MARIJUANA

Marijuana

Legalization of Marijuana in California

The Argumentation of Legalizing Marijuana as with many issues, the legalization of marijuana is very complex and multisided. There are numerous viewpoints other than being for complete legalization. These viewpoints are middle of the road views and stem, many times, from people trying to come about with viable compromises to the debate of legalization. For example, support has been growing from many legislators in states like California and Arizona to keep marijuana illegal to the public but legal for medical use.

This shows that many factions support different compromises in order to appease different arguments. While their will always be radicals for the opposing sides of legalization, there are also large numbers of people in favor of compromises. As long as these people make their argument heard, there will continue to be many sides to this debate. The first idea that can be analyzed is the pro-legalization view. This view is that marijuana should be completely legalized without any restriction set. The majority of the supporters of this aspect are recreational users who want uninhibited access to marijuana. Supporters say that many positives would come out of total legalization, namely the reduction of crime. The comparison of illegal marijuana to Prohibition is also widely argued. (Levin, 1974)

Many supporters argue that Prohibition did more harm than good because organized crime was formed to support the illegal alcohol trade. Many say that the same thing is happening with the illegal marijuana. By legalizing a drug that has created a massive amount of crime because it is illegal, proponents say that drug-related crime would drop sufficiently. Legalizing marijuana for medical purposes only is another argument that lies between complete legalization and illegalization. Supporters of this view argue that medical marijuana is not only helpful, but also necessary in the treatment of many illnesses. By, keeping pot illegal for recreational users and legalizing for medical use, supporters say that the harmful use of the drug will be curbed while the sick people who really need it will have access to it.

Even in our own country, the positives of medical use have been known and overlooked for years. From 1840-1900, more than a hundred articles on cannabis appeared in European and American medical journals, recommending it as an appetite stimulant, muscle relaxant, painkiller, sedative, and anti-convulsant. However, the government has kept medical use illegal in most of the country for some time now. Supporters say that is now apparent through the state of California's actions of legalizing medical marijuana that if this option were to happen, it would not be negative at all. The total anti-legalization view is another viewpoint that can be analyzed.

As a supporter of this side, anti-legalization supporters argue legalization because of personal morals and values. Many people believe that drugs, specifically marijuana, are wrong and are bad for you. In most religions, the body is considered a temple and must be treated as such. If something is placed into the body that is harmful or ...