Marijuana should be Legalized?

We are living in an era where noxious things like alcohol, rum and cigarettes -that lead us to nothing but a dreadful death- are legal, and a plant which has no obnoxious effects on our body and mind is illegal. For years and years, marijuana has been used as a mean to achieve elation. The criterion to impose a ban on something, or to term it illegal, is that its cons should overshadow its pros; and that it will have adverse long term negative consequences on the society.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Marijuana doesn’t complete this criteria; and despite of the fact that its pros actually dominate its cons, it is still illegal in the United States. I believe that Marijuana should be legalized, for the verity that it is one of the greatest medicine with least side effects, and that it’s one of the best way to achieve euphoria, and that, believe it or not, it can actually help eliminate other vices in the society and alleviate the economy. Legalizing marijuana can solve the problem of overcrowded prisons, in which hundreds and thousands of people are stranded only because the use of marijuana.

Marijuana is medically beneficial and the use of marijuana for its medical benefits isn’t a new course, and has been practiced for years. The use of marijuana in China for medical practices dates back to 2700 BC, and was used as a medication for gout,absent mindedness, rheumatism and malaria. According to Martin et al., there are many natural chemical compounds in marijuana which possess psychoactive and therapeutic properties that positively aid healing.(p.13). Marijuana contains a chemical compound called cannabinoid.When inhaled or ingested, it makes its way to the bloodstream and produce positive effects just like any other medicine would. This compound is pharmacologically active, and attaches to the cannabinoid receptor in our body, which provoke the feeling of euphoria and relieves the medical condition. Marijuana has been proven to promote individual healing, and is also used to treat cancer, mental health, chronic pain,nausea and vomiting,spasms, convulsions and to control the symptoms of congenital disorders, gastrointestinal conditions and glaucoma.

Marijuana is far safer than other commercially available psychoactive drugs that include caffeine, alcohol, opiates and nicotine; all of which have caused a number of fatalities from overdose. Even some of the substances present in our medicine cabinet such as Vioxx and acetaminophen are far more dangerous, yet are rarely the subject of heated but stalemated debate .The people who are against the legalization of marijuana bring up the point that the users would abuse the drug and would cause a significant harm to the body. However, as stated before, marijuana has no negative effects on the body and to this date, there isn’t a single person who died of marijuana overdose. Prescription painkillers are proven to be addictive and also has long term side effects, which significantly harm the health. On contrary to this, marijuana isn’t as addictive and has no long term side effects, thus it can be a good substitute for painkillers.

I believe that legalizing marijuana will minimize the crime rate and will free up the resources. Alcohol is directly linked to a number of violent crimes whilst marijuana isn’t related to any violent crimes, and driving while high on marijuana is still much more stable and safe than driving drunk. About 30% of the prison population are incarcerated due to marijuana charges. If we take away the federal law that illigalize marijuana, then we will have less overcrowded prisons, which will subsequently save the taxpayers money. It will also give space and time to the police officers to tackle and concentrate on much more serious crimes that inflict damage to the society such as sex offenders, burglaries, child abuse, domestic violence and rape. It will also reduce the stress on courts dealing with marijuana cases.Marijuana is labelled as a “gateway drug”, albeit this isn’t the case. Marijuana itself isn’t related to any violent criminal activity and moreover people who use marijuana are less likely to drink, because they seek recreation through marijuana.

Marijuana can alleviate the declining economy of the United States, and can be a main cash crop for many states.The government is already squandering a shed load of money on incarcerating marijuana users and against it’s use. According to Green Aid (2011), the federal government spend almost $30 billion dollars every year to obstruct the use of marijuana. The legalization of marijuana can develop a large scale tax-paying business yielding a large revenue for the state and the federal government. The cultivation of marijuana crop is already yielding a large revenue and it’s yearly avenue in California alone is above $100 million dollar, and all of this is under the black market label generating no profit to the state’s economy. Marijuana can be used as a main cash crop in many of the US states, just as it was in the early 1800’s when the governmental policies regarding marijuana were used to equitable. Nonetheless, the marijuana industry can blossom a number of jobs and the thriving new industry will make a positive impact on the local economies.

In view of the above stated facts and arguments, the interdict of marijuana is just an example of legislative inanity. Marijuana has a number of medical benefits and stands out as one of best way to achieve euphoria, and the overdose of it causes no physical or mental damage. There are medicines that have menacing side-effects but are rarely the topic of debate in congress or legislation. The argument that marijuana leads to other drugs is an old wive’s tale, and is in vain. The government can be relieved of overcrowded prisons just by legalizing marijuana, and the economic benefits of it are multitudinous. I believe that there are no legitimate grounds to ban marijuana, and the prescription of marijuana is the evidence of political absurdity and ignorance.

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