LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA

    For decades the United States has taken many approaches to prohibit and outlaw the use of marijuana, but with advances in medicine and changes in the social culture of the U.S. it has become harder for law enforcement and government officials to regulate on the drug.  As the country leads the world deeper into the new millennium many believe that it should also move on with the times, meaning legalizing the use of marijuana.  If doctors and scientists have reliable research that proves marijuana can be used to help terminally ill patients and economists have found the government can profit by taxing it, then why hasn’t the government or the FDA approved it nationally for medicinal use?  Many reasons, the U.S. Federal Courts will not legalize marijuana medically or recreationally because it may dramatically affect our society and economy; however, several states battle the rights for medicinal marijuana use.
    The content of this paper has been researched to provide an outlook on marijuana and the problems or economic and cultural growth that may come along with it.  Some points of this research will show both the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana and help the reader to form an opinion so that they may choose a side.
    In order for a person to understand why marijuana is illegal and why it might be legalized, that person should know a small bit of history about the plant and drug.  Cannabis, more widely known as marijuana, is a psychoactive flower bud from the plant (Cannabis).  The compound in the plant that causes a person to experience a “high” is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
    Introduced to the U.S. in 17th century, marijuana was used to make rope, sails, and clothing (Marijuana Timeline).  But after the Mexican Revolution, Mexican immigrants entering the U.S. brought with them the idea of smoking marijuana for recreational use.  Due to the depression of the 1930’s, Americans blamed the Mexican immigrants for high unemployment rates, which raised concern about the use of marijuana in the U.S.  During this time, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) was created to regulate on the states, who’s job it was to regulate marijuana internally.  In the 1950’s stricter laws were placed on marijuana, resulting in a mandatory sentences for drug crimes, including marijuana offenses.  A more liberal government relaxed the punishment for marijuana use, but by the 1970’s states began to decriminalize it and by 1986 all 50 states made it illegal to posses the drug.
    Many Americans have been lobbying to legalize marijuana for medical use and many studies have found that it is beneficial to AIDS and cancer and even multiple sclerosis patients (Cannabis).  Patients ill with AIDS and cancer suffer from nausea, clinical depression, and weight loss from aggressive treatments claim that when prescribed marijuana their side effects were not as bad and they had an appetite.  Medical marijuana advocates claim that there are already four or five drug companies in the U.S. that have held patents on medicinal marijuana since before 1939 (Williams).  One such agency that has an advantage like this is the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which has a government granted control over the production of medical marijuana (National).  There are many states that do have laws for the use of medicinal marijuana, like California who legalized medicinal marijuana in 1996 (Marijuana Timeline).  But the fight for national legalization of medical marijuana is still a legislative issue.
    There are also many Americans who believe that marijuana should be legalized for every American to use if they choose to.  The mentality of those lobbying to legalize marijuana is almost the same as that of the fun law lobbyists, “Prohibition must be weighed against the loss of personal freedom.   Countries have a responsibility to respect individual free will and the right of self-determination” (Legalization).  They argue that the consequences of marijuana legalization will not be as bad as speculated.  One such consequence is the crime rate in the U.S., pro legalization groups point out that there are many more deaths each year from tobacco, alcohol, and even aspirin than there are from marijuana use.  These groups claim that medical research states there are no serious health problems that result from smoking marijuana and that there are no records stating that a person has died from marijuana overdose.  Those who support the legalization of marijuana believe it could be helpful to our economy by taxing the drug, through importing it or domestic selling.

The law prohibits anyone from using marijuana, no matter if it is for medicinal purposes or not.  In 1986 President Ronald Reagan signed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act which raised federal penalties for marijuana possession and dealing, basing the penalties on the amount of the drug involved (Marijuana Timeline).  Not only is it the law that affects how many view marijuana, “State cannot be involved with the distribution of substances considered immoral by relevant lots of the population. A substance considered unhealthy cannot be produced and distributed with the help of the state, because the goal of the state is to protect citizens' health and not to expose them to risk” (Legalization).  But this is a contradictory statement, these advocates seem to have forgotten who sells and distributes tobacco and alcohol products and failed think about all the people that die from cancer and victims of drunken driving accidents.
    While the United States still has a long way to go before anyone can agree on the legalization of marijuana, there seems to be progress.  Each time a state passes a law to allow the use of medical marijuana; the state is one step closer to legalizing the drug for recreational purposes.  But, each time a law is passed in favor, there is more heat from the opposition to prohibit the drug and even crack down on other drugs such as tobacco and alcohol.  It is up to the United States government to decide on the legalization of marijuana and they must weigh the pros and cons of the decision.  They must consider the opposition, they believe it is morally wrong and they voice great concern for America’s youth and social culture.  On the other hand, those who are for the legalization of the drug believes it may be good for the economy, tax-wise, and eventually it won’t be considered a gateway drug just as tobacco and alcohol aren’t believed to be gateway drugs.


Works Cited

Cannabis.  19 April 2008.  19 April 2008.  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_(drug)>


LegalizationofMarijuana.com. 10 February 2008.  Legalize Cannabis and Medical Marijuana.  8     April 2008.  <http://www.legalizationofmarijuana.com/index.html>.
“Marijuana Timeline in the United States.”  Marijuana.  7 March 2008.  PBS Online.  10 April 2008 <http://www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/mj005.htm>.

        “National Institute on Drug Abuse.”  Wikipedia.  5 April 2008.  7 April     2008.          <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Institute_on_Drug_Abuse>.


        Williams, Montell.  Interview.  The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet.  NBC.  KCRA 3, Sacramento.  March 2008.