Introduction
The man is always creative towards findings new ways of recreational activities. This kind of creative approach leads to both positive and negative ways, and sometimes these consequences can become a question in life and death. In this era, the world is experiencing rising concerns about the legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes. The seriousness of the matter can be observed from the fact that the voters in states like Washington and Colorado have even passed ballot initiatives for legalizing the drug ("Legalizing Recreational Marijuana”). The history tells us that, the issue of drugs is even used for gaining political mileage. The statement of John Ehrlichman, who was a domestic policy chief in Nixon administration, reveals that the President has used the drug in the war for undermining its opposition (Lopez). Despite the different facts, this essay analyzes the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana in order to develop a strong point on this issue.
Pros of legalizing Marijuana
It is the responsibility of the governments around the world to respect the freedom of the individuals, and significant importance should be given to the right of self-determination. The marijuana needs to be legalized if it is against the personal freedom of citizens. The legalizing of this drug will ensure that everyone has a right to decide its actions within the decided parameters. The legalizing will also help in implementing the safety controls because if a consumer is buying the drug from the street, then the chances of inhaling dangerous substances are high. This kind of risk can be prevented through proper legislation, and subsequent safety control system should be developed for gaining maximum benefits (Welsh). The war against drugs basically serves the interest of politicians such as President Nixon has used it against the African Americans. So by legalizing the Marijuana, this kind of possibility will be eliminated from the situation. The legalizing of marijuana has helped in decreasing the revenues of Mexican drug cartels, such as 1kg can now be purchased for $30 to $40, although previously it was available at $60 to $90. Hence, this shows that the change in official and governmental approach can become effective in reducing the price of marijuana (Pascual).
Moreover, the most important benefit associated with this kind of legalizing exists in the form of its medical use. It will become easy to perform an effective treatment for different conditions such as epilepsy, posttraumatic, stress disorder and most importantly treatment of multiple sclerosis. Due to these kinds of benefits, states like California, New Jersey, do allow their citizens to use medical marijuana under certain types of conditions (Harding). The medical marijuana is also used for seizure disorders, chronic diseases and even it is recommended for a condition where the weight loss occurs due to the serious diseases like HIV or pain in nerves. The doctor recommends that the medical marijuana should only be used in the severe conditions, where the pain is not controllable; otherwise it can also create different kinds of risks for the patient.
Cons of Legalizing Marijuana
The advocates of legalizing the marijuana always claim that this drug is not that much addictive as cocaine or heroin. The medical practitioners, however, have confirmed that continuous use of marijuana can lead to addiction and even the research says that 10% out of the total users can get depended on this drug with the passage of time (Barclay). Due to this addictive nature of the drug, the discontinuing use of marijuana can lead to different types of other medical concerns such as anxiety and so forth. The marijuana is a strong drug, and it changes the way the body works. Such as when the drug is taken, the user can start experiencing new perceptions about the different things.
The legalizing of marijuana can also result in excessive use. Consequently, it can cause serious damage to the brain condition of young adults. This is because vessels in the brain of a marijuana smoker restrict the flow of blood. Along with this, it also causes serious damage to the lungs; the marijuana has levels of carcinogens which are 50% to 70% higher than the smoke of tobacco. This shows that the excessive use of marijuana increases the amount of cancer-causing chemicals in the body. The excessive use of marijuana can affect the heart and the chances for heart problems like arrhythmias, heart palpitation also increases (NIH). If the marijuana is available easily, then the moral standards of the general public can get affected, and people will use this drug as a step forward for other harmful drugs such as heroin and cocaine. This is the reason that the law enforcement agencies are against the legalizing of marijuana.
Conclusion
The movement for legalizing the marijuana is gaining popularity among the masses, and it has become a reality in few states. By looking at the pros and cons, it is revealed that the responsibility of the government and law enforcement agencies will increase with the passage of time, especially in terms of developing a safety control system. The implementation phase of the system will not only prevent the risks but also help in increasing the benefits. The support for the legalizing of marijuana will increase but at the same time, researchers should put more efforts for decreasing the medical cons associated with the excessive use of marijuana.
Work Cited
Barclay, Rachel. "Marijuana Addiction Is Rare, But Very Real". Healthline. N.p., 2014. Web. 3 Apr. 2016. <http://www.healthline.com/health-news/marijuana-addiction-rare-but-real-072014>
Harding, Anne. "Medical Marijuana". WebMD. N.p., 2016. Web. 3 Apr. 2016. < http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/features/medical-marijuana-uses>
"Legalizing Recreational Marijuana – Pros and Cons". Drug Rehab. N.p., 2012. Web. 3 Apr. 2016.<http://www.drugrehab.us/news/pros-cons-legalizing-recreational-marijuana/>
Lopez, German. "Nixon Official: Real Reason For The Drug War Was To Criminalize Black People And Hippies". Vox. N.p., 2016. Web. 3 Apr. 2016.<http://www.vox.com/2016/3/22/11278760/war-on-drugs-racism-nixon>
NIH,. "What Are Marijuana’S Effects On General Physical Health?". Drugabuse.gov. N.p., 2016. Web. 3 Apr. 2016. <https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/marijuana/what-are-marijuanas-effects-general-physical-health>
Pascual, Oscar. "Legal Marijuana Causes Mexican Drug Cartel Revenues To Plummet". Smell the Truth. N.p., 2016. Web. 3 Apr. 2016.<http://blog.sfgate.com/smellthetruth/2016/03/07/legal-marijuana-causes-mexican-drug-cartel-revenues-to-plummet/#photo-377485>
Welsh, Jennifer. "23 Health Benefits of Marijuana". Business Insider. N.p., 2014. Web. 3 Apr. 2016.< http://www.businessinsider.com/health-benefits-of-medical-marijuana-2014-4>
