The Hot Debate on the Legalization of Marijuana Use

Citizens of California approved legislation legalizing medical marijuana in 1996. Since then, twenty-two additional states have followed suit to legalize some form of marijuana use. Although federal law does not prohibit marijuana per se, the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 taxed marijuana so heavily that, in effect, marijuana was outlawed (Dills et al.). Colorado citizens first approved recreational marijuana in 2012 through a referendum vote. And currently eight states have legalized marijuana for recreational use (Robinson). Then, in 2009, the Department of Justice published a memo indicating that the government would “tend not to intervene in states where [marijuana] was legal” (Dills et al.). While the trend seems to indicate that many states will either consider broad cannabis laws or simply approve outright use, marijuana continues to be featured on Schedule 1-the federal government’s list of dangerous drugs and there many politicians and physicians who do not promote cannabis legalization.

There are reasonable perspectives on opposing sides of the question to legalize marijuana. Advocates suggest legalization will eliminate the marijuana black market and its associated crime. While simultaneously creating a lucrative source of tax revenue for states. Legalization can allow doctors to alleviate the pain of individuals burdened with maladies ranging from glaucoma or cancer to social anxiety. Previous studies have even suggested a link between medicalization of marijuana and a lower overall suicide rate (Dills et al.).

On the other hand, critics take issue with how rapidly states approved marijuana without first understanding the full effects of the drug. One accusation is that cannabis advocates are mostly driven by profit seekers who produce and distribute the drug (Martin). Further, since smoking is the primary method of partaking in marijuana, doctors and scientists voice concern over a user’s exposure to a variety of chemical compounds; the effects of which remain unstudied at this point (Martin). With valid concerns raised on both sides of the argument, and with much research pending, it will be interesting to see how the legislatures will react.

When a nursing mother uses marijuana, some of the THC is passed to the baby in her breast milk. This is a matter for concern, since the THC in the mothers milk is much more concentrated than that in the mothers blood. This along with the other information on how marijuana is harmful gives us another reason for not legalizing it. Marijuana should not be legalized for the safety of Americans and their health. Marijuana destroys the minds of many users.

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