Legalization Of Marijuana Argumentative Essay Sample

People argue about marijuana for ages already. From time to time we stumble across various articles about pros and cons of this herb. Unfortunately, no one seriously thinks about the danger of alcohol or tobacco, but when it comes to famous cannabis the violent indignation is guaranteed. Nowadays the situation is the same: in low dose this weed can be a perfect remedy. As history says, healers of India, Egypt and China used cannabis for medicinal purposes. Even then they prized the anesthetic and anti-inflammatory effects of it. Also, in treatment of two most dreadful diseases, AIDS and cancer, marijuana can be used to help patients in a difficult struggle with these illnesses.
Nowadays, marijuana is very popular in Western society, and it should be completely legalized. It is proved that marijuana offers many benefits without any danger to the health. This herb is used in different categories beginning with industrial uses and to medical treatment. It appears, nevertheless, that this herb is illegal due to the simple fact that a majority of Americans find marijuana ethically offensive. It is very wrong and unacceptable that this valuable drug is assumed to be dangerous, while countless other drugs that are far more dangerous to our health currently available to the people, such as alcohol, poisons, and hundreds of different painkillers.
It is essential to state what exactly marijuana is. Cannabis sativa or hemp – these are other names of marijuana. Hemp was and is used for different purposes, like to make cloth, paper or ropes. There are also other essential products produced by marijuana: seed, pulp, and medicine. This herb grows as weed and cultivated plant all over the world in a variety of climates and soils (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/hemp-legalization/).
Cannabis sativa has been used for a long time. For instance, in China this herb was used as a food. In 4000 B.C it was used as textiles. And in 3000B.C the first recorded usage of marijuana as a drug. So, one can trace in the history that marijuana was used for different purposes. (Legalizing Hemp 2).
There is little doubt about that it is important to reconsider the usage of marijuana, and even though much of the conservative society denies the benefits of usage of marijuana radical change is needed. Marijuana’s value becomes recognized and it is currently legal in different countries and states within the U.S.
Therefore the medical purposes have been proved by various doctors and lawmakers; however, it must be recognized by all people. Moreover, marijuana provides benefits that exceed just its medical benefits, like the mentioned above industrial value and recreational value.
When people want to relax, it is not wrong if you want to drink something alcoholic or to smoke tobacco. But when it comes to the usage of marijuana, its recreational value is perhaps the most ignored, nevertheless it is essential. Why a drug that cause less damage to health and which is safer should be replaced by alcohol and tobacco which are very unhealthy?
Aside from the above, as an industrial plant, marijuana has a lot of benefits as well. This aspect of the herb is also ignored, as currently only marijuana’s medical usage is given credence. This reflects the major attitude of the society toward marijuana. Even though that a lot of people tried this drug, they decide that it is wasteful, and dangerous to health. Nevertheless, a valuation of the benefits, meaning the various uses for this herb, will show it is not the case. Not evaluating the relative danger of herb, nor the wasted resources that go into the efforts of anti-marijuana rules, it will become understandable that marijuana must be legalized due to the fact of its value and its uses are widespread, various, and will be of benefit to people.
Marijuana should be legalized because so many people will profit from the usage of this herb. As a drug and as an industrial product, marijuana has a lot to provide. Its widespread use despite it being an illegal substance only helps to prove its favored status among much of the population who appreciate its value.
People that support the legalization of marijuana have made success in plenty of states in the U.S. of medical usage of marijuana. Even though the Congress classified this herb as a Schedule 1 substance (a group of drugs not considered legitimate for medical usage) in late 1970s, this herb hastily became most widely used herb in the United States. A lot of people dispute with this and one can observe many fights in media, courts etc.
This raises moral problems such as must the government should control over what citizens do in their own houses? In fact, before the 1930 when the government began making restrictions, doctors advised and prescribed marijuana to their patients for plenty of reasons that are almost identical to the reasons doctors prescribe it nowadays. (Bostwick, 2012).
First of all, it is safe to say that after hundreds of researches, “. . .medical marijuana is proven to be effective in the treatment of a variety of debilitating medical conditions.” (Effective Arguments For Medical Marijuana Advocates) There have been studies showing that the usage of marijuana may help to reduce the symptoms of some particular ongoing medical conditions. The most important findings point out that it helps patients with glaucoma, cancer, and disseminated sclerosis. Other studies have argued these results.
Some research has shown that using marijuana reduces the emesis and vomiting for cancer patients that receive chemo. (Should Marijuana Be Legalized In The United States?) Nevertheless, while more than 18 states have legalized marijuana for medical purposes, marijuana for recreational purposes is still remained illegal.
“In United States, it is illegal to consume, sell, cultivate and store and kind of cannabis, while in Colorado and Washington in November 2012, people vote for legalization of cannabis for recreational use.” (Reuters) “Plenty of medical and health organizations believe that the usage of marijuana can produce a great healing effect and is considered to have big medical value.” (Hoeffel, John)
Besides the obvious positive effect in treatment nausea, cancer pain and child epilepsy the medical cannabis has some serious drawbacks as well. The list of its safety concerns «includes impairment of short-term memory; altered judgment and decision making; and mood effects, including severe anxiety (paranoia) or even psychosis (loss of touch with reality), especially following high-dose exposures» (Drugabuse.gov) Moreover, there are considerable risks of getting addicted to marijuana as it happens to 9% of those who try it, 1/6 of those who start smoking as the teenagers and 25-50% of daily users.
The popularization of marijuana smoking came in the second half of the 20th century with the arrival of the hippie and Reggie cultures. Ever since its use has been quite stable, nevertheless, the latest survey by University of Michigan tells us that about 60% of high school seniors use it daily and only 40% understand all the risks of this action.
This may indicate that the number of marijuana abusers will rise in the future. (Johnston, O'Malley and Bachman) Another threatening fact is that its smoking is for many just the first step on the route to harder drugs and a miserable life of a drug addict: the majority of marijuana users initially try it out of curiosity, as a cure from depression or just to get high, meaning, that their organisms quickly get accustomed to it and require higher dose exposures and later harder matters to keep producing the same effect.
The legislation in various countries of the world provides the drug dealers a lot of space. For instance, in Netherlands the purchase and possession of this herb is mostly tolerated and is not a crime. There marijuana is a legal prescription drug since 2003. Contrastingly, In Ireland, people believe that marijuana has no medical benefits and is prohibited to purchase and use.
Australian politicians originally voted to allow doctors to legally prescribe marijuana to the patients with life-long diseases but the legislative action was reversed under pressure, while in Belgium the trials have been recently initiated to research the effectiveness of cannabis for medical purposes, which may soon lead to legalization of small amounts possession.
As for Canada, their citizens cannot be prosecuted for using it for pain relief because the Canada`s Marijuana Medical Access Regulations provide them with the right to do so, at the same time, not specifying any legal way to obtain it (Disabled World).
As it was partially mentioned above, cannabis can be used for various of purposes. Usage of hemp includes but is totally not restricted to: fuel, food not only for people, but due to high source of protein for different birds and animals. It is possible to produce paper and textile by recycle hemp.
Marijuana is very rich in oil, so it is possible to produce different dyes, paints, detergents, oils, building materials and of course drugs. In general, marijuana can replace any product made from cotton, wood or petrol. So there is no doubt about the benefits from this wonderful herb.
In the modern world, cannabis is the number one cash crop in the United States, making over $35 billion in dirty money every year. The second most generated crop – corn, makes only $17 billion. Even though, that now, when the price for marijuana is very high due to its illegality, the prices would decline if legalized. On the other hand, a lot of money would be made with the help of taxes, legal production and trading.
In the United States, this herb is the 4 most commonly used psychoactive drug, right after caffeine, tobacco and alcohol (Eitzen and Zinn). Here one can see disparity among these 4 candidates. The last 3 are legal, regulated by the government and all contribute greatly to our economy. Nicotine addiction leads to cancer.
Smoking kills more American people than such “killers” as heroin, homicide, car accidents, alcohol, cocaine, fires, crack, suicide, and AIDS combined (Eitzen and Zinn). However, it is safe to say that the government encourages and controls the sale of cigarettes, due to the fact that the profit from tobacco industry is just enormous and is a major contributor to the economy. (Eitzen 389).
Legalization of marijuana would essentially decrease crime rate as well as prison population in the United States. For instance there were more than 1,5 million people in 2003, who were accused in purchasing or possessing of marijuana. There is little doubt about the fact that some percentage of that people was arrested just. But one can imagine how much money could be saved if marijuana (Stamper 2).
Hence, one can come to the conclusion that marijuana is one of the most potential plants in our modern world. However, even with proved facts about the usefulness of this herb, it still illegal in the U.S. With countless benefits, in different spheres of life as industrial, medical, or economical, it is impossible to imagine why this drug is prohibited. The decriminalization of this herb could be the greatest things in the United States economy.
If with the help of activists and government marijuana would be legalized, first of all many people would be able to experience relief from their illness With the help of taxes it would be possible to make billions of dollars that could be beneficial to the country’s economy.

Work Cited

Bostwick, J. Michael. 'Blurred Boundaries: The Therapeutics And Politics Of Medical Marijuana'.Mayo Clinic Proceedings 87.2 (2012): 172-186. Web.
Drugabuse.gov,. 'Drugfacts: Is Marijuana Medicine? | National Institute On Drug Abuse (NIDA)'. N.p., 2015. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.
Disabled World,. 'Medical Marijuana: Pain And Health Conditions'. N.p., 2015. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.
Eitzen, D. Stanley, and Maxine Baca Zinn. Social Problems. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2000.
Print. Johnston, Lloyd, Patrick M O'Malley, and Jerald G Bachman. Monitoring The Future. Bethesda, Md. (6001 Executive Blvd., Bethesda 20892): National Institute on Drug Abuse, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, 2001. Print.
Huffingtonpost.com,. 'Hemp Legalization'. N.p., 2015. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.
Stamper, Norm. '“Let Those Dopers Be'. 2005: n. pag. Print.