Introduction
I think that marijuana has moral, behavioral and health effects in the society. People smoke it for recreational purposes and behave weirdly towards others. I have heard of cases where some members of the society have become abnormal from too much marijuana smoking. It is a drug that affects an individual’s senses and how they behave and relate to others in the society. To this extent, I do not approve of the legalization of the drug. I have also read of the other cases of medical effects such as the sterility in sperm cells, because of the deformity it brings in the cells. However, despite all these, Washington DC, among other 22 states in the United States of America has legalized the use of marijuana. The discussion below will examine why the states have legalized the drug.
States such as Washington DC have legalized the possession, growing and smoking of marijuana, commonly referred to as pot, for persons above the age of 21. One of the reasons said for legalization of the drug is the medical benefits it has. The drug supposedly cures most diseases that have been in existence for a long time. The drug can also be used as a painkiller. I have heard of cases where patients who have painful conditions such as cancer have been given the drug to relieve their pain. Marijuana considerably reduces the amount of pain and is less addictive that other narcotic painkillers that are used in hospitals today. For instance, a drug like morphine is very addictive yet it is given as a painkiller in health cares. I am of the opinion that instead of such highly addictive drugs, marijuana be used since it serves the same purpose. It is a natural pain reliever that allows a patient to exist in another state and that makes them forget of their medical condition. In addition, it reduces the cause of blindness from eye defects such as Glaucoma. The National eye study has supported this statement, citing that marijuana helps to reduce the pressure around the eyeball that causes blindness when the defect is present. I came about this information while reading an article on eye blindness by the national eye survey. If blindness can be cured by the drug, I think it is worth being legalized because people can benefit from it. Other medical benefits accrued to the drug include prevention of epileptic seizure, improvement of lung health and control of seizures from Dravet’s syndrome.
Because of the above medical benefits, the states that have legalized marijuana have argued that the advantages are vast. To this extent, I agree with the legalization process. Anything that can help to reduce the cases of health defects that pose a challenge to the well-being of people is welcome. For instance, cancer continues to torment more people by the day. I think that marijuana should be used if it can help reduce its spread. The health of the people in the society should come first and the benefits in the health of a person are more than the harm the drug may cause.
But also, I tend to think that the states have legalized the drug to benefit the national budget. If we think about the situation critically, we will find that the reason for the legalization of the drug in many states is the revenue that will be incurred from its use. I read that the Household of Survey on Drug use estimated that 19 million Americans used marijuana as of the year 2000. By the time the survey was done, most states were still shackled up in laws that prohibited the use of the drug. The number has considerably risen since then, with legalization from some states starting as early as 1998. Therefore, I suppose that the States that legalized the use of marijuana could turn the numbers into money. Because of the large number of smokers, a lot of revenue can be generated from the drug. The issue with such a move, in my opinion, is that it is immoral and not in the interest of the society. It is true that the tax levied on marijuana could be used to develop the community. However, it is immoral for the States to take advantage of the people. On the brighter side, the drug is being smoked by millions of people even without the legal aspect of it. Hence, I suppose that the government could turn the illegal smoking into a venture that will accrue more tax from which these State could benefit.
Personally, I think the illegality of marijuana is the cause of its explosive smoking among the individuals in the society. As human beings, we are attracted to things that are illegal. The rebellion from something is what makes it valuable. Therefore, from legalism of marijuana, the states are controlling its use and selling. Many people are involved in the abuse and sell of the drug in secrecy. I think putting it to light and allowing people to freely use it will create more responsibility and reduce criminal cases that are piled up in courts based on smoking and possession of the drug. It is easier to control the use of the drug when it is legalized because people can be openly taught on responsible smoking. The case is the same with cigarettes. Even though they have adverse effects on the health of an individual, there legality contributes to their safe use. If we use this approach of making the drug legal, it would be easy to control its markets, growing, and smoking. Therefore, the States can reduce the market of the drug with its being legalized. Once the market is controlled, the use of the drug will also be controlled to a fairer degree.
Marijuana has been proved to have lesser effects on people than all the other narcotics. If used in small measures, the drug is harmless to the person abusing it as compared to things such as cigarettes. For instance, a single puff of a cigarette is a lot of times more harmful than the puff of a Marijuana joint. Such a survey makes marijuana a safer option in the sector of drugs, which has contributed to its legality.
Conclusion
Therefore, I think that when controlled, the smoking of marijuana will not have so many effects on people. The drug being legalized can be a solution for many things and its medical benefits are too great to overlook. However, the challenges that these Sates have is ensuring that the consumption does not affect the society in a bad way though control. The children and students in the society are vulnerable to the recreational effects of the smoking of the drug. Smoking should be a choice for a person who is above 21 years, but that will not prevent the younglings in the society from accessing it. Therefore, I think that if these states can find a way of ensuring that the younger generation remains untouched, then the good intentions of the laws will be achieved.
