The Recreational Use And/or Medical Use of Marijuana in Usa

States including: Washington, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and

Illinois have passed laws allowing the recreational use and/or medical use of marijuana.

The legalization within these states with new information gathered from studies on the

drug’s medical benefits have caused uproar over whether the substance should be

decriminalized nationwide. Additionally, the growing number of prisoners incarcerated

because marijuana offenses, and other factors contribute to this controversy. According

to NORML, nearly fourteen million people within the United States use marijuana

regularly. Subsequently, the popularity of marijuana use throughout the United States

will come with varying views on whether it should or should not be decriminalized. The

focus for the decriminalization of the substance lies on the negative effects the

prohibition has caused throughout America, and the lack of strong evidence to justify its

prohibition.

Prohibition has led to the incarceration of individuals nationwide leading to

overcrowded prisons, which negatively affects the states. This overcrowding leads to

the conditions of the prison being porris and an increase in funds being needed to be

spent on these prisoners. However, the funds lie outside of the prisons. There are funds

needed to be used to crack down on the drug. According to Jeffrey Miron and Katherine

Waldock, “legalizing drugs would save roughly $41.3 billion per year in government

expenditure on enforcement of prohibition. Of these savings, $25.7 billion would accrue

to state and local governments, while $15.6 billion would accrue to the federal

government.” (1). Miron and Waldock go on to say, “Approximately $8.7 billion of the

savings would result from legalization of marijuana.” (1). $8.7 billion spent that could be

used to account for the $18 trillion in debt the United States has nationally.

To continue, the context of how marijuana became illegal originally is a argument

in favor of the decriminalization of the drug.

The other side focuses on the effects frequent marijuana use comes with. These

effects range from the argument for it being a gateway drug to substances like cocaine,

it leading to health problems, and addiction.

Historical context

After the Mexican Revolution during the early 1900s, Mexicans immigrated into

the United States. The drug marijuana was brought along with them to the states, and

although these immigrants provided farm assistance, marijuana spread became a

growing fear amongst these states. This was the start of marijuana being used for

recreational use within the nation. Soon, African American and poor White adolescents

began utilizing the drug. By the mid 1900s during the Great Depression Americans

began considering marijuana a gateway drug. However, the drug was not associated

with the exploration of different drugs, but it was associated with crime within the states,

specifically by minority groups and the Mexican immigrants. As a result, the criminalize

of marijuana occurred throughout several states in order to have a reason present to

deport these immigrants back to Mexico even though they were once welcomed into the

communities. This criminalization of the substance lead the The Marihuana Tax Act of

1937. This act was the response from the government because of the fear marijuana

would spread throughout the states.

Solution

Marijuana should be decriminalized nationwide for medical use and recreational

use. According to Dr. Andrew Weil, “The active compounds in marijuana—can relieve

pain, nausea, and other debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis and cancer and the

drugs used to treat them.” (127). There are ongoing and recent studies that have proven

marijuana has medical benefits. As stated it relieves pains, something other pain

medications fail to do for particular patients. In addition, the drug kills cancer cells, a

disease that is currently without a cure. The benefits of the medical use of the drug

outweigh everything. Richard J. Bonnie and Charles H. Whitebread state, “It produces

first, an exaltation with a more or less feeling of well being; a happy jovial mood, usually

an increased feeling of physical strength and power; a general euphoria and variable

aphrodisiac is experienced.” (128). Bonnie and Whitebread go on to say, “This

exaltation is a stimulation of the imagination followed by a more or less delirious state

characterized by vivid kaleidoscopic visions, sometimes of a pleasing sensual kind, but

occasionally of a gruesome nature.” (128). In addition, Bonnie and Whitebread go on to

explain the use of marijuana weakness is associated with fatigue, drowsiness and

sleepiness. The effects of the use of marijuana provides side effects that are reliable

with little consequence, which benefit