Medical Marijuana Legalization and Taxation and Effects on Economy

Introduction

It has been observed that US economy is rapidly extricating as central services are being cut and millions of citizens are losing their jobs and struggling to survive. Recent research reveals that federal government is spending billions of taxpayer money on its never ending war on drugs which includes government expenditure of about $7.7 billion a year on the enforcement of marijuana laws by preventing many injured patients from the access to this natural treatment for their illness (Wyatt, p. a1-3). This increasing government spending has a large impact on the economy of United States.

The medical use of Marijuana remains subject to controversy in the United States, where federal authorities continue to maintain their opposition to any therapeutic use of the Marijuana drug. Furthermore, the Food and Drug Administration has issued a statement in 2006, recalling that it has not approved marijuana as a medicine, and an assessment carried out by several government agencies concluded that no sound scientific study has supported the use of Marijuana as a treatment in the United States (National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2002).

Discussion

In the medical field there is an unstable consensus that marijuana can be useful in the treatment of certain well-defined conditions. For example, in his comprehensive review of the U.S. Institute of Medicine committee concluded that marijuana can be relatively effective for the relief of pain (especially neuropathic), increase appetite in AIDS patients with wasting syndrome, and in order to control nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy in cancer patients. Marijuana is the bane of modern humanity. It is being used, smoked, sell, and offered in almost all corners of the world. Today, storage, distribution and use of marijuana are strictly prohibited by law. But for some reason this does not stop the thrill.

The main point that marijuana supports show is that smoking marijuana is not more harmful than cigarettes. This is completely wrong. What only supportive point that marijuana supporters have for themselves is that marijuana is used for medical issues. But this cannot overlook the bad effects of marijuana (Earleywine, p.120-125). This includes anxiety, short term memory loss, psychotic symptoms which are considered very harmful. It also has very harmful effects on while driving. The effects of smoking can last longer than 24 hours. The long term effects of marijuana are still in the dark but the chemical THC has a serious effect on the human body. It is a reason to cause cancer, problems that may happen in respiratory system, reproductive system and the immune system. In November, year 2010 California populace had a poll to vote whether marijuana should be legalized or not. The votes were counted and it was clear by the result that marijuana should not be legalized for personal use. This is what most of the population thinks and believes.

In the early 19th century marijuana was considered to be one of the most dangerous drugs in America. However this perception changed in the late years when more people starting to ...