As everyone grows up they are told, drugs are bad and that they should not use them. But before one gets to understand what drugs are and their use, they may never understand why they are cautioned against them. One thing is for sure, and children grow up knowing that drugs are dangerous and should not use them, but the question is whether all drugs are bad and that they should not be used. When cautioned against the use of drugs, it means that the use of them is illegal. But how then is it possible that some of those drugs that are known to be illegal useful to humans? Some drugs that are deemed illegal have tremendous benefits when they are used appropriately and not abused. And in this case, the drug in question is marijuana. If then it is proving to be good and useful, then it should be legalized in not only the United States but around the world. Debate has been raging as to whether the drug should be legalized, and it is about time it is legalized.
Marijuana is a naturally occurring plant that gives its users a feeling that makes them feel so good. But the feeling should be left aside, and more focus be given to its more important benefits. Marijuana has been known in medical circles as a superb pain reliever. It is a proven fact that there are patients who suffer from pain related ailments, and who after being subjected to other pain relievers for a long time become unreceptive to the drugs. After careful research, it has been discovered that medical marijuana can be used as a very good pain reliever or these patients (Doweiko 71). If only marijuana could be a prescription drug, then humanity will have solved the puzzle that will go a long way in helping patients on their way to recovery.
Another reason marijuana should be made legal is because no one has offered a good reason it should be illegal. Society should be thoughtful about the reason it is illegal in the first place. In fact, it should be legal, and people are left to make personal choices whether to use it or not. Any sane government should be in a position to limit the use of something it declares illegal instead of banning it all together. From experience, as long as marijuana is illegal, it will remain abused and misused (Doweiko 18). But the moment it becomes legal, it will be easier to give expert advice on how to use it. In the long run, it will be used safely under a safe environment instead of it being used in hideouts. When used in safe conditions, marijuana becomes less dangerous and will be used just like other drugs such as alcohol and cigarettes.
One fails to understand why some drugs such as alcohol and cigarettes are legal when marijuana is not. It should be remembered that tobacco, and that is found in cigarettes is far too dangerous than marijuana. Smoking tobacco causes lung cancer. In fact, one joint of marijuana equals to ten cigarettes. A person is only able to use one joint a day, and it means that it is less harmful to the body than tobacco. Marijuana smokers do not smoke their joints endlessly like cigarette smokers who are chain smokers and can consume as many cigarettes as they can (Caulkins 18). When comparison is made between marijuana and other legal drugs, it turns out less harmful than they are. The same effects that marijuana has on its users are the same effect that other legalized drugs have on their users. If they can be allowed to use marijuana, it is evident that they will not expose themselves to as much as harm as they do when they use legal drugs such as tobacco and alcohol.
Who could have imagined that marijuana can be used as a bronchial dilator? As a bronchial dilator, marijuana helps in the opening of lungs, and this helps in the aeration of lungs that will assist them in clean up. Bronchial dilation helps in the clearance and dirt from the lungs for easy movement of clean air into the lungs. Aside from that, it is a proven fact that marijuana helps a person relax, and this will lead to improved health and the general well- being of an individual(Caulkins 79). If at all marijuana was to be compared to legal drugs such as nicotine, on will be surprised to realize that nicotine does exactly the opposite of what marijuana does. It clogs the bronchioles and fills them up with smoke. Aside from that, when a person uses nicotine, their lungs crunch up, and it becomes difficult for them to cough anything up. Marijuana is, therefore, good for the body and deserves to be legalized.
It is also good to look at the economic advantages that the country stands to get if marijuana is to become a legal drug. Marijuana can be a very good tax resource for the country, and its taxation will help increase government revenue. At the moment, all the illegal returns that the sellers of marijuana makeup in the pockets of a few individuals illegally (Rosenthal & Kubby 31). When one looks at that money in a broader way, it is evident that such is the money that ends up in the hands of gangs, and the money facilitates illegal activities in the cities. However, this situation is bound to change if the government is going to make a business of selling marijuana legal. All the money that will be collected in the form of taxes is going to be used in doing something worthwhile for the country and its citizens. It is high time the government legalized the use of this drug because it is bound to benefit from its legalization too.
It should also be noted that there is a potential for the reduction of crime rates in the country if marijuana is to be legalized. There are an enormous number of persons who have been incarcerated because of their involvement with marijuana. That means that the government is spending a huge amount of money in taking care of inmates who have been found peddling or using marijuana. If the drug is made legal, it is believed that people using marijuana will not find themselves on the wrong side of the law, and hence there will be no prison for them. If the possession of marijuana is not considered a crime, American prisons will be having half the number of inmates in there (Rosenthal & Kubby 51). That will mean that the government will spend less in the prisons and that money can go to doing something else that will benefit Americans. The police and court attendants will also be relieved from too much work because they will be having fewer cases of crimes to attend to. Law enforcers will then have ample time to themselves to deal with other serious crimes, and that will mean a better and safer country.
There is a couple of states and countries that have legalized marijuana, and they have benefited a lot from its legalization. In the United States, Colorado and Washington have become the only states that have permitted the use of marijuana. In Colorado, marijuana can be used for recreational purposes. These two states have proven the fact that they have benefitted a great deal because they have experienced a huge influx of tourists who visit just to have their joint before heading back to their countries. They do not only receive a big number of visitors but is also is funny how people from neighboring countries hop into the states from across the border, smoke their pot and jump back to their countries. But why the hassle when that can be made possible in those countries by legalizing the drug. It does not make any sense why two states can go against the federal law while forty-eight others stick to the law. At the same time, it makes no sense that only two states are going to benefit from the use of marijuana and not the rest.
The legalization of marijuana stands to do the country a lot better than harm. It is about time, and the federal state legalized marijuana because it brings the country a lot of benefits than harm. Legalizing marijuana will be the best decision the government can make because it stands to benefit the whole country. In as much as there are people who argue against its legalization, it needs to be remembered that when there is a touchy issue that affects society, there will always be two sides of the argument. But when all factors are held constant, the legalization of marijuana will be the best thing that will happen to the citizens of the United States of America because there will be notable change towards its usage especially for those who abuse it, and medically, it will benefit several people.
Works Cited
Caulkins, Jonathan, P., Hawken, Angela, Kilmer, Beau, &Kleiman Mark A. R. Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know. New York: OUP, 2012. Print
Doweiko, Harold. Concepts of Chemical Dependency. Belmont: Cengage Learning, 2011. Print
Rosenthal, Ed &Kubby, Steve.Why Marijuana Should be Legal. New York: Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2003. Print
