Marijuana, originally used as an anesthetic in traditional Chinese medicine, is a psychotropic, euphoric drug that has been a controversial topic in modern United States. This controversy stems from the social stigma that marijuana is a hallucinogenic, addictive substance that is detrimental to the lives of those who use it.
However, there are social, economic, and medical benefits that are associated with the legalization of marijuana.
Sure, cannabis does have acute side effects such as cognitive impairments of balance and focus, memory formation, and anxiety. But when comparing those acute effects to the potential increase in research, tax revenue, medicinal use, decreased drug abuse, and alcohol impairments, it is obvious that the potential for advancements in particular areas outweigh the potential costs.
Here is a breakdown of the top five reasons to legalize marijuana in the United States:
1. Research
Currently, Marijuana is a Schedule 1 drug in most states and at the federal level. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), that means that it is illegal to own the drug, sell the drug, use the drug (recreationally or medically), and RESEARCH the drug.
Without researching the acute and long-term effects of different users, how are we supposed to fully understand the potential harmful causes of using marijuana?
In order to fully understand this drug, the scheduling of marijuana needs to be changed.
Legalizing this substance will allow a change in scheduling, which will then allow better access for researchers to study the effects of long-term use. With more research, more questions regarding the harms of cannabis will be answered.
2. Tax Revenue
Within the last year, our country has spent over $15,921,896,814 dollars on incarceration involving marijuana (possession, use, selling, etc).
With the legalization, not only will those government and tax dollars be spent elsewhere, but cannabis will BRING IN money as well.
In 2015, Colorado and Washington brought in over 10 million dollars in tax revenue from marijuana alone since legalization. If every state legalized, that would bring in tax dollars that can be used for expenses other than incarceration, such as education or healthcare.
3. Medical Benefits
We already know about the medical benefits of marijuana. It is used for chemo therapy anesthesia, epilepsy, and chronic pain in most states. Having each state legalize this treatment means that more people will have access to treatment that has been PROVEN to work.
4. Decrease in opiate use
Another Colorado example: Since the legalization of cannabis, a noticeable drop in opiate use and death occurred.
Opiates include heroin, morphine, and hydrocodone and are known for their anesthetic use in medical treatments, as well as their extremely, physically addicting nature.
The drop in use of these addictive substances could be because people are able to access a euphoric drug like marijuana more efficiently and, therefore, have no need to resort to illegal black-market purchases.
This could also mean that people are finding therapeutic effects in cannabis without having to resort to morphine or other addictive opiates.
5. Better than Booze
Alcohol and Cigarettes are two examples of legal drugs that have more known detrimental effects than marijuana, and yet they are legal. Alcohol is highly addictive, and has the most dangerous withdrawal effects compared to any other drug.
This means that when someone is trying to treat their alcohol addiction and stay sober, they are at risks of strokes, seizures, and potentially death.
Cigarette users are, as is common knowledge, at high risks of cardiovascular disease and cancer due to their addiction to nicotine.
Marijuana has no known effects that are as detrimental as alcohol or cigarettes.
Cannabis is a mystery. Even researchers who focus on how cannabis effects the pathways in the brain leave their research with more questions than answers. By changing the scheduling of cannabis and allowing more access to research, the scientific community will be able to formulate an educated opinion on the dangers and benefits of cannabis, as opposed to the current, ignorance-based sanction.
Besides having a more integral understanding of this widely-used drugs effects, millions in potential tax revenues may be opened to states, allowing increased funding of essential social programs.
Finally, we may see the trend of reduced opiate use nation-wide, which will increase the standard of living and opportunity for many lesser privileged Americans.
