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Denise Mannoia
English Comp II
Professor Turner
April 16, 2017
Should Marijuana Be Legalized?
In most US states marijuana is illegal and a very controversial subject in the news today.
In the past few years, some of the states have passed laws to allow people to have small
quantities of marijuana on them and also us marijuana for medicinal purposes. There are two
sides to the legalization of marijuana. One side is that the use of marijuana is a social drug,
similar to alcohol hence why it should be legalized along with being used for medicinal
purposes. The other side is that marijuana is a health danger and that the usage would
increase. However, there are many documents that show the value to new laws being
implemented to outweigh the negativity that the drug receives. Currently, the opinion of the
legalization of marijuana, as documented in the Colorado Amendment 64, clarifies that the
“purpose of the legalization of marijuana is to regulate the use with an imposition of proper
taxation over the drug.” Others believe that with the legalization of medicinal marijuana it will
lead to harder drugs or all drugs being more readily available.
The debate concerning the legalization of marijuana has been on going for many years.
Many tests have been performed with marijuana and they have proven that it has a positive
impact on the people who use it for medicinal purposes. In our current society, the use of
marijuana has increased among adults and teens. Whether its intake is for socializing or medical
reasons, it has had a great impact on humanity. The supporters of its legalization have certain
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arguments that they make as they purport to make it legal. Among the many supporters,
including doctors, the drug is considered as non-harmful compared to the already legalized
alcohol and tobacco, if its use remains moderate. Abuse of any bad substance is harmful and a
serious problem. Would you want the government telling you how much you can eat and
drink? In the article “Should Marijuana be legalized under any Circumstances,” the author, Joe
Messerli makes a claim that “the studies of the harmfulness of marijuana are inconclusive and
contradictory” (1). He further states, “most doctors would agree that it’s not harmful if used in
moderation” (1). He confirms that excessive use of marijuana results to its abuse and it’s from
that point when the side effects start manifesting. However, when compared with alcohol and
tobacco, marijuana is less addictive.
Marijuana is a drug that is made from the plant named Cannabis sativa. It contains
mind-altering chemicals with the attribute of addiction if used regularly. Marijuana remains a
preferred substance of use amongst the drug list. Even though it was not legal, the increase in
the use of substances can be witnessed with the study of facts and findings. Therefore,
permitting the use of marijuana for recreational purposes will allow the product to be sold in
the market legally which will enable the government to control transactions and make the state
money. A few of the primary reasons to legalize marijuana include the impact on the economy
and the regulation of taxes, decriminalization for recreational usage, and the use for medical
treatments.
The most important factor to the State is the impact on the economical growth due to
taxation with the revenue generation from the sale of marijuana. Numerous scholars and
authors such as Jon Gettman who discussed the implications of the legalization of marijuana in
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his book “Let It Grow – The Open Market Solution to Marijuana Control” have supported the
idea that legalization is the solution for elimination of the illegal market of marijuana. Also,
Justin Butler claimed “the current state of the economy, new tax revenue (along with law
enforcement savings from not prosecuting marijuana offenders) may provide one of the
strongest impetuses for more conservative policy makers to take public, pro–reform, stances”
(25). Massive amounts of money are raised through government taxation on alcohol and
cigarettes. Why wouldn’t states capitalize on the sale of marijuana? People are not going to
quit using marijuana. Hence, legalizing the substance with the considerable amount of taxation
can create a barrier and become a model of control on its own.
Scholars like Derek Burke appear to support the legalization of marijuana because of the
potential tax profit from it. Also, everyone understands that money is necessary. In the case
where marijuana is legal, this aspect shows sense. In a state like Colorado, regulations have
existed as well as legalizing marijuana for recreational purpose. From Justin Butler’s point of
view, “there has been a success in the tax base as well as an increase in revenue under
collection every month. This issue has encouraged the projection of public schools among other
important infrastructures.”
Thus, it can be stated that currently, the use of marijuana is only inflicting adverse effect
under an illegal transaction that does not earn the government any money; it leaves no space
for monitoring and control and beyond all is still being used by minors at a rapid rate. The Drug
Policy Alliance (DPA) has studied the same factors and summed up that “marijuana should be
removed from the criminal justice system and regulated like alcohol and tobacco. Legalizing
and regulating marijuana will bring one of the nation’s largest cash crops under the rule of law.
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This will create jobs and economic opportunities in the formal economy instead of the illicit
market” (DPA). Therefore the control and monitoring aspect, along with the economical aspect,
makes the legalization of marijuana in favor of country and state.
“The point has been considered for long”, as stated in the investigation carried by Caputo,
which conclude that “the government would regulate the marijuana so they could tax it and
regulate the quality of it to make sure it is as safe as possible for users.” “In 1991, it was
estimated that the government could have profited between 2.99 and 9.09 billion dollars if they
would have legalized, and taxed marijuana” (Merino). According to Jon Walker, “the various
legal process for the possible legalization of marijuana, and information about the other ways
that could allow the government to tax it and earn profit abiding by the controls for better
