The idea of legalizing medical Marijuana has created heated debate not only y in the United States but globally. There are those who are in support of this move with around 20 out of the 50 states in the US having legalized the drug. Those in support of the legalization argue that the medicinal properties of the drug make it a legal drug in the US, research shows that those who have used the drug have reduced cases of nausea and also act as a pain killer. This is the only reason given by those who support the legalization of the drug.
Doctors support the use of the drug for its medicinal properties; a doctor cannot be accused of drug use crimes in the state where marijuana is legalized for medical purpose. Justify the legalization based on the medical properties does not provide enough evidence as to why the drug should be legalized. There are other drugs which can be used as pain killers; there are more negative effects of using the drug than the positive ones. For any drug to be accepted in the medicinal field it has to be tested in depth, and there should not be few or no negative effects caused by the drug.Continous smoking of Marijuana causes memory, learning and emotional disorders. In the US marijuana is the second leading drug that is abused with alcohol being the first. A large population of those who suffer from drug dependency in the US is made up of marijuana users. Currently, the number or Marijuana users in the US is 15.2 million, legalizing marijuana would a higher number of drug users.
The federal government has a role of protecting its people from harmful substances; legalizing marijuana would result to more revenue being spent by the government as it tries to rehabilitate the drug addicts. Lessons should be learnt from other legalized drugs such as alcohol and tobacco which have caused larger problems such as cancer and increased crime rates. The US is trying handle the drug trafficking crisis, legalizing marijuana would cause a key challenge to neighboring nations that have not legalized the drug, it would create an avenue for the drug traffickers to carry out their illegal operations openly without fear of the authorities. Those who are supporting the legalization of the drug claim that it would add up to the revenue pool, this is would just be in the short run. Many young people have dropped out of school a trend that is closely associated with drug and substance abuse. It would be difficult controlling the use of the drug among the youth who have use marijuana just like alcohol and tobacco. Those who deal with marijuana trade will not be willing to pay taxes to the government, they are selfish people who will be profit driven and will not consider the economic aspect of the drug trade.
Just because marijuana has medicinal advantages, it does not qualify to be legalized in the US, a nation that is made up of drug addicts does not achieve any development, the drug barons will be the major beneficiaries while the others suffer in silence. If there is a need to use the drug for medicinal purpose, it should happen as the last option when all others fail. The drug agencies and other research institutes should be involved before making a final decision, as the drug is just effective for human health in the short run, it becomes a burden in the long run once people get addicted and cannot stop using it because it is legal, and they have access to it.
Work Cited
Berlatsky, Noah. Marijuana. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Print.
