...Pros and Cons of Legalizing Drugs In a study for the Cato Institute, Jeffrey A. Miron, senior lecturer on economics at Harvard University and a senior fellow at Cato, and Katherine Waldock, professor of economics at New York University, estimate that legalizing drugs would save the government approximately $41.3 billion annually on expenditures related to the enforcement of prohibition. Legalization would reduce state and federal deficits by eliminating expenditure on prohibition enforcement, arrests, prosecutions, and incarceration and by allowing governments to collect tax revenue on legalized sales. Many people are concerned that the legalizing of soft drugs such as marijuana would lead to the legalizing of other harder drugs such as cocaine, heroin, or even crack. Stoned driving and other dangers would be increased. Marijuana use isn't truly a "victimless crime" when you consider all the crimes that may be committed when the user is under the influence of the drug. Drunk driving is still a major problem in our society despite all the education and stiff penalties. "Driving high" would be even harder to detect. Unless the user has been smoking in the car, there isn't as distinctive of a smell as there is with alcohol. Also, there's always the possibility that the lapse in judgment caused by drug use will lead to harder crimes like rape or robbery. Legalization would increase the chances of the drug falling into the hands of kids. Even unhealthy legal items such as cigarettes...
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...Running head: LEGALIZING MARIJUANA 1 Legalizing marijuana and why Americans oppose and support idea Melvin S. Walls SS3150 8/19/15 ITT Technical Institute LEGALIZING MARIJUNA 2 Legalizing marijuana and why Americans oppose and support idea In my beginning research into this delicate and controversial topic I found out that Americans and our government are undecided about legalizing marijuana. Some people oppose the idea, while the rest approve the idea of legalization. I think we as a people need to stop, look, and listen and do what is best for our country, our states, and the people that reside within. There are many pros and many cons to making marijuana legal. Here are some breakdowns on both sides of this topic. One of the most important popular topics is the use of medical marijuana to treat patients for various medical conditions. There are over 7 uses for medical marijuana and that number can dramatically increase if marijuana is to become legalize, so that more medical research and studies can continue. Some uses...
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...Legalizing Marijuana: The ethical issue and problem Dorcas Rivera SOC 120 Introduction to Ethics & Social Responsibility Instructor: Robert Gala September 23, 2013 Legalizing Marijuana: The ethical issue and problem Marijuana is the most commonly abused drug. Therefore, legalizing marijuana, not only now, but for many years, has been the topic on rather or not it should be legalized. Even though marijuana has been legalized for medical use in 18 U.S. states, this has caused big controversy in our country and the ethical issue and problems it presents. In this article I will explain; what is marijuana, the risk of marijuana use, the effects of marijuana (in the brain and body), and the pros and cons of legalizing it. I will also explain how one of the classical theories, utilitarianism, would resolve the problem. On the other hand, I will contrast the response with the perspective brought to the issue by, ethical egoism. Lastly, will ended off choosing which of the two are closer to my view. Marijuana is a green, brown, or gray mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the hemp plant. You may hear marijuana called by street names such as pot, herb, weed, grass, boom, Mary Jane, gangster, or chronic. All forms of marijuana are mind-altering. In other words, they change how the brain works. They all contain THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the main active chemical in marijuana. They also contain more than 400 other chemicals. Marijuana's...
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...Running Head:Legalizing Marijuana Bradford 1 Legalizing Marijuana Ira Bradford Soc120: Introduction to Ethics & Social Responsibility Marnie Carroll July 11, 2012 RunningHead: Legalizing Marijuana Bradford 2 Legalizing Marijuana I really don’t see nothing wrong with marijuana. They are some pros and cons on legalizing marijuana in this world. I will get to that later on this paper. I feel like for you to talk about this type of situation you have to go through it. I first smoke marijuana when I was twenty-six or twenty-seven. But I started drinking when I was fifteen or sixteen. I tried smoking cigarettes but my body didn’t agree with that. I even tried cocaine two or three times in my life time. I definitely didn’t like that. I even tried ectasy for a while until I find out what it do to the brain cells. Out of all these drugs ectasy is the most deadliest drug that kill the most brain cell. They put all kinds of stuff in that pill, which is very scary. Out of all those that I tried, the only thing that I agree with is marijuana. Yes, I did started drinking before I did any of these things. But who didn’t, alcohol is the gateway drug. I don’t even like taking pills for headaches or colds, when my body aches. The only pills I take is for my high blood pressure. When I smoke I feel so relax and for some reason I can feel everybody vibe. It sounds weird but I do. It lets me know on what I need to do and things...
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...Legalizing marijuana has been one of the most debated topics for a long time now. Across with any other topic, there are pros and cons to the situation. The Presidential election wasn't the only vote in 2016; several states also voted on the fate of marijuana laws. Walking in Colorado and Washington shoes, California, Nevada, Massachusetts and Maine have decided to make marijuana consumption legal for recreational purposes. On the other hand, Florida, Arkansas and North Dakota voted to allow medical marijuana, and Arizona defeated that move. When talking about the legalizing marijuana, more people are talking about it for recreational purposes. Legalizing Marijuana “More than half of US adults, over 128 million people, have tried marijuana,...
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...Legalizing Marijuana Marijuana is one of the most common “soft drugs” used in the United States. It is usually smoked but it can be cooked and eaten. 32% of high school seniors and 11% of eighth graders have admitted to using marijuana. Some of the “pros” for legalizing marijuana are: It can be a good source of additional tax revenue since an enormous amount of money is raised through government taxation of cigarettes and alcohol, so marijuana would create another item that can be taxed. Police and the courts would be freed up for more serious crimes such as terrorism, harder drugs, rape, murder, and so on. In addition, an already overloaded civil court docket would be improved; thus, the wait time for other cases would be reduced and the cost for public defenders, prosecutors, judges, juries, and court reporters would go down and there would be more room in prisons for more violent or harder crime defendants and there would be less of a chance of them getting out early due to overpopulation in the prisons. Drug dealers would lose most, if not all, of their business because legalization would lower prices and open up for competition; thus, drug cartels (which could include terrorists) would lose all or some of their customers. Legalizing marijuana would create proper means to settle disputes in purchasing marijuana. You can contact your lawyer or the police if a purchase goes wrong instead of dealers and buyers taking it into their own hands if...
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...As people agree with legalizing marijuana in the United States. Many people strongly believe that marijuana should not be legalized due to many reasons. During the Mexican revolution, Mexican immigrants brought with them their culture and some of their customs. One of the top customs was marijuana which the scientific name for the plant is cannabis; however, years pass by and some states legalized marijuana in America. Two of the first states that legalized it was California and Colorado; however, California only legalized medical marijuana while on the other hand Colorado legalized it to the public. Firstly, marijuana first originated in Central Asia in 1900’s right after the Mexican revolutions. Secondly, in 1937 the United States came up...
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...Juan T. Alborta 1401LOGIC321335A-class Heather Wilburn 10 September 2013 Pros and Cons of Legalization of Marijuana Marijuana has been debated for decades all over the world, and it still unsure what is the best option for the people, either make it legal or keep it illegal like in almost all the countries. But here I am going to explain and show you some facts of each side of the coin. For the pro side there are many aspects that show how legalizing the marijuana can bring more benefits than keep it illegal; for example, there is evidence that show how marijuana helps some illness which means is good for medical use, there is also a fact that combating the Marijuana the governments spend tons of money, and also comparing the effects and causes of marijuana to the effects and causes of alcohol and tobacco makes thoughts easier to see legalization of marijuana makes the things better; On the other hand, looking to the other side of the coin, we got this drug which causes bad things in our bodies, it has immediate bad effects right after using it, it has also long-term effects, it seems also as a gateway drug in our society. The positive side of legalize the Marijuana. It has proved that Marijuana can be used as a treatment for many illness and bad symptoms of illness; for example, for those people who has Cancer Chemotherapy treatment and causes extreme nauseas and vomiting to them, Marijuana reduces those extreme symptoms, and it also alleviates pretreatment anxiety...
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...Salem Goodrum English 1002 Bovey 19 March 2015 The subject of legalizing marijuana has been a very popular and debatable topic recently. It has been such a popular topic because, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Marijuana is the most common illicit drug used in the United States” (par. 2). You often hear or see people talking about the pros of legalizing marijuana, and not so many cons. I have done extensive research and came up with some powerful cons as to why we should not legalize this drug. The negative issues associated with legalizing marijuana are the physical and mental effects to the body, it typically leads to the further use of drugs that are more harmful, and it has multiple implications on society. This drug is a plant known as a herb. According to Dictionary.com a herb is such a plant when valued for its medicinal properties, flavor, scent, or the like. Marijuana has a never-ending list of names such as “weed”,” pot”,” Mary Jane”, “cannabis”, and many more labels people come up with. “The main hallucinatory chemical in marijuana is THC, which stands for tetrahydrocannabinol; this chemical is responsible for majority of the intoxicating effects. The plant contains more than 500 other chemicals, including over 100 compounds that are chemically related to THC.” (NIDA. Par. 2). Marijuana can be smoked in almost any way involving a lighter. The topic of legalizing cannabis has been a controversy that just will not go away. I am not...
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...will be an extremely debatable discussion about legalizing marijuana. Though both sides to this discussion have valid arguments, the pros outweigh the cons by a substantial amount. According to norml.org marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America. Federal law prohibits marijuana; anyone found with possession by federal law is punishable by up to one year in jail and a minimum fine of $1,000 for a first conviction. With making this “troubling substance” legal, the government would be able to reduce the national debt and easily reduce the overcrowding of prisons. I am proposing that people take a second to look past the negatives of drugs and focus on a plant that could better the nation. Purpose Marijuana has a negative shame involved by the government and public, but is actually a natural and successful medicine. Recently marijuana arrests have been exceeding the amount of violent crime arrests and punishments. The Marijuana Policy Project counted 872,720 pot-related arrests in the United States in 2007 alone, according to Cato. Enforcing this prohibition has put taxpayers in almost 10 billion dollars of debt annually. I believe that there are definitely more important issues that the government should be focusing on rather than throwing harmless marijuana smokers in jail. Problem or Need According to norml.org marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America. Nearly one in eight drug prisoners in America are behind bars for marijuana-related...
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...has been an ongoing debate about legalizing medical marijuana. Marijuana is a substance dried leaves and flowering pots of the hemp plant that contain THC and is consumed for a number of different reasons .Out of 52 states there are there 21 states that legalize medical marijuana and there are 7 states that are pending .I believe that medical marijuana should be legalize because it is a plant that was grown on this earth. Medical marijuana has its cons when it comes to this debate and some physician, US government and other officials are against the legalization of medical marijuana. Bill Frist, a former US senator stated that” although I understand many believe marijuana is the most effective drug in combating their medical ailment, I would be caution against this assumption due to the lack of consistent repeatable scientific data available to prove marijuana’s medical benefits. Based on current evidence, I believe that marijuana is a dangerous drug and that there are less dangerous medicines offering the same relief from pain and other medical symptoms.” The US government officials John Walters believe that smoked marijuana damages the brain, heart and immune system. It impairs learning and interferes with memory, perception, and judgment. Smoke marijuana contains cancer- causing compounds and has been implicated in high percentage of automobile crashes and workplace accidents. Through out the years marijuana has known to be a gateway drug. A new federal report release that...
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...has been an ongoing debate about legalizing medical marijuana. Marijuana is a substance dried leaves and flowering pots of the hemp plant that contain THC and is consumed for a number of different reasons .Out of 52 states there are there 21 states that legalize medical marijuana and there are 7 states that are pending .I believe that medical marijuana should be legalize because it is a plant that was grown on this earth. Medical marijuana has its cons when it comes to this debate and some physician, US government and other officials are against the legalization of medical marijuana. Bill Frist, a former US senator stated that” although I understand many believe marijuana is the most effective drug in combating their medical ailment, I would be caution against this assumption due to the lack of consistent repeatable scientific data available to prove marijuana’s medical benefits. Based on current evidence, I believe that marijuana is a dangerous drug and that there are less dangerous medicines offering the same relief from pain and other medical symptoms.” The US government officials John Walters believe that smoked marijuana damages the brain, heart and immune system. It impairs learning and interferes with memory, perception, and judgment. Smoke marijuana contains cancer- causing compounds and has been implicated in high percentage of automobile crashes and workplace accidents. Through out the years marijuana has known to be a gateway drug. A new federal report release that...
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...Should medical marijuana be legalized nationwide? Team A BCOM/275 October 9, 2011 UoP Instructor Should medical marijuana be legalized nationwide? The use of marijuana for the treatment of patients with serious health conditions is currently one of the top contentious debate topics in the United States. Until its prohibition in 1937, marijuana was one the top three most prescribed medicines in the United States. To date, 13 states have statutory laws legalizing medical marijuana; however, it is not legal at the federal level. Several pros and cons exist to support whether medical marijuana should be or not be legalized nationwide. The primary arguments in debating the pros and cons of legalizing medical marijuana nationwide focus primarily on medical benefits, disease prevention, medical risk, substance abuse, and legal issues. Many scientific professionals and patients claim medical marijuana provides some sort of medical benefits. Although it has been a contentious battle between the states and federal governments to legalize or not medical marijuana nationwide, there are three important points to take under consideration; first, marijuana is a potent analgesic in patients with chronic pain. Second, it is a strong anti-emetic for patients receiving cancer chemotherapy treatment. Third and most important, medical marijuana should be legal, so patients do not have to break the law to receive treatment. Across the nation state organizations...
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...1)a. Summarize the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana. b. Opponents of the legalization of marijuana argue that marijuana is a gateway drug, because to leads to the use (and abuse) of other, more serious drugs. Research marijuana as a gateway drug. Based on your findings, do you believe marijuana leads to the use of other drugs? Why or why not? Explain your answer. c. Offer your position on this topic: Do you think marijuana should be legalized? Why or why not? Use facts (i.e., sound research) to support your answer. Do you think marijuana is a gateway drug? Levinthal (2014) expressed the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana. When it comes to cons, Levithal stated that the use of marijuana works as a gateway for the abuses of illicit drugs. Moreover, he also mentioned “marijuana users tend to undermine traditional values of school achievement and long-term aspirations” (p.187). In the other hand, Levithal also mentions that smoking marijuana and having small amounts of it has become more accepted in today’s society. Also, marijuana has been approved to be used as medicine, creating a more acceptable...
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...the world. The drug is well known in cultures all around the globe and any topic that is tied to it generates intense reactions that are aligned in different directions. The conversation on the legal status of the use of Marijuana is always heated, with supporters and opponents all convinced that they are right (Hudak & Wallack, 2016). However, this essay analyzes this issue since it is one that cannot be ignored. Even the opponents must agree to consider what legalization of cannabis achieves, given that public support for it is only growing. It also seeks to lay out the negative implications of the legalization and finally balances them off against the benefits and makes its conclusions based thereon. Proponents argue that marijuana has been proved to have the ability to influence life positively. This is best captured by the medical use of marijuana in treating diseases. The drug has been proven to have palliative qualities and it has been accepted as a palliative agent in civilizations such as Canada on prescription. Additionally, opinion polls discovered that more than half of the American population would vote in support of using the drug for recreational purposes among adults (Ghosh, 2010). It would be imprudent to ignore the opinions of such a big proportion of the population for political leaders. The widespread support also indicates that usage of the drug is high among the populace. It is hard for the government to regulate the usage of such drugs, to prescription...
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