Policies on Marijuana

 The use of marijuana has been a controversial topic for quite some time now. Some argue that it is a damaging gateway drug while others protest that it has health benefits for many different physical and mental issues and should be used medically. Some states have banned it while others have legalized it. As of 2020, Illinois has legalized the recreational use of cannabis with some limitations, including: it must be from a licensed dispensary, you must be 21 or older, and there are limits of how many grams you are able to possess at one time. In some states you are required to carry a medical card prescribed from a doctor to purchase from a dispensary. The doctor must be given a specific health condition to prescribe you a medical card. 

Some issues known to be treated by marijuana include chronic pain, nausea associated with chemotherapy, epilepsy, Tourette’s syndrome, loss of appetite or weight loss, and psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression. The consumption of marijuana has been associated with many positive and negative outcomes. Positives include improved sleep, mental health, and appetite. However, the disadvantages include the possibilities of addiction, lung and brain damage, impaired perception of memory and reality, irritability, and more. 

Cannabis is often a controversial topic and there are many different policies over the world around its consumption. From its legalization in some states we have found some positive outcomes. The sales directly impacts our economy as we can see throughout the years with it  becoming less stigmatized that more and more people are purchasing the drug. Legalizing the drug can provide many benefits alongside that fact. With individuals purchasing directly from dispensaries it has become a safer way for people to purchase the drug with no risk of dangerous and life altering effects that are possible when purchasing from untrustworthy sellers. With it being legalized crimes of greater magnitude would be brought into clearer focus. This also means incarceration rates would change, ensuring less prisoners from charges of possession. 

My personal opinion is that it should be legalized as people should be expected to utilize their free will and make the decisions they believe are in their best interest with no harm to others. It seems to provide many benefits for our society both economically and structurally. It is known for its medical benefits as well as its cons and with proper information I believe individuals should be able to identify their own risk versus reward and how they wish to proceed.

Controversies around marijuana use go back to the mid-19th century, and there were attempts to restrict marijuana sales to medicinal uses in several state legislatures in the 1880s and 1890s. Federal laws restricting marijuana were enacted in the 1930s, and in 1970 the federal government decided to define marijuana as an illegal substance.  I suspect that the motivating theory to make marijuana illegal had more to do with political oppression of government critics than concerns about the health and well-being of citizens, but the rhetoric that was used was all about controlling dangerous drugs and so forth.  I remember when MDMA was made illegal (when I was a high school student) and there was a similar cry about how dangerous ecstasy could be, possibly causing deaths from overdoses or the onset of Parkinson’s Disease, or deaths from allergic reactions. These claims were based on flimsy evidence, and MDMA was useful in therapeutic settings when used under the direction of a professional, but that didn’t seem to count for anything. 

The arguments that seem especially persuasive to me involve the deprivation of income to unsavory drug cartels that might have grown and trafficked marijuana before it was legalized, and the benefits to our justice system and reductions in costs for incarcerating people involved in the trade or use of marijuana. These arguments are pragmatic (let legitimate farmers and businesses conduct the trade in the open where they can be regulated and taxed rather than encouraging illicit businesses) and ethical (the government should not create victimless crimes and deprive people of liberty or freedom unless there is a compelling benefit to the public by doing so).  So long as the benefits and harms seem to balance out, these other two points seem to make marijuana legalization the wiser choice.

The harms tend to get downplayed. Marijuana can be very bad for persons with bipolar disorder.  Heavy marijuana use is associated with some antisocial behavior. But, there are several benefits for some people, which you have accurately listed. Alcohol seems like a substance that is no safer than marijuana, and it seems to me that our experiment with banning alcohol consumption in the 1920s was a disaster we won’t repeat. However, voters in states such as North Dakota, South Dakota, and Arkansas rejected legalizing recreational marijuana use, and marijuana is completely illegal in Texas, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kentucky, and Georgia, even for medical use. Federal legalization of marijuana would be popular, but despite advocacy for a change in federal laws, Republican and Democratic presidents and congresses have not moved bill to legalize marijuana.