LEGALIZING MARIJUANA

Legalizing Marijuana



Legalizing Marijuana

Introduction

Drugs can be a lot of things to a lot of people. They can be exciting, they can be something to alleviate pain or help cure a disease, they can be marketplace commodities, they can destroy some people's lives, and they can even be a way to a position of power. The annual number of deaths caused by illegal drug use is approximately 20,000; the number of deaths caused by marijuana use each year is zero. Many Americans do not believe marijuana should be legalized because there is nothing positive that would come from it. In fact, the medical benefits of marijuana are astounding. Marijuana, also known as cannabis sativa, reduces nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy in cancer patients and helps AIDS patients maintain their weight by inducing hunger. Patients with epilepsy have found marijuana to be just as helpful with grand mal seizures as anti-convulsant prescription drugs, but with fewer side effects. As helpful as marijuana has proved to be, many still worry about the side effects of marijuana use. Most side effects of marijuana use are temporary and dissipate within a few hours of use (Nicholas, 2005). The biggest worry is that marijuana use will lead to lung cancer, as cigarette smoking does. Currently, tests have been inconclusive showing that marijuana smoke causes cancer. Although more research needs to be done, it is thought that marijuana can cancer because it contains a higher amount of tar than cigarettes, it is inhaled deeply and held in the lungs for a long period of time, and many of the same cancer-causing agents are found in cigarettes and marijuana. The active ingredient in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol, can be extracted from the cannabis sativa plant. This extract can be added to foods, such as baked goods, so it does not have to be ingested through smoking. This way lung cancer can be avoided if marijuana smoke is found to be a cause of lung cancer. If marijuana is legalized, more tests can be completed to further our knowledge on the benefits and complications of marijuana use. At this time, the United States would benefit economically, environmentally, and medically with the legalization of marijuana (Clark, 2000).

If legalized, marijuana revenue generated from sales would stay in the U.S. instead of leaving the country to fund drug cartels. One of the main products of drug cartels is marijuana and the main supplier to the U.S. is Mexico. Funds paid to cartels are used to fund violence and other illegal activities. Decriminalization of marijuana will reduce the taxpayer burden by freeing up resources spent in both criminal justice and law enforcement. Costs to house an inmate vary from state to state and from prison to prison. In Florida, for example, it costs an average of $55 a day or $20,000 a year to house an inmate, according to the Feeney (2006). The drug control budget for 2007 was $13.8 billion and could have been drastically ...