Essay on The Evils of Decriminalizing Marijuana
Federal Law in the United States restricts the possession, consumption, or sale of marijuana. Some states have allowed the sale of marijuana in small consumable quantities to individuals, and have authorized the cultivation, stocking, and selling of medical and non-medical marijuana legally.
In America, marijuana is a substance that is used more frequently than other drugs or substances. The policy for declaring marijuana illegal is because it is the root of a lot of social problems. These problems include mental health issues and lung and heart problems. Scientists at the “National Institute of Drug Abuse” report that marijuana is very addictive.
Since the end of the prohibition era, there has been a heated discussion over decriminalizing marijuana. Although Congress has its justifications for opposing the legalization of marijuana, they are likely holding to its own convictions and refusing to consider the facts in this contentious matter.
Marijuana should be legalized because doing so would save money, preventing its use would not solve the issue of excessive use, and individuals should have the freedom to do so.
History of Marijuana
Purchasing, dispensing, consuming, and having marijuana were all prohibited forty years ago. Later, a number of municipal and state governments started to enact a spectrum of more permissive laws toward marijuana usage. Large-scale production for profit was largely prohibited everywhere thirty years ago.
Yet even that started to alter. Many states established “medical marijuana” programs in the 1990s. Although it was only declared lawful to consume marijuana for medicinal reasons, the rules were frequently so lax that virtually anybody could obtain a doctor’s “prescription” allowing them to acquire marijuana.
Decriminalizing Marijuana
The users of marijuana are usually lethargic and seem to lack any motivation to lead a better life or even a normal life like other people.
The frequent use of marijuana results in a lot of people being absent from work or school as a result of which the life of users deteriorates to the extent that they become very careless in their daily lives. This carelessness is the cause of work-related accidents and decreased output in their jobs.
Because of their carelessness, marijuana users end up losing their jobs and have difficulty maintaining friendships and social contacts. Studies have also revealed that marijuana users drop out of school more frequently than non-users.
Everyone should have the freedom to choose whether or not to consume marijuana. From a philosophical perspective, people should have the freedom to decide for themselves. Only when an individual’s activities put someone else in danger does the government have the power to restrict those options.
As people who want to consume marijuana do so of their own free will, this rule does not apply to them. If a person’s behaviors constitute a serious threat to them, the government may also have the power to restrict those acts.
Yet, since marijuana is much less hazardous than several narcotics that are legal, including alcohol and cigarettes, this argument does not hold true for marijuana. Research in the Clinical EEG journal found that alcohol has a far greater impact on brain growth than does marijuana.
The research exposed two groups of teenagers to alcohol and marijuana, giving each group a distinct course of action. Compared to kids who were exposed to alcohol, teens who used marijuana had much fewer brain abnormalities.
Policy
The policy for the use or possession was formulated on many misconceptions because, in its pure form, marijuana is one of the safest therapeutic substances available.
In the 20th century when the use of marijuana spread, it was immediately condemned by the medical profession, by the police, and by the media and legislative bodies who thought that the drug was a social evil and a threat to society.
They assumed that it was dangerous for health and also that it was a threat to law and order. This created a deep sense of fear among the general public and in 1905, marijuana was declared to be a prohibited substance along with alcohol and tobacco
The general assumption by these bodies was that anyone who uses marijuana in any way is evil, and if someone was apprehended on the basis of suspicion of involvement in some criminal activity, and if marijuana was found upon his person, then he was assumed to be guilty of the deed because the concept was that anyone who used marijuana must have criminal tendencies.
Besides, it was assumed that the person must be useless and probably criminally insane. This paranoia against the drug actually began in the 1800s with the regulation of the pharmaceutical industry.
The main targets were those who sold addictive potions under different names which resulted in non-medical cannabis being called “poison.
Marijuana Usage
Marijuana usage is not a recent phenomenon; the first evidence of its use is from 4,000 BC. Marijuana was first written as “marihuana,” but it is also referred to by a broad range of street names, including weed, pot, Mary Jane, and ganja.
Marijuana is a drug derived from the cannabis plant that is typically smoked or consumed for its psychoactive effects that change perception and mood.
Strangely, although being a part of many civilizations for millennia, marijuana usage is currently a “first-page” news story in the United States because of its multiple elements, including its status as a health issue, a regulated and taxed industry and a potential candidate for decriminalization.
The argument over marijuana usage transcends political boundaries and a wide range of demographics. Many contend that the fact that it is made out of the dried buds and leaves of the Cannabis plant makes it acceptable for legal use.
Yet, because marijuana includes the psychotropic ingredient delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, often known as THC, several variables must be taken into account and examined before legalization can take place (National Institute on Drug Abuse).
Dangers of Marijuana
Imagine living in a society where many people smoke marijuana mindlessly and freely despite its negative effects, where teenagers smoke it constantly to look “cool,” and before they know it, they have developed an addiction to it, where the number of car accidents rises quickly as a result of marijuana-impaired driving, etc.
They will all be a part of this chaotic civilization. The question of whether marijuana should be legalized has generated a lot of discussions.
Opponents contend that marijuana ought to be treated like medication, that young marijuana usage is on the decline, and that legalizing marijuana will lessen drug-related violence.
Marijuana should still be illegal, though, as it not only has a number of negative effects on the body and mind but also serves as a gateway drug for the use of more dangerous substances and lowers academic performance. Additionally, the legalization of medical marijuana in many states undermines federal law.
The truth is that frequent cannabis use puts students at significantly increased risk for mental health problems, addiction, and reduced academic motivation and success, results that are in conflict with the purpose of higher education.
In fact, such behavior may have a negative effect on a person’s personal satisfaction and productivity for years beyond college.
Cannabis usage on a regular basis has the potential to negatively affect students’ personal happiness and productivity throughout college and for years to come, despite the legality of recreational marijuana spreading.
The truth is that frequent cannabis use puts students at significantly increased risk for mental health problems, addiction, and reduced academic motivation and success, results that are in conflict with the purpose of higher education.
In fact, such behavior may have a negative effect on a person’s personal satisfaction and productivity for years beyond college.
Cannabis usage on a regular basis has the potential to negatively affect students’ personal happiness and productivity throughout college and for years to come, despite the legality of recreational marijuana spreading.
Cannabis’s potential for addiction is a topic that is rarely mentioned yet is all too real for those who suffer from it. Regular cannabis use carries a genuine and unappreciated risk of developing cannabis use disorder (CUD), a clinical diagnosis made when usage leads to dysfunction in one or more areas of life, such as employment, school, or interpersonal relationships.
In-person interviews with more than 1,200 first-year college students were used in a 2008 research, which found that CUD was prevalent in 9.7% of first-year students overall and in 24.5 percent of those who reported using any substance in the year prior.
Years are required for CUD recovery, including a generally long period of time when usage is negatively affecting a person’s function and quality of life but is not yet acknowledged.
Conclusion
Marijuana use ought to be legalized in the US. This is due to the fact that it would boost our economy, assist our country’s young, and safeguard citizens’ fundamental rights.
“Herb is the mending of a country, booze is the destruction,” once stated Bob Marley. Marley makes a valid argument, despite not being a typical source of inspiration.
