Change is inevitable but it is always good to look at the bigger picture in order to visualize the aftermath of any action. Marijuana as a drug has moved from being one of the most abhorred drugs by both the citizenry and the authorities to a legally acceptable drug in the streets and drug stores. This then leads to the question whether this is right or wrong and how it is going to benefit the nation, families and the individual.
It does not really matter that the legalization is focused on marijuana for medical use or recreational use. The bottom line is that marijuana will become or has become a legal drug thereby its change of hands has increased even in the presence of law enforcement. This will make it very hard to deal with because in as much as it will beneficial to some people, chances of it turning fatal to a majority especially the youth are very high. It is imperative that a balance be found between marijuana for medical purposes and marijuana for recreational purposes for sanity to prevail otherwise, negative results may be realized.
Legalizing marijuana has got its shortcomings as well as advantages. Looking at the bigger picture on how this impacts on not only the citizens but also the government, policy making, legislation not forgetting the war on drugs, loopholes are created and even lee ways through which other hard core drugs will find their way back to the streets. When such loop holes are created, the government will lack the moral authority to reverse legislation in case of a seriously negative outcome.
With the legalization of marijuana, chances are that the levels of its usage will dramatically go down. This is so because countries such as Netherlands which did long time ago have lower levels of marijuana usage as compared to the US with some states still adamant to legalize it. Chances of the US turning out to be a destination for marijuana tourists will go high if the drug will be fully legalized. Also, there will be rise of revenue because of the money its trade will attract. But this aside, there are quite a number of negative effects of the legalization of marijuana among them, losing a lot of young people to it especially to addiction for those who will not use it in moderation for recreational purposes.
Work Cited
Ferrell, Dave. Today, Medical Marijuana. Tomorrow, Legalize It. Ocweekly.com. 7th Jan, 2010. Web, 27th June 27, 2013. http://www.ocweekly.com/2010-01-07/news/medical marijuana-legalize/5/
