persuasive speech legalizing weed

Persuasive Speech On Legalizing Marijuana

Starting from the beginning, I will tell you what marijuana - also called grass, ganja, pot, and various other slang terms - is. Marijuana comes from the Indian hemp plant and is the greenish-brown mixture of the dried flowers of cannabis sativa. When I was younger I used to believe that speaking positively about Marijuana, makes you look like a bad personage or either worse, a criminal. This opinion was based on the false information media produced and on the government laws of my country. However, by enhancing my knowledge, I have decided that cannabis offers so much to humanity, that not only it has many benefits, it has to be legalized. The beneficiary development of the economy, the helpful cannabis medicine and the reduction of the criminality …show more content…

One of these ways is the legalization of cannabis. Alcohol and cannabis act as substitutes. Although this has not been fully demonstrated, people are likely to use cannabis instead of alcohol. To the extent that the legality of cannabis causes less alcohol consumption, it is likely to make society safer due to the fact that alcohol leads to violence, causing weakness and many other dangerous behaviours that have been presented by criminals. Similarly, the reduction of crime is about weakening drug cartels, which at this time take their source of income away. The ban is exactly what generates their income as it keeps their prices quite high. At the same time, the ban apparently failed to destroy the illegal drug market, as the percentage of marijuana users has increased about ten times since the drug get originally illegal. So when cannabis is illegal, users have to turn to illegal ways to get it. This is often done through criminal cartels, which are responsible for terrible violence both in the US and abroad. However, with the legalization of cannabis, the cartels and the black market will get more weak, cutting their basic source of revenue and by this, the crime will reduce. Last but not least, the legalization of cannabis will break the cycle of crime. Last but not least, the legalization of cannabis will break the cycle of crime. Surprisingly, capturing and imprisoning people actually lead to an increase in crime. Once someone is considered a criminal, it becomes much harder for them to find jobs, leases and loans. Μany of them believes that they have to turn to the crime to survive. Possession and use of cannabis is a common offence, so making it lawful, society stops people making this crime and removes them from this crime

The Union The Business Behind Getting High Ethos

The truth about marijuana is that it should be legalized, and this is the stance that the documentary, “The Union: The Business Behind Getting High” is taking. The film uses great examples of ethos, pathos, and logos in an effective and persuasive way. “The Union: The Business Behind Getting High” details the hypocrisy in keeping marijuana illegal while having tobacco, a far more dangerous drug, legal, the reasons behind marijuana being illegal flipping to the complete opposite of its origin as an illegal substance, how marijuana is one of the most versatile and healthy herbs on the planet and how it is inexpensive compared to its substitutes, and how so much money is being put into a war against marijuana, even though it is an unwinnable

Pot Barons Of Colorado Analysis

Some people argue that it can be good to use it for medical purposes only while others say it should be legal for recreational purposes as well. My personal opinion, all states should legalize the recreational use of marijuana just as alcohol is sold legally. As far as the crime I think crime rates will decrease, there won’t be a need to hide and sell weed because it’s legal. The reason for drug related crime is it comes with a punishment possible jail time. Selling drugs comes with a risk, a risk that street drug dealers were willing to take for tax-free

Kansas V Dank Kush Research Paper

Not only would this cause a decrease in crime rates but it would make the use of marijuana much safer to citizens. By having legal dispensaries it would make it less likely for a person to smoke marijuana laced with other harmful things, and also less likely for citizens to smoke a synthetic without knowing it. Smoking laced or synthetic marijuana is a growing issue and is very harmful leaving many people dead or hospitalized from the harmful chemicals it contains. Heading into my senior year one of my best friends was sold K2 (synthetic marijuana) and was told it was regular, after smoking the K2 my friend passed out and was sent to the hospital where he endured several seizures and narrowly avoided death. After going through the battle of not knowing whether my friend was going to live it made me realize that the marijuana needs to be legalized to put an end to users not getting the product they believe that they are getting.

Health Disparities In The United States

Many in favor of legalization would state that marijuana has minimal health risks, is not addictive, can treat many major illnesses. One interesting statistics suggests that the legalization of medical marijuana actually lowers the abuse or experimentation of marijuana use in youth. Also, legalization of marijuana in all states suggests an overall decline in crime rates. One can assume that legalization would provide necessary medical treatments for those who need it, less abuse of marijuana use, and a lower crime rate involving drugs. It has been said that marijuana is safer than many other drugs that are already legalized, and marijuana has never killed anyone from an overdose.

The Controlled Substances Act 1970

Every 37 seconds, someone is busted for possession of small amounts of marijuana. Started by President Richard Nixon, the War on Drugs prohibits the possession of narcotics that are considered “poisons” by the government of the United States. The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 does not allow any possession of the drugs listed in the act, which includes marijuana. People deserve the right to possess marijuana because crimes related to the drug will decrease overall and those that sell the drug illegally will no longer be able to stay in business. To begin with, legalizing the use of marijuana leads to a decrease in crime related towards possession, purchase, and use of the drug.

Marijuana Legalization In Canada

The paper focuses on the recent issue of marijuana legalization in Canada. The paper represents Marx and Durkheim view of sociological perspective regarding why marijuana might be legal or not legal in Canada and describes the legal consciousness about the use and role of law in legalizing marijuana. The paper represents the peoples’ reaction to this change of law and its benefits to the Canadian economic system. From time to time, the law has been modified and recreated in our society due to social movement about social facts. Marijuana considers as the illegal substance in many other countries, and only a few countries have legalized.

Decriminalization: The Dual Purpose Of Marijuana

There are a massive number of serious criminal cases in the criminal justice system that needs to be prioritized by prosecutors like robbery, rape, and murder. However, there are less serious criminal cases like possession of marijuana that get more attention than it should. With the large use of marijuana and the large number of cases that is placed in the criminal justice system, the decriminalization of America 's biggest illegal cash crop, marijuana, will put a stop to the many problems that is legalization creates. With marijuana having such a negative stigma attached by the government and the public, it is hard to identify the positive effects that the marijuana plant has to offer. The decriminalization of marijuana would benefit the economy, lower the

Satire On Marijuana

There were 8.2 million marijuana arrests between 2001 and 2010, 88% of the arrests were for just having weed. In the first 11 months of Colorado having marijuana recreationally legal, there was a 2.2% decrease in crime compared to the first 11 months of 2013. Traffic deaths were also thought to increase after legalization but instead did the opposite. In the same first 11 months of 2014, there was a 3% decrease in fatalities compared to 2013. This kept a 12 year long continuing decline to keep going down.

Cons Of Legalizing Marijuana

In my opinion marijuana helps more than it hurts and the pros outweigh the cons. If marijuana was legalized it will boost revenue, it gives government the option to put a tax on it. It can bring less money to support organized crime, it will become less profitable for drug

Benefits Of Legalizing Marijuana In Canada

The legalization of medical marijuana will help the economy. It will bring in money to the government and it will also provide jobs (Blackburn 2). The government legalizing marijuana would benefit the government economically and not just from people who use it medically, but from people who use it for recreational purposes as well as tourists. Medical Marijuana for

Pop Culture Counterculture

From Pop Culture to Pot Culture: How The Counterculture of The American "Stoner" Has Affected Society  Introduction: In the fifth century Romans made desserts out of marijuana, and used it to ease the pain of childbirth. Just five decades ago John Lennon asked America to "Make Love, Not War," expressing the ideals that made the "Hippie." Only days ago New Jersey has began discussion of legalizing marijuana. Culture is always moving and evolving, being manipulated and changed.

Legalization Of Cannabis Argumentative Analysis

Even though cannabis is a drug, there have never been any accidental deaths as one cannot overdose (Caulkins, 2014). Lastly, another important beneficial factor that comes from legalizing cannabis would be the decreased cost that courts, and police officer would have to face by not having to chase those who are trying to posses the illegal drug, in different ways, the amount of money that is spent caught the individuals that are doing cannabis because it is so easy to access but still illegal (Caulkins,

Persuasive Essay On Legalizing Marijuana

Prohibition leads to increased incarceration rates, increased government spending and mistrust in law enforcement. In 1990, 350,000 arrests were made over cannabis related charges; in 2006, there were 800,000 arrests (Room). Over that 16-year span, cannabis related arrests went up 56%. Prohibition has been attempting to reduce the amount of cannabis users, but all it achieves is putting more people in prison. Despite increased spending (from 1.5 billion in 1981 to 18 billion in 2002), cannabis use has increased by 5%(Room).

Should Marijuana Be Legalized Essay

When they smoke it makes them really calm and they can go around people without flipping out. Making marijuana legal can help out a lot. Marijuana will keep these people out of trouble as well to because they will not get scared and feel threatened. Marijuana has really good affects.

Positive And Negative Effects Of Marijuana

In the last twenty years, marijuana has become more effective and addictive. Overusing marijuana for a long term has increased the number of crimes, such as smuggling and drugs; which are considered as negative impacts for the society. Based on the data, the marijuana addicts in the world reached 27 million people in 2012. Moreover, The UN said if 5% of the world’s population have been using marijuana, so it is not wrong if the number of marijuana case always increasing. Simply put, it appears that society has already experienced the negative effect of marijuana and had already set a perception of it; it is shown by the severe punishment given to citizens who uses marijuana.

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The Evidence—and Lack Thereof—About Cannabis

Research is still needed on cannabis’s risks and benefits. 

Lindsay Smith Rogers

Although the use and possession of cannabis is illegal under federal law, medicinal and recreational cannabis use has become increasingly widespread.

Thirty-eight states and Washington, D.C., have legalized medical cannabis, while 23 states and D.C. have legalized recreational use. Cannabis legalization has benefits, such as removing the product from the illegal market so it can be taxed and regulated, but science is still trying to catch up as social norms evolve and different products become available. 

In this Q&A, adapted from the August 25 episode of Public Health On Call , Lindsay Smith Rogers talks with Johannes Thrul, PhD, MS , associate professor of Mental Health , about cannabis as medicine, potential risks involved with its use, and what research is showing about its safety and efficacy. 

Do you think medicinal cannabis paved the way for legalization of recreational use?

The momentum has been clear for a few years now. California was the first to legalize it for medical reasons [in 1996]. Washington and Colorado were the first states to legalize recreational use back in 2012. You see one state after another changing their laws, and over time, you see a change in social norms. It's clear from the national surveys that people are becoming more and more in favor of cannabis legalization. That started with medical use, and has now continued into recreational use.

But there is a murky differentiation between medical and recreational cannabis. I think a lot of people are using cannabis to self-medicate. It's not like a medication you get prescribed for a very narrow symptom or a specific disease. Anyone with a medical cannabis prescription, or who meets the age limit for recreational cannabis, can purchase it. Then what they use it for is really all over the place—maybe because it makes them feel good, or because it helps them deal with certain symptoms, diseases, and disorders.

Does cannabis have viable medicinal uses?

The evidence is mixed at this point. There hasn’t been a lot of funding going into testing cannabis in a rigorous way. There is more evidence for certain indications than for others, like CBD for seizures—one of the first indications that cannabis was approved for. And THC has been used effectively for things like nausea and appetite for people with cancer.

There are other indications where the evidence is a lot more mixed. For example, pain—one of the main reasons that people report for using cannabis. When we talk to patients, they say cannabis improved their quality of life. In the big studies that have been done so far, there are some indications from animal models that cannabis might help [with pain]. When we look at human studies, it's very much a mixed bag. 

And, when we say cannabis, in a way it's a misnomer because cannabis is so many things. We have different cannabinoids and different concentrations of different cannabinoids. The main cannabinoids that are being studied are THC and CBD, but there are dozens of other minor cannabinoids and terpenes in cannabis products, all of varying concentrations. And then you also have a lot of different routes of administration available. You can smoke, vape, take edibles, use tinctures and topicals. When you think about the explosion of all of the different combinations of different products and different routes of administration, it tells you how complicated it gets to study this in a rigorous way. You almost need a randomized trial for every single one of those and then for every single indication.

What do we know about the risks of marijuana use?  

Cannabis use disorder is a legitimate disorder in the DSM. There are, unfortunately, a lot of people who develop a problematic use of cannabis. We know there are risks for mental health consequences. The evidence is probably the strongest that if you have a family history of psychosis or schizophrenia, using cannabis early in adolescence is not the best idea. We know cannabis can trigger psychotic symptoms and potentially longer lasting problems with psychosis and schizophrenia. 

It is hard to study, because you also don't know if people are medicating early negative symptoms of schizophrenia. They wouldn't necessarily have a diagnosis yet, but maybe cannabis helps them to deal with negative symptoms, and then they develop psychosis. There is also some evidence that there could be something going on with the impact of cannabis on the developing brain that could prime you to be at greater risk of using other substances later down the road, or finding the use of other substances more reinforcing. 

What benefits do you see to legalization?

When we look at the public health landscape and the effect of legislation, in this case legalization, one of the big benefits is taking cannabis out of the underground illegal market. Taking cannabis out of that particular space is a great idea. You're taking it out of the illegal market and giving it to legitimate businesses where there is going to be oversight and testing of products, so you know what you're getting. And these products undergo quality control and are labeled. Those labels so far are a bit variable, but at least we're getting there. If you're picking up cannabis at the street corner, you have no idea what's in it. 

And we know that drug laws in general have been used to criminalize communities of color and minorities. Legalizing cannabis [can help] reduce the overpolicing of these populations.

What big questions about cannabis would you most like to see answered?

We know there are certain, most-often-mentioned conditions that people are already using medical cannabis for: pain, insomnia, anxiety, and PTSD. We really need to improve the evidence base for those. I think clinical trials for different cannabis products for those conditions are warranted.

Another question is, now that the states are getting more tax revenue from cannabis sales, what are they doing with that money? If you look at tobacco legislation, for example, certain states have required that those funds get used for research on those particular issues. To me, that would be a very good use of the tax revenue that is now coming in. We know, for example, that there’s a lot more tax revenue now that Maryland has legalized recreational use. Maryland could really step up here and help provide some of that evidence.

Are there studies looking into the risks you mentioned?

Large national studies are done every year or every other year to collect data, so we already have a pretty good sense of the prevalence of cannabis use disorder. Obviously, we'll keep tracking that to see if those numbers increase, for example, in states that are legalizing. But, you wouldn't necessarily expect to see an uptick in cannabis use disorder a month after legalization. The evidence from states that have legalized it has not demonstrated that we might all of a sudden see an increase in psychosis or in cannabis use disorder. This happens slowly over time with a change in social norms and availability, and potentially also with a change in marketing. And, with increasing use of an addictive substance, you will see over time a potential increase in problematic use and then also an increase in use disorder.

If you're interested in seeing if cannabis is right for you, is this something you can talk to your doctor about?

I think your mileage may vary there with how much your doctor is comfortable and knows about it. It's still relatively fringe. That will very much depend on who you talk to. But I think as providers and professionals, everybody needs to learn more about this, because patients are going to ask no matter what.

Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast , an editor for Expert Insights , and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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Five Reasons Why We Should Legalize Cannabis

Cannabis use in the United States has had a long and complicated history. For decades, people who used cannabis were subject to social ostracization and criminal prosecution. However, attitudes toward cannabis have been evolving in recent years. An increasing number of states have started to legalize cannabis for medical or recreational use. This shift in policy has been driven by a variety of factors including changing public attitudes and the potential economic benefits of legalization. In this article, we will explore the potential benefits of legalizing cannabis in our country.

1. Legalization for the Environment

Legalizing cannabis can have significant benefits for the environment. When cannabis is grown illegally, it is often done in environmentally damaging ways, such as using chemical pesticides or clearing primary forests to make room for crops. Legalization could allow customers to support more environmental growers. This will incentivize more responsible growing practices, such as the use of organic farming methods or the use of renewable energy sources to power indoor grow operations. In addition, the culture of growing cannabis can help to discover and preserve precious marijuana seeds , increasing biodiversity and facilitating a deeper understanding of cannabis plants and their cultivation.

2. Legalization for Justice

Where cannabis is illegal, people are being arrested and charged for possession or sale, which leads to costly court cases and a burden on the criminal justice system. Legalization would free up law enforcement resources to focus on more serious crimes and simultaneously reduce the number of people incarcerated for non-violent drug offenses. This could help to reduce the overall prison population and save taxpayers money.

In addition, legalization can have significant benefits for justice and equity, particularly for marginalized communities that have been disproportionately affected by the criminalization of cannabis. Communities of color have been particularly affected by the war on drugs, with Black Americans being nearly four times more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession than white Americans, despite similar rates of use.

By regulating cannabis cultivation and sales, legalization can help to eliminate the black market and reduce the involvement of criminal organizations in the cannabis industry. This can lead to safer communities and reduced drug-related violence in communities that have been most affected by the criminalization of cannabis.

3. Legalization for Public Health

Cannabis has been shown to have many beneficial and therapeutic effects on both physical and mental health. However, people may be hesitant to seek medical marijuana treatment due to fear of legal repercussions if cannabis is illegal. Legalization can allow more people to enjoy better health outcomes. It can also promote the safer use of cannabis by educating the public on appropriate cannabis use and providing quality control measures for cannabis products. Legalization can also lead to increased research into potential medical applications of cannabis and could lead to the development of innovative treatments.

Another potential perk of cannabis legalization is that it could reduce the use of more harmful drugs. In the absence of cannabis, people may turn to more dangerous drugs like heroin or fentanyl to manage chronic pain or other conditions. By legalizing cannabis, we can provide a safer alternative for these individuals and could reduce the overall demand for these more dangerous drugs. States that have legalized cannabis found a decrease in opioid overdose deaths and hospitalizations, suggesting that cannabis are an effective alternative to prescription painkillers.

4. Legalization for the Economy

The legalization of cannabis can generate significant tax revenue for governments and create new economic opportunities. When cannabis is illegal, it is sold on the black market, and no taxes are collected on these sales. However, when it is legal, sales can be regulated, and taxes can be imposed on those sales. In states that have legalized cannabis, tax revenue from cannabis sales has been in the millions of dollars , with California registering a whopping $1.2 billion in cannabis tax revenue in 2021. This impressive income can be used to reduce budget deficits, fund various public services such as education and healthcare, and create new opportunities for investment in projects that revitalize the economy.

Aside from tax revenue, legalizing cannabis can create new jobs. The cannabis industry is a rapidly growing industry, and legalization could lead to the creation of new jobs in areas such as cultivation, processing, and retail sales. This can help to reduce unemployment and create new gainful opportunities for people who may have struggled to find employment in other industries. Legalization can also lead to increased investment in related industries, such as the development of new products or technologies to improve cannabis cultivation or the creation of new retail businesses. There are now several venture capital funds and investment groups that focus solely on cannabis-related enterprises.

5. Legalization for Acceptance

Finally, legalization could help reduce the stigma surrounding cannabis use. Before cannabis legalization, people who use the plant were often viewed as criminals or deviants. Legalization can help change this perception and lead to more open and honest conversations about cannabis use. Ultimately, legalization could lead to a more accepting and inclusive society where individuals are not judged or discriminated against for their personal and healthcare choices. By legalizing cannabis, we can harness the power of a therapeutic plant. Legalization can heal not just physical and mental ailments of individuals but also the social wounds that have resulted from its criminalization.

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Reason Why Marijuana Should Be Legal

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Introduction

• Why Marijuana should be Legalized
• Arguments Against Legalization

Why Marijuanas Should Be Legal: Essay Conclusion

Works cited.

Of all the illegal drugs in existence, Cannabis Sativa (most popularly known as marijuana) is the most commonly used substance (Iftikhar et al. 7699). The World Health Organization documents that 2.5% of the world’s population indulge in the usage of this drug, therefore making it the most popular psychoactive substance.

Despite this apparent popularity of the drug, it remains illegal in many countries, including the USA. Recent scientific research has revealed that the effect of marijuana on a person’s health may not be as potent as previously thought. With this revelation and the increased use of the drug among the population, there have been calls for the government to consider legalizing this popular recreational drug.

Calls for legalizing marijuana have been countered by vocal opposition from people advocating for the drug to be kept illegal since it has many adverse effects. This “Why Marijuanas Should Be Legal” essay will set out to argue that marijuana should be legal since the harmful effects of this substance are not as dire, and legalization would result in many benefits for society. The argumentative paper will rely on research to reinforce this claim.

Why Marijuana Should Be Legalized

Marijuana is a favored recreational drug, which means that its commercial significance is high due to the high demand for the product. Under the current situation where the drug is deemed illicit, the government cannot benefit monetarily from commerce with this drug. This is an essential consideration since data on the prevalence of Marijuana indicates that the US is still the world’s largest single market for the medication (Hammond et al. 221).

The government could gain much revenue if the drug were legal and taxes imposed. As it currently stands, the sale of the drug only benefits players in the black market who produce and sell the product. These players are primarily criminals who have become very powerful from the money obtained from commerce in marijuana.

Houston, who is an outspoken advocate for the legalization of Marijuana, confirms that marijuana is the cash cow that has made the Mexican drug cartels such a formidable force. By making the drug legal, the government would benefit from revenues obtained from its sale as well as remove the monopoly held by the criminal gangs, thus making the country safer.

The government uses significant amounts of resources in enforcing its laws against marijuana. Maintaining the status quo of marijuana as an illegal substance is an expensive operation, and the taxpayer bears the financial burden.

Green documents that the US government spends billions of dollars annually to enforce prohibition efforts on marijuana (6). This money that would otherwise have been spent on more socially constructive purposes is currently being used to fund operations ranging from the carrying out of drug raids, arrests, and prosecution of drug offenders.

The expenses do not end there, as more money is needed to maintain the convicted offenders in the country’s already overstrained penitentiaries. Making marijuana legal would mean that the government would save all the money that it currently spends on enforcing the law against marijuana. This would be a prudent step since, as it is, the efforts by the government, while prohibitively high, do not appear to have significantly reduced marijuana consumption in the country.

An obvious merit of the legal industry is that it is bound by government control, which ensures that the products sold are safe for the consumer. The government can also monitor the production process and issue guidelines to ensure the consumer is not exposed to unnecessary risks.

Since marijuana is illegal, its production and distribution are unregulated, which means that the quality of the product is unguaranteed. Part of the contamination also comes from the pesticides used on the plant. Legal crops have strict government controls on pesticides, which minimize the risks to the individual. Montoya et al. reveal that since marijuana is an illegal drug, there are no guidelines or controls for its cultivation, and it is not known whether the pesticides used are safe for humans (4).

In addition to this, the illegal status of marijuana means that most of it is grown indoors to reduce the risk of discovery by law enforcement. Indoor-grown marijuana is perceived to be more contaminated than marijuana grown naturally since indoor cultivation involves the use of additives to maximize yield (Montoya et al. 4).

Legalization of marijuana would give the government greater control over the product, which would make it safer for the user. Currently, the market is unregulated, and dealers are constantly increasing the potency of the drug to attract more customers. The potency of marijuana is changed by altering the primary active chemical in marijuana, THC, which is the component that causes the mind-altering effects of marijuana intoxication.

Montoya et al. attribute the increased potency to the popularity of indoor cultivation, which involves the practice of cloning from a variety of cannabis with high THC content (2). The more potent marijuana is, the higher the increase of cannabis-related harms such as psychotic and anxiety effects. Legalizing the drug would make it possible for the government to monitor the content of the drug just as the alcohol content in beverages is monitored. This would reduce the health risks that result from highly potent marijuana.

Marijuana has scientifically proven medical benefits for its consumers. Marijuana has been documented to improve symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis. The efficacy of marijuana in this area has been so significant that pharmaceutical companies have begun using Sativex, a derivative of cannabis, in the care of people with multiple sclerosis (Baratta et al. 3).

Clinical trial research on the therapeutic role of marijuana in pain management has shown that the drug demonstrated significant pain relief and induced relaxation, hence relieving anxiety and depression (Baratta et al. 2). These findings are corroborated by reports by the WHO, which indicate that cannabinoids alleviate symptoms such as nausea and vomiting in chronically ill patients. Making marijuana legal would ensure that it is more readily available for the sick, who would exploit it for its curative properties.

Arguments against Legalization

Despite all the advantages that can be gained from legalizing marijuana, there are critical adverse effects that opponents of legalization point to. The most significant of these claims is that marijuana results in adverse physical and mental effects on the user. Hammond et al. state that heavy marijuana use impairs a person’s ability to form memories, and users who have taken high doses of the drug may experience acute psychosis (9).

Montoya et al. proceed to state that contaminated marijuana has the potential to cause lung disease and respiratory problems (4). Considering these adverse effects, proponents of legalization assert that it would be reckless for the government even to consider making marijuana legal. While it is true that marijuana can have adverse effects, these extreme effects are mostly restricted to heavy users and those users who consume contaminated or high-potency marijuana.

A primary concern of the public is the link between drug use and involvement in crime. Opponents of legalization state that marijuana would result in citizens, especially the youth, engaging in criminal activities as a result of drug use. This stereotypical view is unfounded, as research indicates that marijuana use does not play an essential role in fostering a general involvement in crime.

A study conducted by Lu et al. on the association between cannabis use and subsequent criminal charges on an individual suggested that marijuana was associated with subsequent criminal activity (565).

However, the authors noted that the bulk of this involvement was in various types of drug-specific crime, such as possession and distribution of the drug. Marijuana does not, therefore, result in general crime involvement, and a considerable proportion of its users only get into the penal system because of the use or possession of drugs.

A common argument raised by proponents of legalizing marijuana is that its legalization would result in a phenomenal increase in the number of users. This reasoning is based on the assumption that, at present, many people who would be users of marijuana are deterred because of the legal action, such as jail time that they would suffer if they consumed the product.

Houston suggests that this argument is not based on facts since the rate of marijuana use in the Netherlands (a country reputed for its relaxed laws on marijuana, which permit the purchase and consumption of regulated portions of the drug) is significantly lower than in the US where prohibitive laws against the drug are in place.

Marijuana consumption is pervasive in the US, and this drug has become the favorite recreational drug despite measures by the government to curb its supply and discourage its usage. This has resulted in the issue of whether to legitimize marijuana or not being heavily debated in the country.

From the arguments given in this paper, it is clear that many benefits will be reaped from the legalization of marijuana. These advantages include increased access to the drug for people who require it for medical purposes, a regulated market that would make the product safer, and the financial gains that the government would achieve through taxation and savings from the money that is currently used to enforce the law against marijuana.

While proponents of legalization point to the adverse effects of the drug, this paper has shown that many research findings available today indicate that the adverse effects of marijuana are mild and that the drug has functional medicinal properties.

This paper set out to argue that the government should legalize marijuana. To this end, the paper has engaged in discussions about the merits and demerits of such a move. Overall, evidence suggests that making marijuana legal would benefit society more than having it classified as an illegal substance.

Citizens who are keen on bringing about development should, therefore, petition the government to legalize the drug so that society can enjoy the benefits stated at the same time avoiding the enormous costs incurred by efforts to keep the drug illegal.

Baratta, Francesca, et al. “ Cannabis for Medical Use: Analysis of Recent Clinical Trials in View of Current Legislation. ” Frontiers in Pharmacology , vol. 13, May 2022.

Green, Jesse. “ Federalism, Limited Government, and Conservative Outcomes: The Republican Case for Marijuana Legalization .” Social Science Research Network , Jan. 2023.

Hammond, Chris, et al. “ Cannabis Use Among U.S. Adolescents in the Era of Marijuana Legalization: A Review of Changing Use Patterns, Comorbidity, and Health Correlates. ” International Review of Psychiatry , vol. 32, no. 3, Feb. 2020, pp. 221–34.

Iftikhar, Amna, et al. “ Applications of Cannabis Sativa L. in Food and Its Therapeutic Potential: From a Prohibited Drug to a Nutritional Supplement. ” Molecules , vol. 26, no. 24, Dec. 2021, p. 7699.

Lu, Ruibin, et al. “ The Cannabis Effect on Crime: Time-Series Analysis of Crime in Colorado and Washington State. ” Justice Quarterly , vol. 38, no. 4, Oct. 2019, pp. 565–95.

Montoya, Zackary T., et al. “ Cannabis Contaminants Limit Pharmacological Use of Cannabidiol. ” Frontiers in Pharmacology , vol. 11, Sept. 2020.

World Health Organization (WHO). Management of substance abuse: Cannabis . Jan. 2010. Web.

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Persuasive Speeches on Legalizing Weed: Exploring the Benefits and Concerns

How it works

• 1 Introduction
• 2 Medical Benefits of Legalizing Marijuana
• 3.1 References

Introduction

Legalizing marijuana is a controversial topic for many states. If marijuana is legalized, it would save prisons and jails funds because they could release people who have been convicted of felonies with the dealing of this incidental drug. This means that the government would have more money to use towards education on the safe use of the product and the prosecution of dealers who control the use of extremely dangerous hard drugs. However, people against legalizing marijuana argue that it could lead to harder drugs.

Marijuana use in its pure form should be legalized because it can help treat diseases and would prove economically advantageous as a taxed product,

Medical Benefits of Legalizing Marijuana

Marijuana can be used to treat many illnesses and symptoms, including autism, chronic pain, Parkinson’s, inflammatory bowel disease, PTSD, epilepsy, Multiple sclerosis, and many more. It has been used for centuries for medical uses. It is safer than alcohol. There have been zero direct deaths from marijuana, while there are lots from alcohol. Plus, marijuana is far less addictive. The addiction rates are tremendously lower than those of alcohol and other drugs. You also can not overdose (marijuana treats autism). If marijuana is legalized, it would create jobs, like dispensers, growers, and pickers. There would be more investment opportunities, making their government money and giving people jobs. If it were legal, it would save jails, prisons, and justice systems lots of money for not having to deal with the felonies of marijuana. It would also help law enforcement to focus on more dangerous drugs and people.

With every good thing, there are always people who have to ruin it and make it look bad for everyone else. One thing that could make legalizing weed look bad is there would be more risk of drug abuse and addiction; just like alcohol, there are people who make it look bad. If you can buy weed at a store, that means young kids and teenagers would have a much easier time getting it. The use of marijuana can and will impair driving and eye-hand coordination. It also can cause short-term memory loss(voices from both sides). Another concern would be increased homelessness. There are people who spend every penny in their name just to get weed; if it is legal, then people will buy more of it. If it’s legal, people will just want to get high and not do anything; this would cause a decrease in property value(economic benefits).

Marijuana can be used efficiently for treating psychosomatic symptoms including improving satisfaction in life; it improves depression because when a user is under the effect of the THC chemical, the user forgets about things that worry them. In many states, the legal use of the product is used to treat PTSD in veterans and those involved in negative life-altering situations; its managed use improves mental connections, seemingly ideas, and divergent thinking. Medically, it has been proven that use reduces the chance of blindness by stimulating the optic nerve, which is behind the eyes and helps one see and picture color.

Use helps individuals who suffer from insomnia sleep better. Cures for the pain of arthritis and treating and reducing the chance of epileptic incidence are medicinally prescribed in oil where the THC has been removed. It has proven to be useful as a painkiller and can improve food intake for HIV-positive people in its natural form when the disease is in its final stages. The oils with THC removed are helpful in treating nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy. Experimentation also has shown its use can reduce, kill, and slow down the spread of cancer.

The initial use is not a gateway drug, so it will not lead to harder drug use. It perhaps increases lung airflow because people inhale and hold air in their lungs, which stretches the lungs for easier breathing. The studies indicate it is less dangerous than tobacco use. The oil use does not involve inhaling any product, so this becomes a moot point.

“The Cannabis Manifesto: A New Paradigm for Wellness” by Steve DeAngelo

“Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know” by Jonathan P. Caulkins, Angela Hawken, Beau Kilmer, and Mark A.R. Kleiman

“Too High to Fail: Cannabis and the New Green Economic Revolution” by Doug Fine 

“Marijuana: A Short History” by John Hudak 

“Weed the People: The Future of Legal Marijuana in America” by Bruce Barcott

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Sample Persuasive Speech: Marijuana should/should not be legalized

The war on drugs has been lost. Marijuana users are aware of all health hazards their addiction to marijuana may led them to; but no authority of law is capable of preventing them from smoking marijuana as one of their favorites. Legalization of marijuana would lead to a better control of its consumption. Besides, marijuana, legal as tobacco, would turn people from illegal drugs, which are more expensive and much more dangerous. Marijuana is considered a gateway drug that causes problems at home and at work, reduces concentration, learning, and memory powers, releases dopamine that gives a feeling of euphoria, and contains cancer-causing agents. Illegal status of marijuana solves no problems of drug abuse. In 2006, American marijuana farmers grew 22.3 million pounds of marijuana. The top outdoor producers are California, Tennessee, Kentucky, Hawaii, and North Carolina. Great material sources are spent on eradicating marijuana crops, but, like with a wave of a magic hand, they grow in more and more unpredictable locations. Why not to legalize marijuana? The war against marijuana was unleashed 76 years ago when Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act on the basis of a poorly tested testimony that it could cause insanity, criminality, and death. The 1951 Boggs Act and the 1956 Daniel Act increased penalties, promoting the gateway theory (Gettman, 2006). The war is still on, although it has been proved that marijuana is not more dangerous than tobacco or alcohol. Marijuana has been used for centuries for medicinal purposes. It has healing properties. Unlike tobacco and alcohol, marijuana may serve people in a couple of ways. First, marijuana improves appetite. Second, it prevents AIDS patients from weight loss. Third, it helps glaucoma patients lessen eye pressure. Fourth, it reduces nausea caused by radiation and chemotherapeutic treatments. Fifth, it is an effective painkiller. Thus, marijuana helps these patients improve their condition. Nine states, among them Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, have passed legislation that permits marijuana use for medical purposes. Current research has proved that marijuana is not physically addicting. What is more, it has been proved that no physical withdrawal symptoms occur when marijuana use is stopped. Marijuana’s status must be reconsidered legislatively. Marijuana must be excluded from the war on drugs content because it is less abusive than alcohol. Legalization implies better control. When better controlled, marijuana would serve people who need its healing properties. People should be free to decide whether they like marijuana as a recreational drug or not. When tempted, we often desire something that is hard to reach. The younger people, the more tempted they are to break rules. Welcoming marijuana, we would think of drug addiction in a new paradigm than before.

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• In Debate Over Legalizing Marijuana, Disagreement Over Drug’s Dangers

In Their Own Words: Supporters and Opponents of Legalization

Table of contents.

• About the Survey

Survey Report

Public opinion about legalizing marijuana, while little changed in the past few years, has undergone a dramatic long-term shift. A new survey finds that 53% favor the legal use of marijuana, while 44% are opposed.  As recently as 2006, just 32% supported marijuana legalization, while nearly twice as many (60%) were opposed.

Millennials (currently 18-34) have been in the forefront of this change: 68% favor legalizing marijuana use, by far the highest percentage of any age cohort. But across all generations –except for the Silent Generation (ages 70-87) – support for legalization has risen sharply over the past decade.

The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center, conducted March 25-29 among 1,500 adults, finds that supporters of legalizing the use of marijuana are far more likely than opponents to say they have changed their mind on this issue.

Among the public overall, 30% say they support legalizing marijuana use and have always felt that way, while 21% have changed their minds; they say there was a time when they thought it should be illegal. By contrast, 35% say they oppose legalization and have always felt that way; just 7% have changed their minds from supporting to opposing legalization.

When asked, in their own words, why they favor or oppose legalizing marijuana, people on opposite sides of the issue offer very different perspectives. But a common theme is the danger posed by marijuana: Supporters of legalization mention its perceived health benefits, or see it as no more dangerous than other drugs. To opponents, it is a dangerous drug, one that inflicts damage on people and society more generally.

The most frequently cited reasons for supporting the legalization of marijuana are its medicinal benefits (41%) and the belief that marijuana is no worse than other drugs (36%) –with many explicitly mentioning that they think it is no more dangerous than alcohol or cigarettes.

With four states and Washington, D.C. having passed measures to permit the use of marijuana for personal use, 27% of supporters say legalization would lead to improved regulation of marijuana and increased tax revenues. About one-in-ten (12%) cite the costs and problems of enforcing marijuana laws or say simply that people should be free to use marijuana (9%).

Why Should Marijuana Be Legal? Voices of Supporters

Main reason you support legalizing use of marijuana…

“My grandson was diagnosed with epilepsy a year ago and it has been proven that it helps with the seizures.” Female, 69

“I think crime would be lower if they legalized marijuana. It would put the drug dealers out of business.” Female, 62

“Because people should be allowed to have control over their body and not have the government intervene in that.” Male, 18

“I think that we would have more control over it by allowing a federal agency to tax and regulate it like alcohol.” Male, 25

The most frequently mentioned reason why people oppose legalization is that marijuana generally hurts society and is bad for individuals (43% say this). And while many supporters of legalization say that marijuana is less dangerous than other drugs, 30% of opponents have the opposite view: They point to the dangers of marijuana, including the possibility of abuse and addiction.

About one-in-five opponents of legalization (19%) say marijuana is illegal and needs to be policed, 11% say it is a gateway to harder drugs and 8% say it is especially harmful to young people. A small share of opponents (7%) say that while the recreational use of marijuana should be illegal, they do not object to legalizing medical marijuana. 1

Why Should Marijuana Be Illegal? Voices of Opponents

Main reason you oppose legalizing use of marijuana…

“It’s a drug and it has considerable side effects. It should not be used recreationally, only for medicinal use.” Female, 20

“It’s a drug that makes you stupid. It affects your judgment and motor skills and in the long term it makes you lazy.” Male, 52

“It gets too many people on drugs. It would put too many drugs on the street, we don’t need that.” Male, 84

“I’m thinking of my child. I don’t want her to try this. I know it’s not good for her health or brain.” Female, 33

“We have enough addictive things that are already legal. We don’t need another one.” Male, 42

Current Opinion on Legalizing Marijuana

The pattern of opinion about legalizing marijuana has changed little in recent years. Beyond the wide generation gap in support for legalization, there continue to be demographic and partisan differences.

Majorities of blacks (58%) and whites (55%) favor legalizing marijuana, compared with just 40% of Hispanics. Men (57% favor) continue to be more likely than women (49%) to support legalization.

Nearly six-in-ten Democrats (59%) favor legalizing the use of marijuana, as do 58% of independents. That compares with just 39% of Republicans.

Both parties are ideologically divided over legalizing marijuana. Conservative Republicans oppose legalizing marijuana by roughly two-to-one (65% to 32%); moderate and liberal Republicans are divided (49% favor legalization, 50% are opposed).

Among Democrats, 75% of liberals say the use of marijuana should be legal compared with half (50%) of conservative and moderate Democrats.

Other Opinions: Federal Enforcement of Marijuana Laws

The new survey also finds that as some states have legalized marijuana – placing them at odds with the federal prohibition against marijuana – a majority of Americans (59%) say that the federal government should not enforce laws in states that allow marijuana use; 37% say that they should enforce these laws. Views on federal enforcement of marijuana laws are unchanged since the question was first asked two years ago.

In contrast to overall attitudes about the legal use of marijuana, there are only modest differences in views across partisan groups: 64% of independents, 58% of Democrats and 54% of Republicans say that the federal government should not enforce federal marijuana laws in states that allow its use.

A substantial majority of those who say marijuana should be legal (78%) do not think the federal government should enforce federal laws in states that allow its use. Among those who think marijuana should be illegal, 59% say there should be federal enforcement in states that allow marijuana use, while 38% say there should not be.

Concerns About Marijuana Use

While most Americans support legalizing marijuana, there are concerns about public use of the drug, if it were to become legal. Overall, 62% say that if marijuana were legal it would bother them if people used it in public; just 33% say this would not bother them. Like overall views of legalizing marijuana, these views have changed little in recent years.

There is less concern about the possibility of a marijuana-related business opening legally in people’s own neighborhood: 57% say it would not bother them if a store or business selling marijuana opened legally in their neighborhood, while 41% say this would bother them.

And just 15% say they would be bothered if people used marijuana in their own homes; 82% say this would not bother them.

As might be expected, there are sharp differences in these concerns between people who favor and oppose legalizing marijuana. A large majority of opponents of marijuana legalization (85%) say they would be bothered by public use of the drug, if it were legal; about four-in-ten supporters (43%) also say they would be bothered by this. On the other hand, a majority of opponents of legalization (65%) say they would not be bothered if people used marijuana in their own homes; virtually all supporters of legalization (97%) would not be bothered by this.

And while 77% of those who oppose legalizing marijuana say, if it were legal, they would be bothered if a store or business selling marijuana opened in their neighborhood, just 12% of supporters of legalization say this would bother them.

About Half Say They Have Tried Marijuana

Overall, 49% say they have ever tried marijuana, while 51% say they have never done this. Self-reported experience with marijuana has shown no change over the past two years, but is higher than it was early last decade: In 2003, 38% said they had tried marijuana before, while 61% said they had not.

About a quarter of those who have tried marijuana (12% of the public overall) say they have used marijuana in the past year. Similar percentages reported using marijuana in the prior 12 months in two previous surveys, conducted in February 2014 and March 2013.

Men (56%) are 15 points more likely than women (41%) to say they have ever tried marijuana.

About half of whites (52%) and blacks (50%) say they have tried marijuana before. Among Hispanics, 36% say they have tried marijuana, while 63% say they have not.

Across generations, 59% of Baby Boomers say they’ve tried marijuana before; this compares with 47% of Generation Xers and 52% of Millennials. Among those in the Silent generation, only 19% say they have ever tried marijuana. Nearly a quarter of Millennials (23%) say they have used the drug in the past year, the highest share of any age cohort.

There is little difference in the shares of Democrats (48%) and Republicans (45%) who say they’ve tried marijuana. However, there are differences within each party by ideology. By a 61%-39% margin, most conservative Republicans say they have never tried marijuana. Among moderate and liberal Republicans, about as many say they have (52%) as have not (48%) tried marijuana before.

Among Democrats, liberals (58%) are more likely than conservatives and moderates (42%) to say they’ve tried marijuana.

While a majority of those who say marijuana should be legal say they’ve tried the drug before (65%), 34% of those who support legalization say they’ve never tried marijuana. Among those who say marijuana should be illegal, 29% say they have tried it before, while 71% say they have not.

• These are volunteered responses among those who oppose legalizing marijuana. A 2013 poll found that, among the public overall, 77% said that marijuana had “legitimate medical uses.” ↩

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9 facts about Americans and marijuana

Most americans favor legalizing marijuana for medical, recreational use, most americans now live in a legal marijuana state – and most have at least one dispensary in their county, americans overwhelmingly say marijuana should be legal for medical or recreational use, clear majorities of black americans favor marijuana legalization, easing of criminal penalties, most popular, report materials.

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• Effective Arguments for Regulating and Taxing Marijuana
• Cannabis Legalization

Introduction

The key to being a successful advocate of ending cannabis prohibition is effective communication. Specifically, advocates must be able to: 1) convey the most important arguments in support of legalizing, regulating, and taxing cannabis, and 2) respond to arguments made in opposition to legalization. Whether you are engaging in personal discussions, participating in public debates, conducting media interviews, or corresponding with government officials, it is critical that you are prepared. This document will provide you with the most persuasive talking points and strongest rebuttals to employ when communicating about the benefits of replacing cannabis prohibition with a system of regulating and taxing cannabis for adults. We recommend you keep it handy when conducting interviews or engaging in public debates. You are welcome to convey the information verbatim or simply use it as a general guide when carrying out advocacy activities. NOTE: New statistics and studies are constantly emerging. If you would like to confirm whether a given piece of information is current, or if you would like to suggest additions or revisions to this document, please contact the Marijuana Policy Project communications department at [email protected] . Some information was adapted from Marijuana Is Safer: So why are we driving people to drink? (Chelsea Green, July 2013) by Steve Fox, Paul Armentano, and Mason Tvert.  

Cannabis and Alcohol (Not Cannabis vs. Alcohol)  

You will notice this document includes many comparisons drawn between cannabis and alcohol, most of which pertain to the relative safety of the former compared to the latter. This information should not be used to express the notion that alcohol should be illegal or that laws governing it should be more restrictive. Alcohol prohibition was a failed policy that produced many of the same problems that are associated with cannabis prohibition. Rather, the information comparing cannabis and alcohol should be used to highlight the intellectual dishonesty and hypocrisy of laws that allow adults to use alcohol and punish them for using a less harmful substance. It can also be used to highlight the inherent harm associated with such disparate, co-existing policies. Just as it would be bad public policy to prohibit people from choosing to consume chicken instead of beef — or beer instead of liquor — it is bad public policy to prohibit adults from consuming cannabis instead of alcohol, if that is what they would prefer.

Proactive Arguments

These are the key points we want to make when given the opportunity to make our case.

• Cannabis prohibition has been just as ineffective, inefficient, and problematic as alcohol prohibition. Polls show a strong and growing majority of Americans agree it is time to end cannabis prohibition. Nationwide, an October 2019 Gallup poll found that 66% support making cannabis use legal for adults, up from 48% in 2008 and 36% in 2005. [1] An October 2019 Pew Research Center poll found two-thirds (67%) of Americans support legalization up from 53% in 2015 and 32% in 2006. [2]
• Cannabis is objectively less harmful than alcohol to the consumer and to society. It is less toxic, less harmful to the body, less addictive, and less likely to contribute to violent or reckless behavior. Adults should not be punished for making the safer choice to use cannabis instead of alcohol, if that is what they prefer.
• Regulating cannabis like alcohol will replace the uncontrolled illicit market with a tightly regulated system. By legalizing and regulating cannabis, authorities actually know who is selling it, where it is being sold, when, and to whom. In jurisdictions where cannabis is legal, it is produced and sold by legitimate, taxpaying businesses instead of drug cartels and criminals. These businesses will be required to test their products and adhere to strict labeling and packaging requirements that ensure cannabis is identifiable and consumers know what they are getting.
• Government resources should not be wasted arresting and prosecuting cannabis consumers. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are arrested each year for cannabis-related offenses, the vast majority of which are for simple possession. Government resources could be better spent on things like testing untested rape kits or investing in human needs, such as mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment, and activities for at-risk teens.
• Enforcement of cannabis prohibition laws disproportionately impacts communities of color. Despite using cannabis at roughly the same rates as whites, Blacks in the U.S. are nearly four times more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession. In some states, the disparity is even greater. [3]

Reactive Arguments               

These are responses to arguments we frequently hear from our opponents.                                                      

Too Dangerous/Unhealthy for Consumers

• Every objective study on cannabis has concluded that it is less harmful than alcohol to the consumer and to society. Following an “exhaustive and comprehensive” two-year study of cannabis performed by the Canadian government, the chair of the Special Senate Committee on Illegal Drugs reported, “Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates that cannabis is substantially less harmful than alcohol.” [4] Most Americans recognize that alcohol prohibition was a failure and agree adults should have the right to consume alcohol responsibly. [5] It is illogical to punish adults for consuming a less harmful substance, and it is irrational to steer them toward drinking if they would prefer to make the safer choice to use cannabis instead.
• The health effects of alcohol consumption are a primary factor in countless deaths. The health effects of cannabis consumption are not a primary factor in any deaths. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were more than 35,000 alcohol-induced deaths in the U.S. in 2017 (i.e. deaths caused directly by long-term use and accidental overdose; this does not include deaths caused by unintentional injuries, homicides, and other causes indirectly related to alcohol use). The CDC did not report any cannabis-induced deaths. [6] A study published in Scientific Reports  in January 2015 found that the mortality risk associated with cannabis was approximately 114 times less than that of alcohol. [7] In January 2017, the National Academies of Sciences released an exhaustive review of cannabis-related research that found no link between cannabis use and mortality. [8]
• Many people die from alcohol overdoses. There has never been a confirmed cannabis overdose death. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine concluded in 2017 that no link has been established between cannabis and fatal overdoses. [9] Meanwhile, the CDC reports an average of more than 2,200 alcohol poisoning deaths per year. [10] The official publication of the Scientific Research Society reported that alcohol is one of the most toxic drugs and that death can result from consuming just 10 times the effective dose (the amount a person would use to experience the desired effect). Cannabis, on the other hand, is one of the least toxic drugs, requiring thousands of times the effective dose to lead to death. [11] In 1988, after hearing two years of testimony, the chief administrative law judge for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) determined “it is physically impossible to eat enough cannabis to induce death” and concluded, “Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man.” [12]
• There are far more health-related problems associated with alcohol use than with cannabis use, and the health-related costs associated with alcohol far exceed those associated with cannabis.  In 2005, a University of Oxford meta-analysis on cannabis concluded that even long-term cannabis use does not cause “any lasting physical or mental harm. … Overall, by comparison with other drugs used mainly for ‘recreational’ purposes, cannabis could be rated to be a relatively safe drug.” [13] In the mid-1990s, the World Health Organization commissioned a study on the health and societal consequences of cannabis compared to alcohol and other drugs, which concluded the overall risks associated with cannabis are “small to moderate in size” and “unlikely to produce public health problems comparable in scale to those currently produced by alcohol and tobacco.” [14] Health-related costs for alcohol consumers are eight times greater than those for cannabis consumers, according to an assessment performed by researchers at the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and the Centre for Addictions Research of British Columbia. [15] More specifically, the annual cost of alcohol consumption is $165 per user, compared to just $20 per user for cannabis.

Cancer and the Impact of Smoking or Vaporizing Cannabis on the Lungs

• Extensive research has failed to find a link between cannabis and cancer. In January 2017, the National Academies of Sciences released a review of more than 10,000 scientific abstracts that concluded there is no link between smoking cannabis and the development of lung, head, or neck cancers. [16] It also did not find a link between cannabis use and asthma or other respiratory diseases, and the respiratory problems it did link to smoking cannabis, such as bronchitis, appeared to improve after consumers stopped using it. Similarly, in 1999, the National Academies’ Institute of Medicine reported, “There is no conclusive evidence that marijuana causes cancer in humans, including cancers usually related to tobacco use.” [17] According to research published in the journal Cancer, Causes, and Control , cannabis inhalation — unlike tobacco smoking — has not been positively associated with increased incidences of cancers of the lung, mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, breast, colon, skin, or prostate. [18] It was also reaffirmed in 2006 by the largest case-controlled study ever conducted to investigate the respiratory effects of cannabis smoking and cigarette smoking. The study, led by Dr. Donald Tashkin at the University of California at Los Angeles, found “no association at all” between cannabis smoking and an increased risk of developing lung cancer, even among subjects who reported smoking more than 22,000 joints over their lifetimes. [19] , [20] Surprisingly, the UCLA researchers found that people who smoked cannabis actually had  lower incidences of cancer compared to non-users, leading them to the conclusion that cannabis might have a protective effect against lung cancer. Other studies have shown that cannabis can kill cancer cells and inhibit tumor growth. [21] , [22]
• The effects of smoking cannabis pale in comparison to those associated with smoking tobacco. Opponents of cannabis policy reform often talk about the presence of carcinogens in cannabis smoke, oftentimes arguing that there are more cancer-causing chemicals in cannabis than in tobacco. Yet, there has never been a single documented case of a cannabis-only smoker developing lung cancer as a result of his or her cannabis use. Meanwhile, tobacco is responsible for 30% of all cancer deaths in the U.S. and 87% of lung cancer deaths. [23] According to research published in 2013 in the journal Annals of the American Thoracic Society , “[H]abitual use of marijuana alone does not appear to lead to significant abnormalities in lung function.” It concluded, “In summary, the accumulated weight of evidence implies far lower risks for pulmonary complications of even regular heavy use of marijuana compared with the grave pulmonary consequences of tobacco.” [24] Inhaling any kind of smoke is unhealthy, but the effects of smoking cannabis are relatively mild and short-term in nature. Typically, they take the form of coughing, wheezing, and bronchitis that dissipate after the cessation of use. A 2012 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that moderate lifetime cannabis smoking — defined as at least one joint per day for seven years or one joint per week for 49 years — is not associated with adverse effects on pulmonary function. [25]
• Exposure to secondhand cannabis smoke — unlike tobacco smoke — has little to no effect. There is no evidence that exposure to secondhand cannabis smoke has any significant long-term health implications, whereas studies have shown secondhand tobacco smoke can cause health issues. [26] In 1986, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) conducted a study in which they placed people in an unventilated 8x7-foot room and burned a series of cannabis cigarettes. After being exposed to the smoke of four joints for one continuous hour for six consecutive days, most participants had no trace of cannabis in their systems. Those who did only had THC metabolites detectable in their urine (meaning they were never actually “high”). It took researchers burning 16 joints for one continuous hour each day for six consecutive days to produce the effect of consuming one joint. Obviously, it is pretty rare that anyone would ever find themselves in a small room where 16 joints are smoked continuously for one hour per day for six consecutive days.
• Only legalization allows for the regulation of vaporization devices and cartridges, enabling regulators to keep dangerous additives and pesticides out of cannabis products . Most or all of the cannabis vaporization-related lung illnesses and deaths were tied to the illicit market. A California laboratory tested illegal and regulated cannabis vaporization cartridges and found that 13 out of 15 of the illegal products included vitamin E acetate, the compound the CDC identified as the likely cause of the illnesses. [27] None of the legal products it tested had these additives, nor did they have the illicit pesticides or heavy metals that were present in most of the illicit cartridges.
• There are many ways to consume cannabis other than smoking or vaporizing, including edible products, tinctures, capsules, and topicals. Creating a legal, regulated market for a variety of products makes it easier for consumers to choose non-smoked options.  

Addiction and Treatment

• Cannabis is significantly less addictive than alcohol and tobacco. According to a 1998 report by Drs. Jack E. Henningfield of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and Neal L. Benowitz of the University of California at San Francisco, cannabis’s addiction potential is no greater than that of caffeine. [28] A comprehensive federal study conducted by the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine arrived at a similar conclusion: “Millions of Americans have tried marijuana, but most are not regular users [and] few marijuana users become dependent on it … [A]lthough [some] marijuana users develop dependence, they appear to be less likely to do so than users of other drugs (including alcohol and nicotine), and marijuana dependence appears to be less severe than dependence on other drugs.” According to the IOM report, only 9% of cannabis users ever meet the clinical criteria for a diagnosis of cannabis “dependence” based on the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd edition, revised), compared to 15% of alcohol users and 32% of tobacco users. [29] Some experts believe significantly fewer than 9% of cannabis users are actually dependent because the DSM is clearly biased against cannabis use, whereas it is accepting of alcohol use. [30] It considers moderate, non-problematic cannabis use a “mental disorder,” but goes out of its way to make the case that the moderate use of alcohol — a more addictive and potentially harmful substance — is not a disorder. It even notes, “[S]ocial drinking frequently causes loquacity, euphoria, and slurred speech; but this should not be considered Intoxication unless maladaptive behavior, such as fighting, impaired judgment, or impaired social or occupational functioning, results.” In other words, drinking to the point of experiencing euphoria and slurred speech is not considered “intoxication,” whereas using any amount of cannabis should be considered “intoxication.” The DSM survey is also conducted under the assumption that using cannabis on six occasions could constitute dependence, whereas using alcohol on any number of occasions might not. Specifically, the DSM considers someone dependent if they report that at least three of seven statements about their cannabis use apply to them. For example, it asks if “a great deal of time was spent in activities necessary to get the substance.” Because cannabis is illegal in most of the country, it is quite likely that the individual had to spend more time trying to get it, but that does not suggest they are addicted. It also asks if “important social, occupational, or recreational activities [were] given up or reduced because of use.” Yet, some people might lose their jobs if they get arrested or fail a workplace drug test, or they might feel they have fewer opportunities because they are worried prospective employers will require drug tests. Again, this does not make someone “addicted” to cannabis. A third criterion is whether the individual's use increases as they become tolerant of the substance. If someone experiences increased tolerance of the substance and uses more to get the desired effect, yet experiences no problems as a result, they should not be considered “addicted” to the substance. A couple other DSM criteria for dependence are similarly suspect. It is worth noting that some research has concluded that allowing people to use cannabis could produce a reduction in their consumption of more addictive substances. For example, a study performed by a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley found that “medical marijuana patients have been engaging in substitution by using cannabis as an alternative to alcohol, prescription and illicit drugs.” It also recommended further research to determine whether “substitution might be a viable alternative to abstinence for those who are not able, or do not wish to stop using psychoactive substances completely.” [31] This hypothesis will surely be explored as states continue to remove legal barriers to adult cannabis consumption.
• Most people in treatment for cannabis were ordered there by the criminal justice system. In other words, they didn’t actually seek or need treatment, but were arrested and offered treatment as an alternative to jail time or other serious penalties. According to data released in 2017 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), more than half of the people in drug treatment primarily for cannabis were referred by the criminal justice system, and fewer than one in five checked themselves in voluntarily or were referred by another individual. [32] Essentially, the government arrests people for using cannabis and forces them into treatment, and then it and other opponents of cannabis policy reform use those treatment admissions as “proof” that cannabis is addictive. The real scandal here is that countless needed treatment slots are being wasted on responsible cannabis users whose only problem with the drug was that they got caught with it.

Mental Health

• The evidence shows no causal relationship between cannabis use and the onset of mental health conditions. Many opponents misrepresent a 2017 report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which found an  association  between cannabis use and schizophrenia, not that cannabis use  causes In fact, the report itself noted, “In certain societies, the incidence of schizophrenia has remained stable over the past 50 years despite the introduction of cannabis into those settings.” Surely if marijuana use caused schizophrenia, that would not be the case. Further, one of the committee members of the study, Ziva Cooper, rebutted the claim that cannabis use causes schizophrenia in a series of Tweets. Cooper wrote, “Since the report, we now know that genetic risk for schizophrenia predicts cannabis use, shedding some light on the potential direction of the association between cannabis use and schizophrenia.” Similarly, if cannabis causes psychosis, rates of psychosis should rise if cannabis use goes up, but that has not happened. According to a report published by the prestigious British medical journal The Lancet , cannabis use skyrocketed in the 1960s and 1970s, but there was no significant increase in rates of psychosis. [33] In 2009, researchers at the Keele University Medical School in Britain arrived at a similar conclusion: “[I]ncreases in population cannabis use have not been followed by increases in psychotic incidence.” [34] In late 2005, the British government’s scientific advisors on drug policy reviewed the evidence surrounding cannabis and mental illness and determined that the data do not demonstrate that cannabis causes depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. [35] Specifically, the British Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs concluded, “The evidence for the existence of an association between frequency of cannabis use and the development of psychosis is, on the available evidence, weak.” A study published in the journal Addictive Behaviors in 2006 found lower rates of depression in cannabis users than in non-users. [36] There have been a handful of studies that have identified a minor association between chronic cannabis use and increased symptoms of mental health conditions, but other studies have failed to find such a link. [37] , [38] Confounding factors such as poly-drug use, family history, and poverty make it difficult to study cannabis’s potential impact on mental health.
• Cannabis affects different people differently — like many substances, it can be problematic for some people and beneficial for others. The relationship between cannabis and schizophrenia is a lot like sugar and diabetes. Both illnesses are primarily genetic in origin. Sugar can set off a diabetic attack in vulnerable individuals, and cannabis can set off or worsen a psychotic reaction in schizophrenics or in people with a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia. That’s not the same thing as causing the illness in the first place. There are some people who shouldn’t use cannabis, just like there are some people who should avoid sugar. It is worth noting that survey data and anecdotal reports of individuals finding therapeutic relief from depression and other mental conditions are not uncommon. Clinical testing on the use of cannabinoids to treat certain symptoms of mental illness has been recommended. [39]

Brain Damage

• There is no conclusive evidence that cannabis kills brain cells or causes brain damage, even in long-term heavy consumers. According to research published in the Journal of Neuroscience in January 2015, even daily cannabis use is not associated with changes in brain volume in adults or adolescents, noting it “lack[s] even a modest effect.” [40] They also found significant inconsistencies among scientific papers that claimed cannabis causes parts of the brain to shrink.

Decline in IQ

• There is no conclusive evidence that cannabis use results in lowered IQ. In 2014, researchers at University College London reported to the annual congress of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology that they found “no relationship between cannabis use and IQ,” even among the heaviest users. They also reported that alcohol use is strongly associated with a decline in IQ. [41] Supporters of maintaining cannabis prohibition often cite a 2012 Duke study (based on data from New Zealand) that was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) , which linked minors’ chronic cannabis use to a long-term reduction in IQ. But they typically fail to mention that the same journal published an analysis later that year that criticized the study for having flawed methodology. [42] In summary, it failed to account for the low socioeconomic status of many of the study's participants, and research has found that adolescents of low socioeconomic status tend to experience declines in IQ regardless of cannabis use. A study published by the Canadian Medical Association Journal that included only middle-class participants found that IQ only decreased among current cannabis consumers, and even in heavy users, it rebounded after they stopped using it. [43] It is also worth noting that one of the researchers who performed the New Zealand study told news sources “[she] is fairly confident that cannabis is safe for over-18 brains.” [44]

Motivation and School/Job Performance

• The claim that cannabis makes people “amotivated” is a myth that has been repeatedly debunked by experts. In its comprehensive 1999 report on cannabis, the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine concluded, “no convincing data demonstrate a causal relationship between cannabis smoking and these behavioral characteristics.” [45] Similarly, an Australian government review produced by several of the world’s leading experts concluded, “There is no compelling evidence for an amotivational syndrome among chronic cannabis users.” [46] An analysis released by the World Health Organization in 1995 arrived at a similar conclusion. [47] Some studies of college students have found that cannabis consumers actually earn higher grades than non-users. [48]
• Any substance or behavior can potentially interfere with an individual’s ability to perform well at work or in school. Whether it’s cannabis, alcohol, food, or video games, too much of it can be problematic for some people. The vast majority of cannabis users do not encounter such problems.

Gateway Theory

• The so-called “Gateway Theory” has been debunked repeatedly. Most recently, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine reported in February 2017 that there is no substantial link between cannabis use and the use of other illegal drugs. [49] A 1999 study by the National Academies’ Institute of Medicine found that cannabis “does not appear to be a gateway drug to the extent that it is the cause or even that it is the most significant predictor of serious drug abuse; that is, care must be taken not to attribute cause to association.” [50] In June 2015, the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse published research that concluded cannabis use itself was not a risk factor for use of other substances. [51]
• If there is a “gateway drug,” it is alcohol, which almost always precedes the use of cannabis. [52] But just as alcohol use does not cause people to use cannabis, using cannabis does not cause people to use other illicit drugs. In other words, there is correlation but not causation. Given the wide-scale availability and popularity of alcohol and cannabis, it comes as little surprise that people who use other illicit drugs previously tried alcohol and cannabis.
• The vast majority of people who have used cannabis never try any other drugs. About half of all Americans have used cannabis at some point in their lives. [53] Yet, only 3.4% have ever tried crack, only 1.9% have ever tried heroin, and fewer than 15% of Americans have ever tried cocaine, the second most popular illegal drug after cannabis. [54] If using cannabis caused people to use other drugs, there would be far more users of other drugs.
• By forcing cannabis consumers into the underground market, we are dramatically increasing the possibility that they will be exposed to other more dangerous drugs.  According to a 1997 report published by the Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction: “There is no physically determined tendency toward switching from marijuana to harder substances. Social factors, however, do appear to play a role. The more users become integrated in an environment (‘subculture’) where, apart from cannabis, hard drugs can also be obtained, the greater the chance that they may switch to hard drugs. Separation of the drug markets is therefore essential.” [55]

Cannabis Is Not Harmless

• No drug is entirely harmless, including cannabis, and we’ve never said it is. But it’s also true that independent scientific and government reviews have concluded that the health risks of cannabis are much lower than those of alcohol and tobacco, and that those risks don’t justify arresting and jailing responsible, adult cannabis users. (See other sections regarding relative harms of cannabis compared to other substances.)
• We need to be honest about the actual harms of all substances, and it would be irresponsible not to discuss the fact that cannabis is objectively less harmful than alcohol. Do you think people should be aware of the fact that cannabis poses less potential harm to the consumer than heroin or methamphetamine? Why wouldn't we want people to be aware of the fact that cannabis is less harmful than alcohol, too?

Potency and Concentrates (Oils, Hashes, Waxes, Kief, “Dabs”)

• Even the most potent cannabis is far less harmful than alcohol. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) attributes about 35,000 deaths per year in the U.S. to alcohol use alone, including hundreds from overdoses. It attributes zero to cannabis, and there has never been a fatal cannabis overdose in history. [56] “You can die binge-drinking minutes after you've been exposed to alcohol. That isn't going to happen with marijuana,” according to Ruben Baler, a health scientist at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). [57]
• Like alcohol, there are more potent and less potent types of cannabis, and regulating cannabis will ensure consumers know what they are getting. Some people prefer to have a cocktail instead of a beer, and as a result, they know to drink less of it. By regulating cannabis like alcohol, we can ensure it is packaged and labeled properly. It would be unthinkable to sell beer and tequila side-by-side without having them labeled so people know one is far stronger than the other.
• If cannabis concentrates are banned, they will end up being produced and sold in the same underground market we are trying to eliminate. We should ensure these products are being produced safely and responsibly by licensed businesses in appropriate locations.
• A majority of Americans support making cannabis legal, and they care just as much about protecting young people as those who wish to keep cannabis illegal. They simply believe regulation would be a more effective way of doing it.
• Cannabis prohibition has failed miserably at keeping cannabis out of the hands of teens. From 1975-2012, 80-90% of 12th graders consistently reported that cannabis was “fairly easy” or “very easy” to obtain. For the first time since the survey began 40 years ago, high school seniors’ perception of cannabis’s availability has dipped below 80% — after states began to legalize cannabis. [58] If a key goal of prohibition is to keep cannabis out of the hands of young people, yet more than 80% could get it easily, that is a sign that the policy failed. It's time for a more thoughtful approach.
• By forcing cannabis into an underground market, we are guaranteeing that sales will be entirely uncontrolled. Illegal cannabis dealers do not ask for ID, they sell a product that is unregulated and possibly impure, and they might expose consumers to other more harmful drugs. In a regulated market, businesses would be required to ask customers for proof of age, and they would face severe penalties for selling cannabis to minors.
• Strictly regulating alcohol and tobacco products and restricting sales to minors have produced significant decreases in use and availability among teens. The rate of teen cannabis use has generally remained steady over the past several years, whereas levels of alcohol and cigarette use have decreased. [59] Over the past several years, cigarette use and availability among teens, which had been sharply increasing in the early 1990s, began steadily declining shortly after the 1995 implementation of the “We Card” program, a renewed commitment to strictly restricting the sale of tobacco to young people, along with a focused effort on public education. Ultimately, we were able to dramatically reduce teen tobacco use without arresting any adults for using tobacco.
• Research has shown that reforming cannabis laws does not increase teen cannabis use. A study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry in 2016 found that the number of teens using cannabis — and the number with problematic use — is falling as more states legalize or decriminalize cannabis. The findings were based on a survey of more than 200,000 youth in all 50 states. Government surveys of students in states with medical cannabis and legalization laws have consistently shown humane cannabis policies do not result in increases in teen cannabis use. [60] According to the most comprehensive surveys, no state has seen an overall increase outside of the confidence interval since passage. Data has long shown that medical cannabis protections do not cause teen cannabis use rates to increase. A 2015 national study covering 24 years of data published in The Lancet found that medical cannabis laws do not lead to an increase in teen cannabis use. According to the lead researcher, the findings “provide the strongest evidence to date that marijuana use by teenagers does not increase after a state legalizes medical marijuana.” [61] Similarly, as the American Academy of Pediatrics noted in its statement supporting decriminalization, “Decriminalization of recreational use of marijuana by adults has also not led to an increase in youth use rates of recreational marijuana.”
• Available data suggests that legalizing and regulating cannabis for adult use has not led to increases in teen use. In February 2017, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported the rate of cannabis use among adolescents “has not changed since legalization either in terms of the number of people using or the frequency of use among users. …Based on the most comprehensive data available, past-month marijuana use among Colorado adolescents is nearly identical to the national average.” [62] It based this conclusion on the results of its biannual Healthy Kids Colorado Survey (HKCS), which found 21.2% of high school students in Colorado reported using cannabis within the past 30 days in 2015 (compared to 21.7% nationwide). This was a slight drop from 22% in 2011, the year before the state approved a legalization initiative. HKCS’s 2017 study shows the favorable trend has continued: 19.4% of high school students in Colorado reported using cannabis within the past 30 days in 2017.
• Washington has had a similar experience since voters legalized cannabis in 2012. The Washington State Healthy Youth Survey, a state-run survey of 37,000 middle and high school students, found that the rate of cannabis use remained basically unchanged from 2012-2018. Similarly, Oregon’s Health Teens Survey found no increase from 2013- 2017. The CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey conducts large-scale surveys in five legalization states — Alaska, California, Massachusetts, Maine, and Nevada. Its before-and-after data shows no statistically significant increases in high schoolers’ past-30-day cannabis use. (Four of the states’ data indicated decreases within the confidence interval, while Alaska’s data indicated an increase within the confidence interval.) [63] The head of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Nora Volkow, has acknowledged that cannabis usage rates have not risen in recent years despite changes in policy and public attitudes. “All of those factors have led many to predict that there would be an increase in the pattern of use of marijuana among teenagers and we are not seeing it,” she said in an interview in December 2015. [64] She echoed the same point a year later: “We had predicted based on the changes in legalization, culture in the U.S. as well as decreasing perceptions among teenagers that marijuana was harmful [and] that [accessibility and use] would go up. But it hasn’t gone up.” [65]

Sending the Wrong Message to Teens

• Cannabis is already widely available and widely used — regulating it simply sends the messages that cannabis is for adults and should be handled responsibly. Cannabis prohibition laws, which allow adults to use alcohol but punish them for using a less harmful substance, are intellectually dishonest. Once young people realize that cannabis is not as dangerous as they have been led to believe, they are less likely to trust authorities’ warnings about other more dangerous drugs.
• Cannabis prohibition laws send the inaccurate and potentially dangerous message that cannabis is more harmful than alcohol. By allowing adults to use alcohol and making it a crime for them to use cannabis, our laws are steering people toward using the substance that is much more likely to cause harm to them or those around them. Our laws should reflect the facts, and it is a fact that cannabis is less harmful than alcohol.

Continuing Racial Disparities in Enforcement

• Advocates of reform do not claim decriminalization or legalization will make racial disparity in enforcement disappear. Pointing out that racial disparities exist and that ending cannabis prohibition can decrease the impacts of those disparities is not the same as saying racial disparities will end. Changing policies merely takes away some the mechanisms most commonly used for racially unequal policing.
• Decreases in arrests, searches, and convictions are a net benefit. While disparities continue to be found in arrest rates for things like underage consumption and public use after legalization, the overall decrease in arrests results in fewer people of color being arrested or fined. Following legalization, both the number of searches during traffic stops and the disparities in those searches plummeted in both Washington and Colorado. [66] Unnecessary searches can be intrusive, traumatic, dangerous, and destroy trust between law enforcement and communities.

Legal Age (18 vs. 21 vs. other ages)

• Like with alcohol, it will be up to lawmakers and/or voters to decide the appropriate legal age for using cannabis. Some people believe the legal age should be 18 because the individual is legally an adult and cannabis is far less harmful than alcohol and tobacco. Others think it should be 19 or older because 18-year-olds are still in high school and might be tempted to purchase it for their underage friends. Many people think the age limit should be 21 because, like alcohol, cannabis is intoxicating. It could be different from state to state as it used to be for alcohol, or a national legal age could be set at some point. So far, every legalization state in the U.S. has set the age at 21. In Canada, the legal age for cannabis has mirrored the legal drinking age, which is 18 or 19, depending on the province.                                  

Crime and Violence

• Research generally shows that cannabis — unlike alcohol — is not linked to violent or aggressive behavior. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine performed an analysis of more than 10,000 scientific abstracts about cannabis and did not appear to find a link between cannabis use and violent behavior. In fact, research often shows cannabis use reduces the likelihood of that an individual will act violently. According to research published in the journal, Addictive Behaviors , “Alcohol is clearly the drug with the most evidence to support a direct intoxication-violence relationship,” whereas, “Cannabis reduces the likelihood of violence during intoxication.” [67] The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 25% to 30% of violent crimes and 3% to 4% of property crimes in the U.S. are linked to the use of alcohol. [68] According to a report from the U.S. Department of Justice, that translates to nearly 5,000,000 alcohol-related violent crimes per year. [69] By contrast, the government does not even track violent acts specifically related to cannabis use, as the use of cannabis has not been associated with violence. If we truly want to reduce the likelihood of violence in our communities, we should be allowing adults to use cannabis instead of alcohol, if that is what they prefer. Some opponents of cannabis policy reform claim cannabis users commit crimes to support their use of cannabis. Yet, cannabis is no more addictive than coffee, which is why neither cannabis users nor coffee drinkers commit crimes to support their use.
• Alcohol is a particularly significant factor in the prevalence of domestic violence and sexual assault, whereas cannabis is not. This is not to say that alcohol causes these problems; rather, its use makes it more likely that an individual prone to such behavior will act on it. For example, investigators at the Research Institute on Addictions reported, “The use of alcohol… was associated with significant increases in the daily likelihood of male-to-female physical aggression,” whereas the use of marijuana was “not significantly associated with an increased likelihood of male partner violence.” [70] Specifically, the odds of abuse were eight times higher on days when men were drinking; the odds of severe abuse were 11 times higher. The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network’ (RAINN) webpage dedicated to educating the public about “Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault” highlights alcohol as the “most commonly used chemical in crimes of sexual assault” and provides information on an array of other drugs that have been linked to sexual violence. [71] The words “marijuana” and “cannabis” do not appear anywhere on the page.
• Legalization has not corresponded with increased crime rates. Government-published data, academic research, and the experiences of many law enforcement officials indicate that cannabis policy reform does not increase crime rates. Relying on statistics from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports, peer-reviewed studies have analyzed changes after passage of both adult-use legalization and medical cannabis laws. Contrary to assertions made by some opponents of legalization, there is no compelling basis for claims that legalizing cannabis and establishing regulated markets undermines public safety.
• Cannabis prohibition leads to violence. Virtually all the crime associated with cannabis is a direct result of its prohibition. Cannabis prohibition has relegated the sale of cannabis to criminal enterprises. In doing so, it is exposing many consumers to more harmful people and products. And since cannabis is illegal, these individuals are unable to rely on law enforcement officials to step in when business-related disputes and incidents occur. Violence is often employed to expand turf, which results in violence that affects not just cannabis dealers and consumers, but the broader communities of which they’re a part. A peer-reviewed paper in The Economic Journal supports the argument that legalizing cannabis reduces crime by displacing illicit markets traditionally controlled by drug cartels and illicit distributors. [72] Meanwhile, legalizing cannabis also frees up police time for crimes with victims. In a 2018 analysis, experts at Washington State University found that police solved significantly more violent and property crimes after passage of legalization laws in Colorado and Washington. [73]
• States’ experiences with medical cannabis dispensaries and retailers have demonstrated that there is no link between regulated cannabis businesses and crime — in fact, they might reduce it. A study published in 2013, which was conducted at the University of California at Los Angeles and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), concluded: “[The] results suggest that the density of [medical marijuana dispensaries] may not be associated with increased crime rates or that measures dispensaries take to reduce crime (i.e., doormen, video cameras) may increase guardianship, such that it deters possible motivated offenders.” [74] A 2017 study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) found that the closure of dispensaries around Los Angeles was associated with an increase in crime in surrounding areas. [75] The following year, researchers from RAND reported a “negative and significant relationship between dispensary allowances and property crime rates.” [76]

Driving Under the Influence

• It is currently illegal to drive while impaired by cannabis, and it will remain illegal after cannabis is regulated and legal for adults. Since law enforcement officials will no longer need to spend time arresting and prosecuting adults for possessing cannabis, they will have more time to spend enforcing laws against driving under the influence of alcohol, cannabis, and other substances.
• Statistics connecting cannabis use to traffic accidents are generally unreliable. For example, cannabis can remain detectable in a user’s system for several days or even several weeks after he or she consumes cannabis, and the data on traffic accidents usually does not differentiate between whether a driver was actually under the influence at the time of the accident. Oftentimes, the data also does not differentiate between which driver was at fault, meaning drivers who tested positive for cannabis may not have actually caused the accident. It is also worth noting that many fatal accidents don’t involve testing for the prevalence of drugs, and in some states it is involved in fewer than half. [77] , [78] In addition, some increases in cannabis detection in accidents can be attributed to increased rates of testing after cannabis became legal.
• Data and research studies cast doubt on the link between legalization and increased traffic safety problems. Though some research has found a modest increase in traffic fatalities in Colorado and Washington post-legalization, other studies have reached different conclusions, and there are good reasons to doubt claims that legalization causes an increase in fatal crashes. A paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research analyzed the rates of drivers found with THC (cannabis’s primary psychoactive ingredient) in their systems after fatal car crashes from 2013 to 2016. The researchers then compared the patterns of THC-positive drivers in Colorado and Washington during that time period to those in other states. In a summary of their results, the authors wrote, “We find the synthetic control groups saw similar changes in marijuana-related, alcohol-related and overall traffic fatality rates despite not legalizing recreational marijuana.” Furthermore, according to data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, four of the eight states that legalized cannabis from 2012 through 2016 saw decreased rates of fatal car crashes following passage of legalization laws. These reduced crash rates were greater than the reduction seen on the national level over the same time period. Data from the Colorado Department of Transportation do not support the assertion that cannabis-impaired driving is becoming a more significant problem in the state. In 2016 (when the state initiated uniform reporting procedures for cannabis impaired driving cases), there were 51 “cannabis-involved fatalities.” In 2017 and 2018, the state reported 35 and 31, respectively. [79]
• Drivers can be tested for cannabis, and it is currently being done throughout the country. Typically, blood tests and urinalysis are used to determine whether a driver has consumed cannabis. Urinalysis can detect the presence of cannabis even if it was consumed days or weeks earlier, so it is not a good indicator of whether a driver is actually under the influence. Blood tests are far more demonstrative of whether an individual is actually “under the influence,” and states have adopted laws that establish a “legal limit” for cannabis. For example, Washington has established a “per se” limit of five ng/ml of THC in the blood, meaning any person found at or above that level is automatically deemed impaired (just as a person with a 0.08 blood alcohol concentration is automatically deemed impaired). There is evidence that some cannabis consumers maintain levels of five ng/ml of THC or more for several hours or even days after they have consumed, which has led to criticism that such “per se” standards can result in unimpaired drivers being charged for driving while impaired. In light of that evidence, Colorado has established a limit of five ng/ml with “rebuttable presumption,” meaning an individual is not automatically deemed impaired and can challenge the charge in court. Clearly, there is still a need to determine whether a driver is impaired by cannabis, but states already have Drug Recognition Expert training for just that purpose. Police use this training to detect drivers impaired by an array of prescription, over-the-counter, and illicit drugs. Any standards and penalties that are adopted should reflect existing science and must be based on demonstrating actual driving impairment.

Employment Issues and Drug Testing

• State voters or lawmakers can adopt laws that allow employers to maintain or create employment policies that prohibit the use of cannabis by employees on and off the job. Most of the legalization laws require employers to change their employment or drug testing policies. In one state, Nevada, a law does not allow a person to be denied employment based on a pre-employment drug screen, unless the employee has a safety-sensitive position, including a job that “in the determination of the employer, could adversely affect the safety of others.”
• There are laws in place that ensure employers have the ability to prohibit the use of cannabis by employees in “high-risk” or “safety-sensitive” positions. Don’t be fooled by opponents who claim making cannabis legal for adults will result in surgeons, pilots, truck drivers, and electrical line workers performing their jobs under the influence of cannabis.
• Adults should not be punished for using cannabis outside of the workplace unless there is some sort of extenuating circumstance, just as they should not be punished for consuming alcohol outside of the workplace. It’s worth noting that alcohol can produce a hangover, which can negatively affect an employee’s performance the day after he or she consumes it, whereas cannabis does not produce hangovers. Because of how the body metabolizes cannabis, urinalysis can detect it in the body for up to several weeks. The effects of cannabis, however, only last for up to several hours. Any employee drug-testing program should take this into account to ensure employees are not being punished for consuming cannabis outside of the workplace. Since cannabis is detectable for much longer than other substances, testing employees for it could steer them toward drinking or using other less detectable drugs. Employees should not perform potentially dangerous work when impaired by anything , be it sleep deprivation, prescription drugs, over-the-counter medication, or alcohol. The best way to keep workplaces safe is to ensure employees are fit to perform their duties. Cognitive awareness impairment alertness testing is likely a better solution than periodically testing employees’ urine for specific substances.
• Adopting a law that regulates cannabis like alcohol would not be a violation of the Federal Drug Free Workplace Act. The FDFW Act simply requires employers to have a drug policy and to have penalties for violations of that policy.

Industry Concerns (“Big Tobacco,” Advertising, Etc.)

• Why would we want cannabis to be sold by illegally instead of licensed businesses? Cannabis is widely available, widely used, and objectively less harmful than alcohol. There is no reason why we should be leaving it in the underground market where its cultivation and sale are entirely uncontrolled.  
• This is a new industry, and we have the opportunity to create responsible regulations right off the bat. State and local governments are able to create broad rules covering advertising, labeling, testing, serving sizes, additives, permissible financial interests, production caps, licensing classes, etc. Cannabis businesses and business groups are pushing for strong and sensible regulations since they are needed in order to establish and maintain a legitimate cannabis industry. For example, Colorado’s largest cannabis industry organization was a vocal supporter of a successful 2012 effort to ban outdoor advertising by cannabis businesses in Denver. [80] Ultimately, nobody wants to ensure these businesses are following all of the regulations more than the businesses themselves.
• The tobacco industry was initially poorly regulated, and there was not nearly as much public knowledge about the health effects of tobacco as we currently have for cannabis. For example, tobacco companies are now notorious for having used additives to make their products more addictive. Such practices are banned in legalization states. The biggest problem with the tobacco industry is that it sells an exceptionally dangerous product. Its use alone kills hundreds of thousands of Americans per year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), whereas zero deaths are attributed to cannabis use. Overall, the health-related costs for tobacco consumers are 40 times greater than those for cannabis consumers. More specifically, the annual health-related costs of tobacco consumption are $800 per user compared to just $20 per user for cannabis. [81]

Controlling the Illicit Market

• While it will not happen overnight, within a few years of implementation of a state cannabis regulation law, intrastate demand should be fully satisfied by the regulated market, if enough supply and outlets are allowed . The Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division’s Market Size Demand for Marijuana in Colorado Market 2017 Update reported that, “Colorado’s preexisting illicit marijuana market for residents and visitors has been fully absorbed into the regulated market.” However, as long as dozens of U.S. states maintain prohibition, their demand will be served by illegal production somewhere. Colorado, Oregon, and California have long been sources of cannabis exported to other states, and there is no reason to expect that to stop until other states have their own legal supplies.

Slippery Slope Toward Legalizing All/Other Drugs

• Every substance should be treated based on its relative harms and the facts surrounding it — cannabis is far less harmful than alcohol and should be treated that way. We can have different policies for cannabis, cocaine, and heroin, just as we now have different policies for alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis. Drugs are not all the same, and our laws should reflect that. Cannabis policy reform is being debated because cannabis is widely recognized as a substance that should be made legal and regulated. We are not proposing changes to any laws other than cannabis laws.

Cannabis Use is Wrong/Immoral

• Americans differ about the morality of many things, but our public policies should be focused on minimizing harm to individuals and to the community. Some people consider alcohol use immoral, but most recognize that alcohol prohibition was a disaster. Cannabis prohibition has been just as big a failure, and it has caused far more harm than cannabis itself.

Cannabis Possession Laws Are Not Enforced / Nobody Actually Gets Arrested / Nobody Faces Serious Consequences

• Roughly 663,300 Americans were arrested or cited for cannabis-related offenses in 2018, and almost 92% were for possession alone. [82] That's one possession arrest every 48 seconds, and it’s more arrests than for all violent crimes combined. It's true that most people arrested for possession do not go to prison, but they all do face potentially life-altering consequences. They will have a drug-related offense on their record. Many people lose their jobs or find it difficult to gain employment. Parents can lose custody of their children. College students can lose their federal financial aid. Non-citizens can be forced to leave the country. People lose their public housing benefits. And those who are on parole or probation, or who have past offenses, could very well find themselves in jail or prison. According to leading cannabis policy researchers, “About 40,000 state and federal prison inmates have a current conviction involving marijuana; perhaps half of them are in prison for offenses related to marijuana alone.” [83]

“Legalization” vs. “Decriminalization” vs. “Regulation”

• The term “legalization” without mentioning “regulation” often leaves far too much to the imagination. Would it be available to people of all ages or only to those 18 and older or 21 and older? Would it be legal like tomatoes? Would it be sold only in state-licensed businesses? Referring to “legalizing and regulating cannabis” or “treating cannabis similarly to alcohol” makes it more apparent that cannabis would be legal only for adults. Only in a legal, regulated market can consumers and the environment benefit from rules to prevent the use of dangerous pesticides, testing and potency laws, and environmental protections.
• The word “decriminalization” can be a source of confusion. It generally refers to a system of reduced penalties for possession of a small amount of cannabis (usually a fine but not jail, oftentimes without formal arrest and booking), with more severe penalties retained for cultivation, sales, and possession of larger amounts. Decriminalization is not the best solution because it leaves cannabis production and distribution in the criminal market and continues to punish adults for responsible cannabis use.
• Regulation is the most realistic and effective alternative to prohibition. Under such a system: there would be a strictly enforced legal age limit for purchasing and using cannabis; cannabis and cannabis-infused products would be produced, distributed, and tested by state-licensed businesses; adults of legal age would be permitted to grow limited amounts of cannabis for personal use (similar to home-brewing); and cannabis would be subject to local and state sales taxes, as well as reasonable excise taxes established by voters or their elected representatives.

Legalization and Prohibition are Both Too Extreme (Project SAM's “third way”)

• The proper balance between incarceration and unrestrained legalization is regulation. We need a cannabis policy that reflects the realities of cannabis and minimizes the harm surrounding it. Cannabis is relatively safe for responsible adult use, it is widely available and commonly used, and it's not going anywhere anytime soon. As such, its production and distribution should be regulated and controlled, not left to the underground market. Any policy that keeps cannabis illegal for adults is not a “third way,” it’s the same way we’ve been treating cannabis for decades. Coercive treatment programs that give arrestees the choice to go to treatment are not viable alternatives because they can still result in criminal sanctions and can cause space shortages in treatment facilities that could be devoted to voluntary admissions.

Federal Law

• The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) made it exceptionally clear that states can regulate the cultivation and sale of cannabis for adult use. In an August 2013 memo, then-Deputy Attorney General James Cole said the DOJ would refrain from interfering as long as states are establishing and enforcing regulations that adequately address specific federal interests, such as restricting cannabis sales to minors and preventing inter trafficking. In fact, the DOJ memo acknowledged that regulating cannabis might be more effective than prohibition when it comes to addressing those interests. In particular, it notes that the establishment of large for-profit cannabis businesses could be beneficial. [84] While former Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the Cole memo, in practice his Justice Department did not appear to target any businesses in compliance with it. Moreover, Attorney General nominee William Barr has said in writing he plans to follow the Cole memo.
• Thirty-six states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical cannabis, and many of them — including our nation's capital — are regulating the cultivation and sale of medical cannabis.
• Fifteen states have legalized cannabis for adults’ use, without facing any significant federal interference. Colorado, Washington, Alaska, Oregon, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Michigan, Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota all passed voter-enacted initiatives to legalize, tax, and regulate cannabis, with the first laws passing back in 2012. In 2019, Illinois became the 11th state to legalize cannabis for adult use — and the first state in the country to adopt a regulatory system for cannabis cultivation, testing, and sales through a state legislature. Meanwhile, Vermont’s legislature and governor legalized personal possession in 2018 and enacted a regulatory system for sales in 2020. Regulated sales have begun in all of the states except Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, South Dakota, and Vermont (all of these laws passed in 2020 and are awaiting implementation).

International Drug Control Treaties

• International drug treaties allow considerable flexibility. In the U.S., 36 states, four U.S. territories, and Washington, D.C., have comprehensive medical cannabis laws, while another 13 states have more limited medical cannabis laws. Both Canada and Uruguay allow adult-use cannabis sales nationwide. The U.S. has traditionally been the driving force behind these prohibitionist treaties, and we can renegotiate them anytime if it becomes necessary. It does not appear it will be.

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[18] Sidney, et al., “MarijuanaUse and Cancer Incidence,” Cancer, Causes, and Control 8 (1997): 722–28.

[19] Hashibe, et al., “Cannabis Use and the Risk of Lung Cancer and Upper Aerodigestive Tract Cancer: Results of a Population-based Case-control Study,” Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention 15 (2006): 1829–34.

[20] Mark Kaufman, “Study Finds No Cancer-Marijuana Connection,” Washington Post , May 26, 2006.

[21] Sarfaraz, et al., “Cannabinoids for Cancer Treatment: Progress and Promise,” Cancer Research 68 (2008): 339–42.

[22] Manuel Guzman, “Cannabinoids: Potential Anticancer Agents,” Nature Reviews Cancer 3 (2003): 745–755.

[23] American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts & Figures 2013 , Atlanta: American Cancer Society (2013).

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[25] Pletcher, et al., “Association Between Marijuana Exposure and Pulmonary Function Over 20 Years,” Journal of the American Medical Association 37 (2012).

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[27] Conor Ferguson, et al., “Tests show bootleg marijuana vapes tainted with hydrogen cyanide,” NBC News , September 27, 2019.

[28] Hilts, Phillip, “Is Nicotine Addictive? It Depends Whose Criteria You Use,” New York Times , August 2, 1994.

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[30] Aggarwal, Sunil, “'9 Percent of Those Who Use Cannabis Become Dependent' Is Based on Drug War Diagnostics and Bad Science,” The Huffington Post , January 29, 2014.

[31] Amanda Reiman, “Cannabis as a substitute for alcohol and other drugs,” Harm Reduction Journal 6 (2009).

[32] Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS): 2005-2015. National Admissions to Substance Abuse Treatment Services . (2017).

[33] W. Hall, “Is Cannabis Use Psychotogenic?,” Lancet 367 (2006): 193–5.

[34] Frisher, et al., “Assessing the Impact of Cannabis Use on Trends in Diagnosed Schizophrenia in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 2005,” Schizophrenia Research 113 (2009): 123–8.

[35] Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, “Further Considerations on the Classification of Cannabis Under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971,” December 2005.

[36] T.R. Denson and M. Earleywine, “Decreased Depression in Marijuana Users,” Addictive Behaviors , April 2006.

[37] Moore, et al., “Cannabis Use and Risk of Psychotic or Affective Mental Health Outcomes: A Systemic Review,” Lancet 370 (2007): 319–28.

[38] Ferdinand, et al., “Cannabis Use Predicts Future Psychotic Symptoms, and Vice Versa,” Addiction 100 (2005): 612–18.

[39] C.H. Aston, et al., “Cannabinoids in Bipolar Affective Disorder: A Review and Discussion of Their Therapeutic Potential,” Journal of Psychopharmacology , Vol. 19, No. 3, 2005.

[40] Dobuzinskis, Alex, “Daily pot use not associated with brain shrinkage: Colorado study,” Reuters , February 5, 2015.

[41] Mokrysc C., et al. “No relationship between moderate adolescent cannabis use, exam results or IQ, large study shows.” Annual Congress of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) . 2014.

[42] Stromberg, Joseph, “Long-Term Marijuana Use Could Have Zero Effect on IQ,” SmithsonianMag.com, January 14, 2013.

[43] Fried, et al., “Current and former marijuana use: preliminary findings of a longitudinal study of effects on IQ in young adults,” Canadian Medical Association Journal 166 (2002): 887–91.

[44 ] Hughes, Dominic, “Young cannabis smokers run risk of lower IQ, report claims,” BBC News, August 28, 2012.

[45] U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine, Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base (Washington, D.C: National Academy Press, 1999).

[46] W. Hall, L. Degenhardt, and M. Lynskey, “The Health and Psychological Effects of Cannabis Use,” Commonwealth of Australia, National Drug Strategy, Monograph Series No. 25, 2001.

[47] W. Hall, R. Room, and S. Bondy, WHO Project on Health Implications of Cannabis Use: A Comparative Appraisal of the Health and Psychological Consequences of Alcohol, Cannabis, Nicotine and Opiate Use, Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, August 28, 1995.

[48] M. Earleywine, Understanding Marijuana , Oxford University Press, 2002.

[49] National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. “The health effects of cannabis and cannabinoids: The current state of evidence and recommendations for research.” (2017).

[50] U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine, Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base (Washington, D.C: National Academy Press, 1999).

[51] Thompson, Dennis, “Marijuana Study Counters ‘Gateway’ Theory,” HealthDay , July 10, 2015.

[52] Kirby, T. and Barry, A. E. (2012), “Alcohol as a Gateway Drug: A Study of U.S. 12th Graders,” Journal of School Health , 82: 371–379. doi: 10.1111/j.1746-1561.2012.00712.x

[53] Gallup Poll, July 19, 2017.

[54] U.S. Office of Applied Studies, 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed Tables . Accessed online August 28, 2017.

[55] Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction, Cannabis Policy: An Update (Utrecht: Trimbos Institute, 1997).

[56] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alcohol Related Disease Impact (ARDI) application, 2013. Available at http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/DACH_ARDI/Default.aspx

[57] Brownstein, Joseph. “Marijuana vs. Alcohol: Which Is Really Worse for Your Health?” livescience , January 21, 2014.

[58] University of Michigan/National Institute on Drug Abuse, Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975 – 2019 . (Fewer than 80% of 12th graders reported marijuana was “fairly easy” or “very easy” to obtain in each 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2019. The lowest figure since the survey began was reported in the most recent year, 2019: 78.4%.)

[60] For data and sources, see https://www.mpp.org/issues/legalization/teen-marijuana-use-does-not-increase/ .

[61] Hasin, Deborah S., et al. “Medical marijuana laws and adolescent marijuana use in the USA from 1991 to 2014: results from annual, repeated cross-sectional surveys,” The Lancet Psychiatry , Vol. 2, Issue 7, 601-608.

[62] Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. “Monitoring Health Concerns Related to Marijuana in Colorado: 2016. Changes in Marijuana Use Patterns, Systematic Literature Review, and Possible Marijuana-Related Health Effects.” (2017).

[63] For data and sources, see https://www.mpp.org/issues/legalization/teen-marijuana-use-does-not-increase/ .

[64] Sifferlin, Alexandra. “High School Seniors Now Prefer Marijuana to Cigarettes.” Time , December 15, 2015.

[65] Nelson, Steven. “Marijuana Is Harder Than Ever for Younger Teens to Find.” U.S. News and World Report , December 13, 2016.

[66] Sam Petulla and Jon Schuppe, “Police Searches Drop Dramatically in States that Legalized Marijuana,” NBC News , June 23, 2017.

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[69] U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics, Alcohol and Crime: Data from 2002 to 2008 . Available at http://www.bjs.gov/content/acf/apt1_crimes_by_type.cfm

[70] Fals-Stewart, F., Golden, J., & Schumacher, J. (2003). Intimate partner violence and substance use: A longitudinal day-to-day examination. Addictive Behaviors 28 , 1555-1574.

[71] Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. Drug Facilitated Sexual Violence . Retrieved August 21, 2014, from https://rainn.org/get-information/types-of-sexual-assault/drug-facilitated-assault

[72] Gavrilova, E., et al. (2017). Is Legal Pot Crippling Mexican Drug Trafficking Organisations? The Effect of Medical Marijuana Laws on US Crime. The Economic Journal . Accessed from https://doi.org/10.1111/ecoj.12521

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Legalizing Marijuana Persuasive Essay | Persuasive Essay on Legalization Of Marijuana

July 31, 2021 by Prasanna

Legalizing Marijuana Persuasive Essay: Marijuana is a characteristic plant that has been made unlawful by the United States and has been a questionable subject since the time 1920s. Marijuana is a substance that has been utilized many years prior as a natural medication and furthermore can be utilized for material items from hemp, which is from the Marijuana Sativa plant. Weed is supposed to be a habit-forming substance and is extremely undesirable for young people with untimely cerebrums. The Marijuana restriction should, at last, find some conclusion on the grounds that there are numerous advantages from Marijuana and it is less destructive than both liquor and tobacco.

Defenders of Marijuana contend that there are various health advantages and that the medication isn’t more unsafe than tobacco or liquor. Then again, adversaries contend that marijuana is excessively risky; its sanctioning would expand the odds of the medication falling under the control of youngsters and that weed use regularly advances to the utilization of more perilous medications like heroin and cocaine.

You can read more  Essay Writing  about articles, events, people, sports, technology many more.

Long Essay on Persuasive Essay on Legalizing Marijuana

Introduction

Marijuana Argument is a medication that is continually being discussed all around the media. There is a steady discussion on if it ought to be sanctioned. Additionally, banter on if it somehow happened to be authorized, how might they make it work. This load of inquiries is things the public authority considers each day. There is a major split between individuals’ convictions on this matter. A few groups figure it ought to be, others figure it shouldn’t, and some figure it ought to be for certain changes on the utilization. At the point when you take a gander at the advantages, there is no doubt that weed ought to be lawful all through the whole country. There are many more certain things that could emerge from it is lawful.

Legalization of Marijuana Explained:

The main explanation weed ought to be legitimized is on the grounds that the number of different medications is lawful. Weed is one of a couple of not very destructive medications that are illicit. Numerous hard medications like painkillers, courageous women, and cocaine are drugs that are extremely ruinous to your wellbeing and perhaps even your life. Weed ought not to be put under a similar classification as these medications. It ought to be under the class that incorporates liquor, tobacco, and even sugar. These medications are more regularly identified with Marijuana than hard medications.

Likewise, unmistakably liquor and tobacco are more unsafe to an individual than Marijuana. That is the reason I’m not sure how the arrangement on Marijuana isn’t equivalent if not more preferred than the strategies on liquor and tobacco. Indeed, even sugar in numerous well-being angles can be viewed as more unsafe than Marijuana. Marijuana is a medication that is much more secure and harder to over portion than liquor. That is the reason many can’t comprehend why marijuana isn’t legitimate and liquor is. Marijuana ought to have reasonable lawful arrangements actually like the wide range of various “drugs” that are viewed as in a similar class like it. The approach should be changed.

The following explanation Legalizing Marijuana ought to be authorized is on the grounds that it would keep kids off the roads and away from drugs that are more destructive. Marijuana can be sold by big vendors who sell medicines in large quantities. Subsequently, in case the Marijuana was lawful and sold in a store in the right way, it would help kids avoid different medications that vendors have to bring to the table. Children will also not get involved in the medication business. They would have fewer intentions to offer to their companions and others. In the event that the arrangement was changed and it very well may be sold in stores it would prevent kids from selling altogether. Being a seller would be way less successful and it could stop many street pharmacists and tidy up the roads. Marijuana should be made legal, science it is sold at any cost. On the off chance that the strategy was changed and it was sold legitimately, it would keep kids out of risk and make it harder to be a street pharmacist.

Another excellent motivation to authorize Marijuana is the amount it could set aside our administration cash, and possibly bring in cash out of it. Marijuana is extremely hard on our equity framework monetarily. In the event that the arrangement was changed and it was sanctioned it very well may be burdened and utilized for government subsidizing. It has been examined and numerous examinations show that weed could make generally excellent income.

Likewise, in addition to the fact that enforcement has to capture these individuals, they need to pay for every individual case. Another way it could assist the equity framework is by opening up prison marijuana. Marijuana clients take up far too much prison space which could be utilized for substantially more genuine guilty parties. All things considered, authorizing Marijuana could assist the equity framework massively and the strategy ought to be changed right away.

The wellbeing and solace of individuals ought to be the significant worry of the public authority. Marijuana has numerous positive credits that could help individuals in consistent life. Numerous Americans that are experiencing ailing manifestations could utilize this medication. Weed could be utilized to assist with torment, sickness, spasticity, and different manifestations that ordinary medications just aren’t believing. Likewise, it very well may be an incredible method to permit individuals to loosen up themselves on an ordinary premise. For the most part, the manifestations of weed are extremely gentle and are not difficult to manage. Not frequently are individuals wild or in a condition of peril when utilizing this medication. Marijuana is a medication that effectively fabricates resilience and permits individuals to deal with the manifestations better. On the off chance that individuals can deal with the indications and utilize the medication appropriately, I’m not sure why it shouldn’t be sanctioned.

There isn’t so much a segment for Marijuana in the infection prevention and security segment. That is on the grounds that marijuana isn’t connected to death in any capacity. Additionally, it is displayed to have no connection to malignant growth or some other hurtful illnesses there are out there. Marijuana isn’t connected to a cellular breakdown in the lungs. Numerous individuals would figure it is connected to malignancy particularly of the throat however that isn’t the situation.

The way that marijuana doesn’t straightforwardly cause demise and furthermore doesn’t prompt other destructive sicknesses simply demonstrates why it ought to be legitimate. The arrangement unmistakably ought to be changed if the public authority doesn’t consider the medication a threat to sickness. Nonetheless, the public authority has a major worry on liquor use and invests most its energy agonizing over that. Assuming Marijuana is certifiably not a significant worry for the public authority, why not simply make it lawful. On the off chance that it isn’t sufficiently risky to try and have a classification, is there any valid reason why it wouldn’t be legitimate? The strategy is unmistakably wrong and much be changed.

The utilization of Marijuana has consistently been addressed yet this is the ideal opportunity our nation is at a time where the use of the medication is at a pinnacle and the issue should be tended to. It is as of now not adequate to not consider sanctioning on the grounds that states inside the nation have effectively assumed control over the issue by making it legitimate.

All things considered, weed ought to be authorized and the arrangement ought to be changed right away. There is an excess of good to come from this approach changed not to do it. There are numerous individuals that concur with a strategy change and the public authority needs to do likewise. Weed can unmistakably assist with improving this country for individuals from multiple points of view. Well-being is clearly a significant worry for the public authority and that is the reason they may wonder whether or not to sanction it. However, as studies show there are not many wellbeing hazards and surprisingly some certain wellbeing factors that weed could contribute.

Likewise, how much lawful weed can help our administration subsidizing and equity framework is another explanation the strategy should be changed at this point. Keeping kids off the roads and street pharmacists from offering to kids is likewise more evidence of how inadequately the current approach is running. Legitimate weed could help hard medications from spreading to some unacceptable individuals. Additionally, it will keep the measure of street pharmacists down and the measure of lawful shops up. All things considered, marijuana would do substantially more certain than it would be negative if it somehow happened to be sanctioned. The strategy that is forestalling the legitimization of marijuana should be changed without a moment’s delay. Lawful marijuana can help. The public authority needs to see these realities and change the marijuana strategy as quickly as time permits.

FAQ’s on Legalizing Marijuana Persuasive Essay

Question 1. Why should marijuana be legalized persuasive?

Answer: Legitimate cannabis could help hard medications from spreading to some unacceptable individuals. Additionally, it will keep the measure of street pharmacists down and the measure of legitimate shops up. All things considered, cannabis would do significantly more sure than it would negative if it somehow managed to be authorized.

Question 2. Why should Australia legalize marijuana ?

Answer: Marijuana should be legalised in Australia for medical purposes and benefit all the sick and unhealthy citizens there.

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Essay on Legalizing Marijuana-Persuasive Outline

Billy Bob Joe Good Example Persuasive Speech Outline Purpose: To persuade my audience to: support the legalization of marijuana, because of it being able to provide many medical as well as economic benefits for the United States if legalized. Thesis Statement: Marijuana has been regarded as a harmful plant that can endanger lives and is thought to be nothing more than an extra problem to be dealt with in today’s society. However, based on its economic value and medical benefits, the cannabis has proven to outweigh its negatives with numerous other positives. Organizational Pattern: Topical Introduction: I. Getting Audience Attention A. In 2008, an estimated 11,800 people died in drunk driving accidents …show more content…

Cannabis can treat migraines! (report in California that more than 300,000 cases of migraines solved with the use of marijuana) B. The American Association of Cancer Research has found that marijuana can slow down tumor growth in the lungs, breasts, and brain considerably. C. Marijuana can help treat symptoms of chronic disease as well as other things such as glaucoma. It can also prevent Alzheimer’s disease. III. Economic Benefits A. Many prisons are filled with people involved with the use of marijuana whether for its medical benefits or as a recreational drug. If marijuana were legalized, it could be taxed in accordance to other regulated products such as tobacco and alcohol. B. This would not only add more revenue, but also provide thousands of jobs to those unemployed which would of course greatly benefit the overall US/Global economy. IV. Negative Aspects (Positives outnumber Negatives!!) A. Risks include increased risk of developing lung infections and lung cancer, coughing, and obstruction of air passages. It also may impair concentration and coordination but only if used in negative-intended/harmful ways. B. Long-term use of marijuana may lead to short-term memory loss and minor brain disorders after the drug has been metabolized. C. Another reason why many people are supportive of the marijuana remaining illegal is because of the addictive potential it can have on people. V. Current

Persuasive Speech Template

audience I stated that legalizing marijuana and other issues such as minimum wage and education will be on the California ballot in November. To present my thesis I stated that marijuana should be legalized and then I transitioned to my need step. 2. The general use of organization in a speech is to select a structure for your speech that makes your

Home / Essay Samples / Law / Marijuana Legalization / Persuasive Speech on Legalizing Weed

Persuasive Speech on Legalizing Weed

• Category: Health , Law
• Topic: Marijuana , Marijuana Legalization , Medical Marijuana

Pages: 2 (1106 words)

• Downloads: -->
• “Opioids Market Size, Share, Trends: Global Industry Report, 2019-2026.” ​Opioids Market Size, Share, Trends | Global Industry Report, 2019-2026​, www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/opioids-market​.
• II, Vann R. Newkirk. “What Can't Medical Marijuana Do?” ​The Atlantic​, Atlantic Media Company, 18 July 2016, www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/07/medical-marijuana-costs-elderly-health/491306/

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