Essay About Medical Use Of Marijuana And Recreational Use

The Recreational Use And/or Medical Use of Marijuana in Usa
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States including: Washington, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and
Illinois have passed laws allowing the recreational use and/or medical use of marijuana.
The legalization within these states with new information gathered from studies on the
drug’s medical benefits have caused uproar over whether the substance should be
decriminalized nationwide. Additionally, the growing number of prisoners incarcerated
because marijuana offenses, and other factors contribute to this controversy. According
to NORML, nearly fourteen million people within the United States use marijuana
regularly. Subsequently, the popularity of marijuana use throughout the United States
will come with varying views on whether it should or should not be decriminalized. The
focus for the decriminalization of the substance lies on the negative effects the
prohibition has caused throughout America, and the lack of strong evidence to justify its
prohibition.
Prohibition has led to the incarceration of individuals nationwide leading to
overcrowded prisons, which negatively affects the states. This overcrowding leads to
the conditions of the prison being porris and an increase in funds being needed to be
spent on these prisoners. However, the funds lie outside of the prisons. There are funds
needed to be used to crack down on the drug. According to Jeffrey Miron and Katherine
Waldock, “legalizing drugs would save roughly $41.3 billion per year in government
expenditure on enforcement of prohibition. Of these savings, $25.7 billion would accrue
to state and local governments, while $15.6 billion would accrue to the federal
government.” (1). Miron and Waldock go on to say, “Approximately $8.7 billion of the
savings would result from legalization of marijuana.” (1). $8.7 billion spent that could be
used to account for the $18 trillion in debt the United States has nationally.
To continue, the context of how marijuana became illegal originally is a argument
in favor of the decriminalization of the drug.
The other side focuses on the effects frequent marijuana use comes with. These
effects range from the argument for it being a gateway drug to substances like cocaine,
it leading to health problems, and addiction.
Historical context
After the Mexican Revolution during the early 1900s, Mexicans immigrated into
the United States. The drug marijuana was brought along with them to the states, and
although these immigrants provided farm assistance, marijuana spread became a
growing fear amongst these states. This was the start of marijuana being used for
recreational use within the nation. Soon, African American and poor White adolescents
began utilizing the drug. By the mid 1900s during the Great Depression Americans
began considering marijuana a gateway drug. However, the drug was not associated
with the exploration of different drugs, but it was associated with crime within the states,
specifically by minority groups and the Mexican immigrants. As a result, the criminalize
of marijuana occurred throughout several states in order to have a reason present to
deport these immigrants back to Mexico even though they were once welcomed into the
communities. This criminalization of the substance lead the The Marihuana Tax Act of
1937. This act was the response from the government because of the fear marijuana
would spread throughout the states.
Solution
Marijuana should be decriminalized nationwide for medical use and recreational
use. According to Dr. Andrew Weil, “The active compounds in marijuana—can relieve
pain, nausea, and other debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis and cancer and the
drugs used to treat them.” (127). There are ongoing and recent studies that have proven
marijuana has medical benefits. As stated it relieves pains, something other pain
medications fail to do for particular patients. In addition, the drug kills cancer cells, a
disease that is currently without a cure. The benefits of the medical use of the drug
outweigh everything. Richard J. Bonnie and Charles H. Whitebread state, “It produces
first, an exaltation with a more or less feeling of well being; a happy jovial mood, usually
an increased feeling of physical strength and power; a general euphoria and variable
aphrodisiac is experienced.” (128). Bonnie and Whitebread go on to say, “This
exaltation is a stimulation of the imagination followed by a more or less delirious state
characterized by vivid kaleidoscopic visions, sometimes of a pleasing sensual kind, but
occasionally of a gruesome nature.” (128). In addition, Bonnie and Whitebread go on to
explain the use of marijuana weakness is associated with fatigue, drowsiness and
sleepiness. The effects of the use of marijuana provides side effects that are reliable
with little consequence, which benefit