Stay Away MarijuanaJoin now to read essay Stay Away MarijuanaShould marijuana be sold at corner stores to anyone over 16? Recently, some of CanadaЎЇs politicians have claimed to introduce the legislation of legalizing marijuana. According to the policy, the possession of marijuana will not be considered as a criminal sanction. Indeed, marijuana will become a legal substance. People who are over 16 can buy it over the counter just as alcohol or tobacco. Although legalizing marijuana may be beneficial to those people with medical purposes, it will create more problems and dangers to the society. The problems that associated with legalizing marijuana are causing negative impacts on public health and increasing marijuana consumption among youths. Also, the misuse of marijuana may cause people to drive under the influence of the drug, and hence, more accidents may occur, causing more expenses on public health care. Clearly, the downsides of legalizing marijuana outweigh its benefits.
Marijuana is a drug that is harmful to a personЎЇs health. It has been found to have adverse impacts on oneЎЇs mental processes such as memory, attention, judgement, and problem- solving (Butcher, Mineka, Hooley, 2004, p.415). Also, marijuana can interfere with a personЎЇs ability to think rationally and logically. Thus, the lapse in judgement caused by the drug use can lead to risky sexual behaviours and this may result in increasing sexually transmitted disease such as AIDS. Moreover, the long-term use of marijuana may cause chronic breathing problems and cancer to the lungs, as well as, other parts of the respiratory tracts. The immune systems may also be affected and the body may have a more likelihood of contracting infections. Additionally, chronic users might neglect their personal hygiene and nutrition, which can lead to serious health problems. Hence, the use of marijuana will not only contribute to adverse impacts on an individualЎЇs health, but also threaten the health of society.
In addition to increase public health problems, legalizing marijuana will lead to increase use of the drug among youngsters. Despite the regulatory approaches, legalizing marijuana has the inevitable effect of increasing the availability and consumption of the drug. Under the current prohibitions, the rate of consumption of marijuana among teenagers is already high; however, the rate of use would greatly increase if the drug was legitimately available to the population. For instance, despite the prohibitions against distribution of alcohol to teenagers, many youngsters who are under the legal age drink alcohol today. Similarly, high percentages of the young population are currently smokers even though the law prohibit them from buying cigarettes. Therefore, it is expected that the usage of marijuana among teenagers would increase if marijuana was legalized. Notably, the marijuana use will impair the development process of teenagers, which will negatively affect their health in later life. Thus, the increased use of marijuana among teenagers is a great concern. It will contribute to great dangers on the health of the youths.
Like alcohol, marijuana use will affect a personЎЇs driving skills and decrease the ability to drive safely on the roads. Several medical studies have demonstrated that marijuana can impair motor coordination, alertness, ability to concentrate, and ability to react quickly (Butcher et al., 2004, p.416). Impairing these functions create a dangerous situation for anyone who is driving. As we know, drunk driving is a major problem in our society despite all the stiff penalties. A lot of alcohol users drink irresponsibly which put themselves and others at risk. Similar pattern could also emerge among marijuana users. This problem would be accentuated if marijuana were more widely consumed, especially if the availability
marijuana was regulated.
The most obvious and likely way for the government to regulate marijuana is through lawmaking. However, the current state of the art is not doing its job on these issues. One recent project, funded at least as a result of an agreement between the U.S. Justice Department and the American Chemical Society, would require the federal government to create a framework for determining where to focus marijuana prohibition attention in government.
It also could lead to lawless states like Colorado or New Hampshire — where marijuana is legal and where enforcement takes many forms — looking for ways to curb the abuse of cannabis.
Marijuana would also improve safety and security for thousands of drivers and pedestrians. In fact, it could even decrease traffic fatalities.
If a marijuana-consumption ban is implemented, it is likely to adversely affect driving safety. At the same time, it could discourage people from driving safely. The potential for a “foul play” from drunk drivers, especially in traffic in the form of speeding, could also be eliminated by making driving safer.
It would also require an increasing number of federal states to enact regulations that will regulate marijuana in such a way. Federal legislation of this kind is quite difficult to obtain since it would be almost impossible to legalize cannabis under most circumstances. But because the marijuana is currently regulated in various states, it is possible that some marijuana-cannabis legislation can be passed through the Federal level.
If Congress can agree upon a new standard regulating marijuana then the law as passed could be considered a legitimate regulation of marijuana.
The legalization of marijuana in the United States would also increase the government’s ability to collect and disseminate evidence regarding marijuana use.
While we support the proposal made by the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Traffic Safety, we are concerned that it would mean that marijuana users would face greater risks for driving. Many young people are currently unaware that they are on a federally regulated road. They could be distracted and therefore impaired. A “high-risk pedestrian” could also be impaired by driving while consuming marijuana on a federally regulated road or another federally regulated road as outlined in the US Supreme Court decision on the subject.
Some states, like California and New Mexico, allow marijuana to be sold on the state’s roads. We are concerned that those states are providing legal marijuana on their land and permitting the sales in public areas. The United States Congress can make it legal to grow marijuana up in public, but the potential dangers of this illegal activity are beyond the reach of federal regulations.
Congress could also enact an amendment to the Controlled Substances Act to clarify the prohibition of certain substances. Although some states have laws allowing them—such as Florida—we would have little power to override that. The Controlled Substances Act defines them as a Schedule I controlled substance (which would make it less of a