do is ensure that any new legislation provides for the ability of law enforcement to ensure the best public safety practices.