Essay on Marijuana Legalization

Drugs that are dangerous and harmful to the health of the people should be criminalized. On the contrary, a drug such as marijuana which is harmless to the wellbeing of the people should be legalized in the nation. Numerous individuals have argued for and against legalization of marijuana in the USA. However, marijuana is a drug that can be used for recreational and medical purposes in the country, and it should be legalized to reduce the numerous problems arising from its criminalization. Background Information Marijuana is a greenish-grey drug that is made by mixing the dried flowers of the cannabis sativa. The two had legalized the drug in 2012. These two states had taken the first step to vote for the legalization of marijuana so that it could be used for recreational purposes.

This decision by Washington and Colorado had motivated other states to legalize the drug. Approximately twelve states are known to have plans for legalizing the drug. The majority of the states that are planning to make marijuana legal are using it for medical and recreation purposes. On the other hand, users that avoid smoking the drug tend to consume it when it is in products such as cookies, chocolate, and brownies. Further, some users opt to consume the drug in the form of vapor, and hence they end up using the liquid marijuana. Arguments for Marijuana Legalization Marijuana benefits the society in that it can be utilized for medical purposes (Caulkins, 2016). Research findings show that marijuana can be utilized as a medical drug to provide relief to those suffering from various illnesses.

Individuals in the healthcare sector would support the legalization of medical marijuana. The drug provides simple pleasure to the people who consume it. Further, as a recreational drug, marijuana is utilized by business people to boost the sale of products The recreational marijuana is being used in the business environment (Dijkstra, 2013). Some organizations sell the drug for profit purposes. Other firms utilize the drug in making products such as cookies to help them boost their sales. This is because consumers are willing to buy the products comprising of the drug as an ingredient. Further, in a place where more harmful drugs such as tobacco and alcohol are made legal, it would be a hypocritical decision to criminalize marijuana given that it is less harmless when compared to the legalized drugs.

Thus, marijuana should be legalized in the USA for medical and recreational use as well as a substitute. Arguments against Legalization of Marijuana In general, drug use is harmful to the well-being of the people and marijuana is not an exception. Its use is bad for the people in all ways possible. Although marijuana can be used to benefit the people when used as a medical drug it can be harmful to its users. The gangs will continue to operate and sell the drug for profit motives. On the other hand, the drug users are likely to engage in violent crimes. Heavy smokers of the drug will be more involved in violent offenses in the society. Social problems will also increase as a result of the increased abuse of the drug because it will be legally allowed in the nation.

However, despite the arguments against legalizing marijuana some people continue to support the notion that the drug should be made legal in the nation. The police get into fights with offenders as they try to charge them with the crime of possession and illegal sale of the drug. As such, legalization of the drug will bring more benefits to society than problems. Additionally, supporters of marijuana claim that the drug is harmless especially when compared to the legal drugs such as alcohol and tobacco (Pacula, 2010). Marijuana can be an addictive drug to its users, but the same can be said for alcohol and tobacco. Also, trying to protect the people from the impact of marijuana would be less effective when other drugs are allowed in the country.