Legalization of Marijuana in the United States - Coursework Example

Legalization of Marijuana in the United States Marijuana is a drug that has been around for over well over two thousand years. Back in the day, it was widely used due to its psychoactive and mind altering properties. The drug marijuana is composed of over four hundred chemicals but the most important of them is the THC otherwise known as the delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. The amount of THC present in the marijuana determines its potency and strength. The mind-altering properties of this drug are due to the presence of the chemical, THC and its levels are determined by a variety of factors. The levels of THC present in the plant are determined by the time of the year that the harvest took place. The soil is also seen as a determining factor and the type of the marijuana plant. Marijuana can be administered in an individual in variety of ways. The most common of way of administration is through smoking. The marijuana is rolled into joints, which is a form of loosely rolled cigarettes. It is also smoked in water pipes or pipes for that matter. Another way of administering the drug in an individual is through ingestion whereby it is brewed into tea. It can also be mixed in with baked products such as cookies, brownies, and cakes. The drug marijuana is a mild form of hallucinogen exhibiting properties similar to those of alcohol in the form of depressant and disinheriting properties. Marijuana effects, when smoked, can be felt within several minutes and peak effects are experienced in a span of ten to thirty minutes. The reaction of the drug varies from individual to individual and these drug reactions on an individual are greatly influence by experiences and expectations. Majority of the first time users report no feelings at all. The side effects of the drug include impaired short-term memory, a dry mouth and throat especially when smoked and loss of balance and coordination. These short-term effects are seen to wear off in some hours indicated but the traces of THC remain in the body. This is because THC is a fat-soluble and is hence retained in the fatty tissue present in the main organs in the body such as lungs, testes in men and the liver. Owing to this fact traces of marijuana are traceable in the human body three days after drug usage in urine thorough the conduction of urine tests (Mehling 21). In the United States alone, marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug whereby users reaching well over twelve million. The numbers of users keep increasing as the years progress with majority of the users in the United States falling in the age span of twelve to seventeen years of age. Due to the increased use of the drug, the United States government opted to take action in an effort to organize in such a way that they minimize usage of the drug marijuana. This has been made possible through offices in the United States government such as the National Drug Control Policy together with state officials and federal partners. Their main goal is to reduce drug and substance abuse especially marijuana through strategies that help curb the supply of the drugs. They have also been seen to implement strategies whereby they are seen to set up rehabilitation centers, which offer counseling and treatment of individuals addicted to drugs. Appeals that have been made to legalize the use of marijuana have been constantly declined owing to the health effects they pose on the population (Schlosser 45). Marijuana affects the population in the United States through respiratory diseases associated with smoking marijuana. Marijuana is also the leading cause of mental illness, which mostly affects the youth, as they are top the charts in abusing this drug. The youth are considered the future, as they are the ones to take over in major sectors of the country including the work place. Hence, legalization of the use of marijuana does more harm than good. Marijuana is also observed to affect the function ability of the immune system whereby it lowers the immune system in the human body. Hence, the body is prone to attack by diseases. Marijuana is also seen to cause distortion in perception and problems in solving problems during intoxication. Majority of the youths are scholars and abusing this drug could result to low levels of understanding. As a result, the students will not gain from the education and the number of school dropouts will increase significantly hence promoting illiteracy. From the government’s point of view, legalizing marijuana would increase its availability and hence more people will indulge themselves into using this drug. This is as observed from statistics whereby the use of legalized drugs such as tobacco and alcohol outpaces marijuana by far. This is a clear indication that laws set aside to control the illicit usage of drugs helps curb their availability and acceptability. Making drugs such as marijuana illegal helps a in an immense way. This is due to the reason that illegal drugs are expensive owing to the processes involved in trafficking them. High prices discourage potential buyers especially the youth who have no source of income and are dependent on their parents. Legalization of marijuana is burdening on the criminal justice system. Legalization of marijuana would consequently increase its usage throughout the United States. Increased usage of marijuana causes a proportional increase in its harmful effects. This is due to the reason that arrests made as a result of alcohol related crime total over 2.7 million in the United States. These crimes include drunken driving and the violation of liquor laws. Hence legalization of marijuana would result in an increased burden to the justice system similar to that posed by alcohol. Arrests made as a result of marijuana possession tally to approximately 750,000, in a year in the United States alone. Due to these facts, legalization of marijuana is greatly impeded (Earleywine 46). The United States government has been observed to a lot of money in the billions in the effort to combat drug abuse and drug related activities. These government resources are aimed punishing the users of these drugs by setting up rehabilitation centers whereby the drug addicts seek council so as to lead productive lives. Other government funds are allocated to effectively carry out drug bursts through special branches of the police force. The existing policies governing the usage of drugs through criminalization is very expensive and hence considered ineffective. From studies and research conducted, it has come to light that newly legalized drugs have been seen to be the stepping-stone for the development of high-end commercial industries whose sole purpose is to manufacture drug. The industries, as a result, generate a lot of revenue for the government in the form of taxes. Using this analogy, the legalization of marijuana would consequently generate revenue for the United States government in the way of taxes. Because of this, there would be an observed development in the economy as the drug has a ready market with users throughout the country (Medical marijuana, federal drug law, and the constitution's supremacy clause: hearing before the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources of the Committee on Government Reform, House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventh Cong. 67). Legalization of marijuana has the potential to generate a large amount of government revenue. This is due to the reason that legalization of marijuana would save the government money in the billion used in the enforcement of narcotics. These funds would as a consequence boost the economy as a result of the government investing in projects that will generate revenue rather than incurring losses. The decriminalization of marijuana has been seen as a success in some states, in the United States, such as Massachusetts. Countries that have adopted the policy of delocalization of marijuana such as Portugal, Netherlands, and most recently the United Kingdom have benefited economically from this policy. Legalization of marijuana will also provide employment whereby it provides more job opportunities (Schlosser 34). Legalization of marijuana will prove beneficial to the justice system. This is because of the notion that crimes related to the possession and use of marijuana will not be considered as crimes any more. Hence the convictions in the courts in the justice system as a result of crimes related to marijuana will be no more. Hence the courts will be less congested and quality services will be provided. The current state of the prisons within the United States is that they are congested. This has resulted in the government investing in the private sector whereby the government funds privately owned prisons to hold prisoners this is due to the reason that setting of new prisons is expensive and time consuming. There is also the problem of bureaucracy whereby the allocation of funds to finance a particular project is a very long time consuming process. Legalization of marijuana will come a long way in assisting in the congestion situation, in the prisons. This is due to reason that annual arrests made as a result of crimes associated with marijuana reach approximately 750,000. Owing to this discovery, legalization of marijuana will come as a great aid in the decongestion of the prisons throughout the United States. The crime rate will also be observed to decrease significantly in the United States. This is because crimes associated with marijuana such as possession, trafficking, and the growing of marijuana were offences punishable by law. Hence, legalization of marijuana will reduce the crime rate considerably (Marijuana and medicine: the need for a science-based approach : hearing before the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources of the Committee on Government Reform, House of Representatives, One Hundred Eighth Congress, second session 45). Legalization of marijuana in the United States will result in a subsequent decrease, in the number of correctional facilities. As a consequence of this reduction in the number of correctional facilities, government savings will be in the tens of millions annually. The issue of congestion in jails would also come under control. This is due to reduced convictions of marijuana-associated crimes hence there will be more bed spaces available. Congestion in the jails resulted to criminal offenders being released early before the termination of their sentences. The reason behind this was to create space for incoming offenders. Hence, legalization of marijuana reduced the number of convictions considerably and helped solve this issue (Bonnie, Richard and Whitebread 45). Legalization of marijuana also led to the redirection of the law enforcement agencies and resources. The courts in the United States were now seen to handle criminal offences with the legalization of marijuana. As a result of the legalization of marijuana, marijuana offences ceased which translated into a reduction in the costs incurred in the law enforcement. Thus, as a result, there were enough funds within the government to enforce the law throughout the United States. The legalization of marijuana means that there would be a decrease in the revenue generated from fines. The current law in the United States dictates that fines should be placed on offences related to marijuana. Due to legalization of marijuana, crimes associated with marijuana will cease to exist and so will the revenue generated from the fines issued to the marijuana offenders. Just as is the case with other legalized drugs such as tobacco and alcohol, regulations have to be implemented to curb the underage usage of marijuana. Thus as a consequence, the government has to set up laws that restrict the use of marijuana by children (Kayla 34). In conclusion, there have been numerous debates on whether to make marijuana legal in the United States or not. If the accrued benefits of marijuana outweigh its shortcomings, only then can marijuana be legalized. Marijuana has also proved beneficial in the field of medicine whereby it has been used to induce appetites in cancer patients. Owing to these facts, marijuana should be legalized in the United States. Marijuana should be legal in the U.S because of the benefits it has on the population of people in the United States especially for its medicinal use. However, this is not to say that Marijuana has certain side effects when used in a society. The population must be educated on the dangers of using marijuana, for other purposes other than medicinal purposes. The use of Marijuana should be legal, however, regulated so that people cannot misuse it. It is essential for people to understand that the use of marijuana is for their own health; thus, the need for proper education. Works Cited Bonnie, Richard J. and Charles H. Whitebread. The marihuana conviction; a history of marihuana prohibition in the United States. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1974. Print. Earleywine, Mitchell. Pot politics: marijuana and the costs of prohibition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. Print. Kayla, Morgan. Legalizing Marijuana. New York: ABDO, 2010. Print. Marijuana and medicine: the need for a science-based approach : hearing before the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources of the Committee on Government Reform, House of Representatives, One Hundred Eighth Congress, second sess. Washington: U.S. G.P.O. 2005. Print. "Medical" marijuana, federal drug law, and the constitution's supremacy clause: hearing before the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources of the Committee on Government Reform, House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventh Cong. Washington: U.S. G.P.O. 2001. Print. Mehling, Randi. Marijuana. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2003. Print. Schlosser, Eric. Reefer madness: sex, drugs, and cheap labor in the American black market. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003. Print. Read More