Jocelyn Byers

ENG-112- Argument Research Paper

April 14, 2019

Legalizing Marijuana

Every person has a differing opinion about legalizing marijuana. The debate on whether

to legalize marijuana has been long running in the United States of America. Some people view

marijuana as having a negative impact on individuals and the public, while others view it as

beneficial in many ways. Due to these differences in opinions, many states in the United States

have struggled and debated on whether legalizing marijuana would benefit or harm their

communities. Facts should be what is considered when discussing the implications of legalizing

marijuana. Many people that are against the legalization of marijuana base their stance solely on

opinion, whether their own or that of others. Marijuana can help with both physical and mental

ailments, it is not toxic nor fatal, and legalizing it would provide many economic benefits. The

legalization of marijuana has proven to be successful and vastly beneficial for many states and

their citizens. Legalize it, allow all American people the option of reaping its benefits.

The History of Marijuana

According to the Public Broadcasting System, marijuana is dried, shredded leaves from

hemp plants. These plants have been around since the seventeenth century. Farmers would grow

hemp plants and then use the product to create ropes, sails, and even some clothing items. Then

marijuana wasn’t thought of as a drug, more of an essential. However, during the Civil War other

materials were becoming more popular causing hemp materials to be put on the back burner.

Time passed and people learned that if smoked, the hemp plant could get a person high. It started
 Byers 2

becoming more popular again, but this time as a drug. In the early 20th century, people started to

smoke marijuana, various media outlets began to link marijuana use to violence, insanity, and

sometimes even murder. Although twenty-nine of the thirty professional doctors believed the

drug was not a dangerous drug, the media gave marijuana a dangerous reputation which led to

the Marijuana Tax of 1937, which outlawed the use of marijuana (Onder).

Later the government decided to discuss the possibility of decriminalizing marijuana, but

before that happened former President Ronald Reagan passed the Anti-Drug Act of 1986. This

act created penalties for possession of marijuana. The act developed through time and became

more of a “three strike policy”. A New York Times report, in 2015, stated that arrests for

possession of small amounts of marijuana outnumbered all violent crimes. This became an issue

for many people and groups. By 2019, the total number of states that have legalized medicinal

marijuana is twenty-nine states, nine of which including Washington, D.C., have also legalized

the recreational use of the drug for adults. Marijuana remains illegal under the federal law

(Donnelly and Young).

Benefits of Legalizing Marijuana

Statistics have proven that there are many health benefits related to the use of marijuana.

It reduces symptoms and slows progression of many ailments. Marijuana also has been proven to

be nontoxic or fatal. Overdosing on marijuana is unheard of. Economically, the legalization of

marijuana can help reduce the black market. Some more economic benefits include taxes and

licensing, cost savings in court and police time ("High Time to Talk about Pot").
 Byers 3

Health Benefits

Marijuana has been proven to help soothe/calm anxiety and help with pain management.

It increases appetite which can help people who struggle with eating disorders and with those

who lose the urge to eat due to disease progression or treatment. Marijuana can help manage

symptoms related to multiple health conditions such as Cancer, Epilepsy, Multiple Sclerosis, etc.

Marijuana causes the systems of the body to relax which essentially aids in facilitated breathing,

reduced muscle spasticity and overall pain control. Lab studies have proven that THC and other

cannabinoids, such as CBD, slow the growth and even cause the death of certain types of cancer

cells. In addition to relieving the symptoms of many physical ailments, it’s been found to help

with mental health conditions such as PTSD, anxiety, and depression (Grinspoon).

No fatalities

Alcohol, tobacco and caffeine, which are all currently legal in the United States, have all

been statistically proven to be destructive to the consumer’s health and life. Yet, according to the

Drug Enforcement Administration, marijuana has killed not one person in the history of the

world. It has been proven that it is impossible to have a marijuana overdose. The former US

Surgeon General, Joycelyn Elders, states that THC, the psychoactive substance in marijuana and

what’s responsible for the characteristic high, is not even addictive like alcohol, tobacco, or even

caffeine. THC users can become tolerant to the drug but will never develop a dependence to it

(Messamore). There are no documented withdrawal symptoms related to stopping the use of

marijuana, unlike with stopping the use of alcohol, tobacco and other illegal drugs.
 Byers 4

Economic benefits

Legalizing marijuana provides many different economic benefits. Legalizing it can help

reduce the black market and illegal distributions. More job opportunities can arise in the

marijuana business, which can lower unemployment rates. Arrests for possession of marijuana

will be lowered tremendously which will lower crime rates within a community. Colorado is one

of the states that has legalized marijuana, the state legalized it in 2015. Colorado is one of the

five states that have the lowest unemployment rate in America, ranking at 3.0% as of December

2016. The legal marijuana industry helped with unemployment rates by adding over 18,000 new

full-time jobs in 2015. The most notable beneficial change for the state was the tax receipts,

Colorado received around $198.5 million in taxes from marijuana sales in 2016 (Phil’s Stock

World). Colorado is a state that has proved that legalizing marijuana can in fact be beneficial to a

community.

Moving Forward

. Marijuana has such a complex history, from originally being a plant used to make

different materials to becoming the most commonly used illicit drug. There are many benefits

that come with marijuana use such as symptom/pain relief and economic growth and with it

being proven to be non-fatal or toxic it seems there should not be a question about legalizing it.

However, the harmful effects of using marijuana, like impaired judgement, must also be

considered when it comes to legalization. Just like with alcohol and tobacco, there must be

limitations when writing laws that legalize marijuana. This will increase the safety of the

consumer and to the general public. There should be a mandated age to purchase marijuana,

mandated areas where it can be used in public, “open container” stipulations, level limitations

while driving, etc. It does appear that legalization will continue to increase throughout the U.S.
 Byers 5

and so will people’s reservations about it. The legalization of marijuana doesn’t necessarily have

to be a detrimental or horrible thing, it can be an amazing thing if people open their minds and

allow it to be. Marijuana definitely comes with a bad reputation, but legalizing it can help benefit

individuals as well as communities vastly.

 Byers 6

Works Cited
Donnelly, Joseph, and Michael Young. "The Legalization of Medical/Recreational

Marijuana: Implications for School Health Drug Education Programs." The Journal

of School Health, vol. 88, no. 9, 2018, pp. 693-698. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docvie

w/2087245570?accountid=10163, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/josh.12669.

Grinspoon, Peter. “Medical Marijuana.” Harvard Health Blog, 9 Jan. 2018,

www.health.harvard.edu/blog/medical-marijuana-2018011513085.

"High Time to Talk about Pot." The Leader, Sep 02, 2015. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docvie

w/1709142646?accountid=10163.

Kerr, Geoffrey T. Understanding the Relationship between Marijuana use and Self-Control,

University of Colorado at Boulder, Ann Arbor, 2016. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docvie

w/1793670601?accountid=10163.

Keyhani, Salomeh,M.D., M.P.H., et al. "Risks and Benefits of Marijuana use: A National

Survey of U.S. Adults." Annals of Internal Medicine, vol. 169, no. 5, 2018, pp. 282.

ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docvie

w/2114209176?accountid=10163

Leonard, Devin. "Pot and Booze Lobbyists Rumble in Washington." Business week, Nov,

2013, pp. 1. ProQuest,

 Byers 7

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docvie

w/1492883370?accountid=10163.

Messamore, Wes, and Belmont University. “60 Reasons to Legalize Marijuana.” IVN.us, 9

May 2018, ivn.us/2018/04/24/60-reasons-legalize-marijuana/.

Onder, Hannah. "Legalization of Marijuana Continues to be Hot Political Topic. "University

Wire, Nov 13, 2018. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docvie

w/2132458547?accountid=10163.

Phil's Stock World: Legal Marijuana's Social Impact on Colorado. Newstex, Chatham, 2017.

ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docvie

w/1876627685?accountid=10163.