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MacLeod 1
Jared MacLeod
English 102
Research paper
Marijuana: Why it must be legal
Marijuana, classified as a schedule 1 drug, is far from it and should be seen as a way to
help the economy grow as well as treat certain medical conditions. A schedule 1 drug is a drug
that is not used for medical purposes meaning it is put in the same category as heroin and meth
which are both incredibly more powerful than marijuana. Considering it does have medical
benefits unlike the other two, weed deserves to be taken out of that characterization and put into
one that can be seen as beneficial to society. Marijuana is one of the most commonly used drugs
worldwide today and is way more useful than alcohol. It should be seen as a valuable substance
that can increase economy growth, reduce crime rates, and help build the medical field.
Marijuana has many different names: weed, cannabis, dope, pot, etc. It is one, if not the
most, widely used drug in the United States. Regulation of cannabis would essentially bring in
billions of dollars in income and help crime rates go down. As seen in Colorado which legalized
recreational marijuana in 2012, “violent crime in Denver went down by 2.2% in the first 11
months of 2014, compared with the first 11 months of 2013. In the same period, burglaries in
Denver decreased by 9.5% and overall property crime decreased by 8.9%” (Kamin, 1).
Marijuana is a calming substance that ultimately does not induce violence but in fact it diffuses it
because of its qualities of increasing the moods of people who use it. The DPA article also states,
“…tax revenue from retail marijuana sales amounted to $40.9 million between January 2014 and
October 2014, not including revenue from medical marijuana and licenses and fees” (Kamin, 1).
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This shows how much the economy could benefit from legalization even with medical marijuana
not being counted in that equation. The money could be put into school funds and help educate
children with the best and most up to date resources possible.
Cannabis blows alcohol and tobacco out of the water when it comes to helping the
economy because of the immense demand for it. Because of this increasing demand for it,
criminals are getting more and more illegal revenue while if it was legal the economy would get
all that money which would benefit America instead of hurt it. According to the article “The
economic case for Marijuana legalization in Canada”, “Latter-day policies have created
substantial profits for drug dealers and producers; profits that could, were cannabis to be
legalized, be transferred to the government’s coffers” (Flister, 97). Money is put in the pockets of
criminals and gangs in both North and South America which helps the organized crime stay
afloat and even grow in some ways. This could be stopped by legalizing their biggest import
from South America: Marijuana. It would help deconstruct organized crime for the better of the
community and ultimately help crime rates go down.
On a medical standpoint, marijuana deserves to be used instead of opiates and other
prescription drugs that are incredibly addictive. It is a substance that cannot kill someone if they
take too much like alcohol or any other drug. For that reason alone it should be considered the
best possible option. Not one person has overdosed from marijuana, however millions of people
have overdosed on alcohol and prescription painkillers. According to the book Marijuana by
John Hudak, “Even though the medical community has convincingly shown that marijuana is far
less addicting than alcohol, tobacco, prescription narcotics, or other hard drugs, marijuana
dependence is still a reality for some users” (Hudak, 174). For some people weed is an everyday
part of their life just like alcohol or tobacco is for others. However, marijuana can be seen as
MacLeod 3
something that can improve eating habits while also boosting mood which is way more
beneficial than any other drug. Cannabis has no addictive quality to it compared to painkillers.
By legalizing marijuana people can finally be put on something that they can quit without having
withdrawal or wanting more.
There are many important medicinal functions that cannabis has. It can help people with
cancer by reducing nausea and increasing their appetite so they are able to eat. It can also slow
down cancer cells and even stop them from spreading. Prescription drugs help with the pain of
chemotherapy, but they do not increase appetite, in fact they decrease appetite. They could also
cause people to become increasingly addicted the more they took them which would ultimately
be a detriment to their health and could cause more problems with addiction in their future.
Marijuana can be used to treat other diseases as well such as Glaucoma and Crohn’s disease. It
