Legalization of marijuana is where the substance is treated more or less like a commerce article. The regulations that are put in place when legalizing marijuana shape the behaviors of consumers and producers in the market. This will happen as the case of alcohol, where only those individuals who have attained the age of twenty-one year will be allowed to be in possession of the drug. Decriminalization of marijuana is where sanctions are reduced to those that are found in possession of the drug.
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Marijuana legalization is widely gaining support across the American States. Colorado was the first State to have removed the prohibitions on commercializing the production of marijuana. Colorado is one of the States in America where marijuana has been legalized not only for medical purposes. A university poll that was conducted in the states showed that more than fifty one percent persons supported its legalization. By legalizing marijuana, Washington and Colorado have changed the view and conversation about marijuana by people. Since the two states legalized marijuana, the support on legalization of marijuana rose with currently more than fifty eight percent of people in America supporting its legalization. Many people, including the former president of America Jimmy Carter, came in favor of marijuana. Vermont state has lawfully allowed people to use marijuana medical roles, and they have established a marijuana medical law that governs the state (McMullin 32).
The potency of marijuana has continually increased over the years since 1960s. Increase in potency of marijuana can take several forms including the market share and the commercial grade of marijuana. Currently, the commercial grade of marijuana is more potent compared to the way in which it was previously, and its market share is also growing all over the world. 6 November 2012, the use of marijuana was legalized in Colorado and Washington for recreational purposes. Any person in these two states can possess and carry marijuana wherever they want without worrying about police arrest.
Before its legalization in the two states, many people were arrested and charged for being in possession and also using pot. It was not right to arrest the persons smoking marijuana, because they are just ordinary American citizens who have roles and responsibilities. Smokers of marijuana like the other people have families, pay taxes, and have a family and children to support. It is, thus, not fair to arrest, jail, and treat marijuana smokers like criminals, whereas they are using marijuana for recreation. In some cases, the children of smokers of marijuana are declared to be in danger and, as a result, they are put in foster homes. Putting such children in foster homes is not a solution, but it rather causes suffering and emotional pain to both children and their parents.
Marijuana smokers are responsible, and they should not be arrested, and the society should find a way of discouraging those behaviors that are harmful to other people. This shows that the laws on marijuana in most of the states in America need to be reformed to accommodate marijuana smokers.
Marijuana, unlike alcohol, does not kill the brain cells or cause violent behaviors. By using marijuana, the immune system is neither damaged nor does its continuous use result in bronchitis. One can use marijuana and still avoid respiratory hazards by using marijuana in the form of baked foods, ingestion, or as a vaporizer (Gerdes 10). A study was conducted between those persons who smoke marijuana and those who did not smoke, and it was concluded that heavy smoking of marijuana did not result in lung diseases. Marijuana, unlike tobacco does not result in any serious health problems such as cancer, birth defects, heart problems, liver damage, or emphysema. There has never been reported a death in the world as a result of overdose of marijuana. Legalization of marijuana will make life better for many people not only in America but also across the world.
The legality of marijuana has been debated for the past forty years, where they have been arguing that it is a safe drug that should be permitted. There has also been debate on the use of smoked marijuana that is used to treat various medical conditions. This perspective of marijuana being used in treatment of numerous medical conditions has been crucial in the attempt to legalize the use of marijuana.
Proponents who have been fighting the legalization of marijuana argue that the cost to the society which is associated with marijuana both in health and financial aspects cannot be compared to that of tobacco and alcohol. Both alcohol and marijuana can cause far more damage to the society as compared to marijuana. They also argue that apart from efforts on legalization of marijuana, more should be done to make sure that compelling approach is enforced in order to regulate the use sale of tobacco and alcohol.
Marijuana is also cheap in terms of prices and easiness to produce. Once marijuana is legalized, more adults will shift from alcohol and tobacco and start using marijuana as a complement product. A decrease in the number of people using alcohol and tobacco will reduce the associated risk. Marijuana is considered as the least harmful drug (Gerdes 14).
Legalization of possession and sale of marijuana has got positive benefits to the economy. Colorado and Washington legalized marijuana, since they wanted to categorize the drug together with alcohol and tobacco instead of classifying it as a hard drug like heroin or cocaine. With the legislation of marijuana, the two states can now decriminalize and tax the drug. Legalization of marijuana is pivotal to the economy of Colorado, since the state will be able to earn more than forty million dollars a year. The tax from the sale of pot will be used for state development purposes, and this will be beneficial to all persons. With the legalization of marijuana in Washington, a twenty five percent tax rate will be imposed on the drug. There has to be a chain in supply of marijuana, from the grower who sells marijuana to the processor who then sells it to the retailer, who is the one to finally sell it to the customer.
The twenty five percent taxes will be beneficial to the economy, since it will bring much money to the economy, and these funds can be used in the improvement of infrastructure. Legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes should be supported, especially when it leads to positive outcomes in the society.
Worldwide, many people use marijuana for pleasure and for therapeutic reasons. Legalizing marijuana will have ancillary benefits of enabling further research about the drug (McMullin 15). Currently, there is not much that is known about marijuana, since it is difficult to obtain marijuana for research reasons.
The effect of legalization of marijuana in Colorado has had benefits that vary from one person to another. The effects on legalization are different to the seller from the user, which are, in turn, different than the effects on the parents of the teenagers taking marijuana. Most of the benefits of the use of marijuana are counted in relation to the cost.
With legalization, the prices of marijuana will have to change. The price of the unbranded marijuana will substantially be reduced, since the industry will be transforming and expanding. Legalization will also result into product differentiation, since producers will be seeking to protect the prices of their products. The marijuana market will be highly segmented where the higher priced forms will be targeting the affluent class, and there will be a wide range of prices to accommodate all persons.
Many people, both those who take and those who do not take marijuana, should join in support of marijuana. Supporting the use of marijuana will increase the tax potential, reduce the enforcement cost, and it will also reduce the potentiality of discrimination. Legalization of marijuana in Colorado is anticipated to be a boost to the national economy because it will promote pot tourism. It will be a destination of people across the globe who may want to spend their time freely smoking marijuana (Gerdes 20).
Recent statistics in Colorado State suggest that the use of marijuana among people is rising, while the use of tobacco and alcohol is falling. From the statistics, it shows that there is a decline in the number of youths who use tobacco and alcohol. This is particularly noteworthy, since marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol and tobacco. Marijuana is also less dangerous to health when compared to tobacco.
Studies claim that marijuana can be used to relieve pain, slow down the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, and fight depression. Marijuana activists are also envisioning the profits that they will accrue form its legalization.
Whether marijuana is legalized or not, people will continue to smoke and sell it through the black market. Legalizing marijuana will result in governments concentrating more on crimes and other drugs that are harmful. Moreover, the governments would make good money from the taxing of marijuana.
As a matter of fact, marijuana is not addictive, yet smoking cigarettes is legal. Cigarettes cause harm not only to the direct user but also to those people who are around the cigarette smoker. Marijuana is a herb that is more than ten times safer than any other illegal drug. It is, thus, not illegal to smoke something that is natural and causes less harm.
Marijuana has no negative effects to a pregnant mother. Children who are born of marijuana smoking mothers have shown no birth defects, and this proves that marijuana has more advantage than disadvantages. It has been established that the use of marijuana by a woman pregnant helps to reduce vomiting and nausea, which helps maintain a good and a healthy appetite which, in turn, improves the child’s birth weight.
Marijuana contains an active chemical which is commonly known as tetrahydrocannabinol, which acts as an analgesic for relaxing and relieving patients’ pain. Medical marijuana has been helpful to patients, since it helps reduce the pain that is felt by trauma victims. Marijuana also relieves cancer patients and those patients who are experiencing nerve damage from their pain.
It is clear that taxation is the reason behind the legalization of marijuana, especially in Colorado and Washington (Gimlin 34). The State government realized that they were losing money by not being able to impose taxes on the production and also the sale of marijuana. Legalization of marijuana has helped bring production and sale of marijuana in the open way, and this has contributed to even more safety in the streets. Marijuana needs to be legalized, since it is in its natural form, and it can be used for therapeutic activities.
