Legalizing Marijuana for Recreational Use - Research Paper Example

Legalizing Marijuana for recreational use Desiree Briskman Hodges PHI3601 Leonard Ferenz, Ph.D. November 4, Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................................3 Introduction..............................................................................................................................3 Background..............................................................................................................................4 Existing issues………………………………………………………………………………..4 Marijuana vs. other legal drugs………………………………………………………………8 Summary...................................................................................................................................10 References.................................................................................................................................12 Abstract This paper tries to discuss the ethical issues in the issue of legalizing marijuana and propose the justice of legalizing the drug on a federal level as a controlled drug while taking 2 standpoints the benefits of legalizing the drug is higher than its risks, and also it looks at the consistencies in our current legal policies governing marijuana in relation to more treacherous drugs, such as alcohol. Introduction What are the issues that are currently for and against the legalization of Marijuana? Just because, something is considered illegal does not imply that it is bad also just because something is legal doesn’t mean that it is good. Ethics, unlike law determines what is right from wrong in regards to this issue regardless of the law which may be in existence unlike law which heavily defends a legal position that has already been defined using the oratory skills. This paper proposes the justice of making marijuana legal at a federal level as a controlled substance while taking 2 standpoints where the drugs benefits is more than the associated risks and also since there are inconsistencies with the current legal policies on the issue of marijuana as compared to both legal and illegal drugs that are more dangerous. Specifically, the paper will compare benefits and risks of legalizing marijuana against those of the most common legal recreational drug that are currently being used today. In specific it will look at cigarettes and alcohol. This paper tries to avoid discussing legalization of medical marijuana since research show that12 states already have allowed the use of marijuana in medicinal purposes and today there are over 2000 legal marijuana dispensaries all over the nation. However, the possession and usage of the drug is still illegal under the federal law. Due to the popularity and historical usage of the substance, a new look needs be implemented so that this can be a legal recreational drug together or even to be made to replace alcohol and cigarette smoking. Background Marijuana is a dried blossom of the Cannabis Sativa and Cannabis Indica plants. It is the most regularly used illegal drug and thus is considered as being one of the most popular recreational drug in United States. Over the years there have been a lot of debates over the issue of legalizing the drugs with many individuals coming up with both positive and negative issues. In the 21st century marijuana is illegal in the United States due to concerns over violence, health related issues and crimes that are associated with marijuana. There have been some milestones in the enforcement of marijuana in the United States history. During the 1900s marijuana became so popular among people, the government decided to make it illegal so as to minimize its use except for the pharmaceutical industry (Gimlin, 1967). This is because of the fear that the drug will cause harm to the people and also so as to avoid the drug running out as it is used as medicine, meaning that this drug was being sold as a man made drug. Existing issues for and against legalizing marijuana With the government facing fiscal deficits, some consider alleviating these debts by legalizing drugs like marijuana. A study for the Cato Institute done by Jeffry Miron and Katherine Waldock estimated that legalizing drugs would save an approximate of $41.3 billion annually for the government which are expenditures relating to enforcement of prohibition, tracking down and also punishing those who use marijuana, distributors and cultivators, $15.6 billion accruing from the federal government and $25.7 billion from the state. Apart from this, they estimated that an extra $8.7 billion in revenue would result from legalizing marijuana. This is a potential financial gain from legalizing marijuana. It is also argued that legalizing marijuana would be cost saving. This is due to the fact that legalizing would eliminate arrests due to drug trafficking or for possession of it. This saving can also be in the judicial, prosecutorial or incarceration expenses as there will be a minimal number of cases of drug related prosecutions. The marijuana policy project, a group fighting for the legalizing marijuana argues that currently, the Mexican drug cartel is gaining a lot of power and revenue from selling this drug (Rosenthal, et al, 2003). This is because they have become a monopoly in the market since they do not have competitors. They argue that by keeping the drug illegal, this will give a chance to these dangerous and violent people to earn a lot of money. Legalizing marijuana would also reduce the occurrence of drug wars which normally spills over the border of Mexico since the dealings related to marijuana would be regulated. The processes involved in the making and distribution of the drug would also be regulated and thus reduce the drug dealers’ way of solving issues which mostly is by use of violence. This will also reduce one major problems faced by the country which is the illegal immigration through the Mexican border. By reducing drug wars as a result of legalizing marijuana, there will be a decrease in the United States prison population. The population in these prisons is six to ten times higher as most of the prisons in the western European countries due to drug wars. This free prison space created by this decrease can be used in imprisoning those with serious offences. The United States spends about ten billion dollars annually in dealing with people who have been imprisoned because of dealing with marijuana and its argued that hundreds of billions is used in general in fighting marijuana through the law enforcement agencies. This tax payer money can be used in improving the economy or by improving citizens’ net earnings, for example, increasing teacher’s salary. It is also argued that legalizing the drug would create employment for people. This argument recognizes the disabled who would benefit as they could just grow the drug at home and sell later for distribution. Unemployment rate will also decrease in other sectors as people will be involved in planting, processing and distribution processes. From a philosophical point of view, there is argued that every individual has a right to make their own choice, and by making marijuana illegal, the government is seen as to have limited this right. It is argued that people should be let to exercise their freedom by choosing using marijuana or not using marijuana as long as they do not cause harm to other people. These strict marijuana laws drive people to more dangerous substances that harm them like alcohol. This is because of the easy accessibility of these other drugs and the fact that they have been legalized, unlike marijuana which is illegal. Also, other people argue in terms of comparing marijuana with other legal drugs which are even more harmful. In particular the comparison is made to the use of alcohol and tobacco where both drugs though is legal, have more harmful effects than marijuana both physically and socially There are arguments that since other drugs and substances are legalized, their sale and accessibility is controlled meaning that people of under age are less likely to get hold of them. However, they get marijuana easily through illegal means which has made the drug a stepping stone to most teenagers to begin with. In the industrial sector, it is argued that legalizing the drug will in turn raise the production of hemp which is used in the manufacture of fiber, fuel, food and paper. This is because the production of hemp has been affected by the illegalization of marijuana as they are seen as to be related and thus making hemp sort of illegal ever since the Marijuana Tax Act, 1937 as it is considered to be marijuana. However, hemp also has many environmental advantages compared to other natural resources as its cellulose can be used as fuel which would be of great help to the economy. It is also argued that there is a link between criminal drug smuggling and terrorism as it is believed that this is where some terrorists get their funding. By regulating the production and distribution of marijuana by the government as a result of legalizing the drug, the government will have the advantage of reducing terrorist funding which will decrease their threat to the country and the world in general. However, there are arguments against legalizing marijuana in that this will increase the rate of crime which makes this a danger to public. This crime rate is argued to be due to, for example, theft to buy marijuana. This far offsets the potential economic gain. Many anti-legalization advocates also argue that the use of the drug by young people mostly has a risk of encouraging them to try and experiment on harder drugs like cocaine. In this argument, it is argued that even though legalizing the drug will mean that the government will be able to regulate the production and sale of the drug, the drug cartels will loose a lot of money which they are currently making also because of an increase in competition. For these reasons, they will opt to sell to any one willing to buy making this easily accessible to young people to buy (Caulkins, 2012). Some marijuana growers are opposed with the legalization of the drug due to the fear of a decrease in the quality of the drug and an increase in the competition as many people will run into the business. There was also opposition by the California Chambers of Commerce that argue that legalizing the drug would intoxicate workers who will be unable to perform at work (Gerber, 2004). From the ethical stand, it is argued that in is morally wrong to use marijuana; however this depends on an individual as what is morally wrong to one person can be okay to the other individual. From the arguments, it can be seen that the arguments for legalizing marijuana far outweighs its associated risks for using the drug because of its many gains. Marijuana vs. other legal drugs There are also inconsistencies in the current legal policies with marijuana in relation to illegal drugs which are more dangerous and those that are legal and accepted and are also available to everyone. This can be seen where marijuana can not impair an individual’s ability to drive as much as alcohol which has been legalized. When comparing marijuana with other legal drugs in the market, for this purpose we will look at the most popular drug in the market which is alcohol. As compared to alcohol, many people die from the use of alcohol, but nobody dies from the use of marijuana. In is reported by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that more that an annual of 37,000 deaths in the United States are caused by alcohol but on the other hand, the CDC does not report nor have a category of deaths which are as a result of the use of marijuana. According to research by the Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) hundreds of deaths due to alcohol overdose occurs in the united states each year, it is among the most toxic drugs according to publication by the Scientific Research Society which when using for just ten times to get the desired effect would lead to death. However, marijuana is considered as one of the least toxic drugs which need to be used thousands of times theoretically to lead to death which rarely happens. As compared to marijuana, alcohol is more addictive as per the research done. This can be seen where people using alcohol have a more likely possibility to be dependent. On top of this, alcohol results to that feeling of withdrawal which can be fatal. As compared to marijuana, alcohol increases the risk of injury to the user. This can be evidenced by the fact that there is a high rate of assaults, increase in deliberate self harm, violence and domestic accidents which is caused by alcohol that contributes to aggressive and violent behaviors. Alcohol is associated with domestic abuses and even sexual assault which is not the case when using marijuana. It majorly contributes to factors that lead to sexual assaults and domestic violence. A research done by the research institute on addictions show that alcohol is associated with male-to-female physical aggression on a daily basis which is not the case when using marijuana. When comparing marijuana to tobacco, more than 40,000 people die because of tobacco smoking and is the second major cause of death worldwide, but on the other hand marijuana is non toxic since its naturally made and also it cannot cause death due to overdose. According to the Lancet, a European medical journal, smoking marijuana even in the long term is not dangerous to the health of an individual. This supports the idea that marijuana is far less harmful than tobacco and alcohol. Most individuals who use marijuana don’t get clinically dependent due to occasional visits to the hospital as a result of its use. On the other hand, those who use alcohol, go to the hospital very often from illnesses relating to withdrawals to illnesses due to the effects of alcohol to the liver. As for the use of tobacco, people get clinically dependent due to illnesses like effects of tobacco to the lungs. Statistics by the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) indicate that in most cases, alcohol is the most used substance during sexual assault crimes as one can easily loose control of oneself when ingested. In comparison to marijuana, people get more addicted to tobacco due to the nicotine ingredient in it which is highly addictive. Summery In summery even with the illegalization of marijuana under the federal law, a new look should be taken so as to legalize the use of the drug as a recreational drug as it is less harmful than other legal drugs like alcohol and tobacco. Also, the gains for the government and the economy for legalizing the drug far outweigh the risks of using the drug. This is seen in the savings that the government will get and also revenues that it will gain in terms of taxes. This paper avoided discussing legalization of medical marijuana, since 12 states already have allowed the drug use for medicinal purposes, and currently there are over 2000 legal marijuana dispensaries across the nation. References Gerber, R. J. (2004): Legalizing marijuana: Drug policy reform and prohibition politics. Westport, Conn: Praeger. Ruschmann, P. (2011): Legalizing marijuana. New York: Chelsea House. Caulkins, J. P. (2012). Marijuana legalization: What everyone needs to know. New York. Oxford University Press. Rosenthal, E, Kubby, S & Newhart, S. (2003). Why marijuana should be legal. Philadelphia: Running Press. Gimlin, J. S. (1967): Legalization of marijuana. Washington. Morgan, K. (2011): Legalizing marijuana. Edina, MN: ABDO Pub Co. Read More