impact of illegalization of marijuana
Debates have always ensued on different occasions regarding the position of the government in controlling the lifestyles of its subjects. Drug and substance use has been among the several issues drawing the attention of the federal governments. The debate and policies regarding the use of drugs have however been affected by the impact of personal opinions and choices at the expense of the conclusions drawn from different researches. For example, the legalization, or illegalization of Marijuana has always taken the path of personal opinions with every individual holding a position according to the needs and circumstances of the particular moment. For example, a common argument by marijuana users will be that marijuana should be legalized, but supporting evidence has not been being provided. However, the truth of the matter is that legalizing marijuana goes a long way to give many advantages than disadvantages as would be the case if the substance remained illegal.
Most adverse effects caused by marijuana use can be attributed to the impact of illegalization. Once a substance is rendered illegal, the immediate result is not that people will shun away from it. People will always devise ways of escaping the law to keep following their everyday lifestyles. Marijuana is known to be addictive and thus rendering it illegal does not help the victims of addiction but only pushes them to the extreme ends of taking the drug secretly. The result of secretive drug abuse is that; individuals spend the short time available to smoke copious amounts of marijuana to cater for the times when the law will be hindering the users from freely accessing their recreational practice. The use of dangerous amounts of marijuana within a short period to serve purposes that would be served by taking little amounts over an extended period does not always serve the purpose adequately. The results are the extreme impacts of marijuana such as withdrawal, hallucinations or at the worst, brain damage. Therefore, a wise idea would be to legalize marijuana to give its users the freedom to smoke at their convenience to avoid forcing them into harming themselves. The legalization of Marijuana should, however, take into consideration the impacts that could follow by passing relevant policies prevent adverse consequences.
The legalization process should take into consideration the adverse effects impacts of the legalization of the drug. For example, Marijuana is associated with having hundreds of compounds that could be harmful to human health; Legalizing marijuana is, therefore, allowing open access to an endangering substance to public health as well as patients who are suffering from chronic illnesses. According to Silvia et al. (2016), legislation of medical marijuana laws is associated with increased marijuana use among adolescents and adults. However, several risks can be related to legalizing marijuana, including the influence to make people to easily fall into the temptation of drug abuse and increasing drug-dependant individuals in society. The bodies advocating for the legalization of the drug should, therefore, consider proposing policies that will help the legalization bring the desired results instead of the possible adverse impacts. If the potential negative effects are dealt with, the use of marijuana has been associated with several medicinal purposes.
The use of Marijuana has been associated with several medicinal purposes. For example, the fundamental belief that has been proved by several scholars and users of the drug is that marijuana boosts appetite among its users. Loss of appetite has been a headache for several patients and caregivers for people with different ailments. The cure for loss of appetite could be a significant step towards the management of several diseases. Loss of appetite is associated with poor diet, which in turn leads to reduced medical response. The lack of proper medical response could adversely affect the health of patients and in severe cases could accelerate deaths. Also, marijuana has been associated with the making of several medical substances. Marijuana has been tested and proven to be able to facilitate the debilitation of chronic medical conditions. Also, marijuana is useful as an alternative and effective painkiller to patients experiencing extreme pain. The drug has been used successfully to treat patients who suffer from painful neuropathy and are not able to respond to other forms of treatments. Also, cannabis has been identified as a potential substance for providing medical benefits because the drug extracted from it has helped in mitigating nausea, loss of appetite, pain, and anxiety. Another application of marijuana in the medical field is the treatment of several viral diseases. Broad spectrums associated with the medical benefits of marijuana include having compounds that have anti-cancer properties. Allowing the legal use of marijuana as a medicinal substance can pave the way for unlocking cancer treatments. The claim that marijuana has medical benefits should however not be used by individuals as an excuse to use the drug recklessly.
The legalization of marijuana for medical use can be taken as an advantage by individuals to divert the drug into abuse. The youth are at the receiving end of the harmful impacts that could come along with the misuse of the legalization of marijuana. The youthful age is associated with the living of reckless lifestyles. As such, the youth are at risk of misusing the marijuana set aside for medical purposes to fulfill their recreational desires. The uncontrolled use of marijuana has been associated with severe brain damages (Hajizadeh, 2016). The fact that the drug can fall into the shaky hands of the youth means that legalizing it could have significant impacts on a country’s future. The youth are always viewed as the future lifeline of a nation. However, a nation whose future is in the hands of people with damaged minds is a perishing nation. The legalization of marijuana should, therefore, consider the negative impacts that could hit the nation both present in the future. The immediate impacts could be the decrease in the performance associated with the youth projects, or a constant if not a perishing economy since the youth are always at the building position of the economy. The risks associated with the misuse of the legalization of marijuana should not hinder the government in taking steps that help in the tremendous economic growth such as contribution to the government’s revenue basket.
The legalization of marijuana has the potential to improve the economy of a country tremendously. Different sectors of the economy depend on revenues obtained from the government, which in turn depends on the citizens to fund their activities. The funding of the government’s activities cannot be done without sufficient funds from the government. First, marijuana is an expensive substance. The inclusion of marijuana into the free market could significantly improve the business volume rotating within the government’s territorial borders. The increase in the trading volume is always associated with a growing economy, and thus the government should consider taking the risk that could be associated with the legalization of marijuana. As a management measure, the government should be at the freedom to impose heavy taxes on marijuana-related substances. The imposition of heavy taxes has an immediate effect of controlling its spread since high taxes eventually lead to high prices. The government is at a better position of killing two birds with one stone by imposing heavy taxes on marijuana. The revenues collected from the taxes will fund the government’s crucial projects. On the other hand, the government will have succeeded in controlling the use of marijuana by making sure that only little amounts of the drug are affordable by the users. In addition to giving taxes, marijuana legalization is at a position to improve the employment rate of the citizens. The inclusion of marijuana in the open markets will mean that individuals can engage in money producing ventures created by the legalization of marijuana. Also, the farming of the plant will become an economic activity of several people. The legalization of marijuana will lead to an improved economy in the long run. However, the government should not be blinded by the desire to grow its economy at the expense of the lifestyles of its citizens.
Unfortunately, marijuana legalization could lead to unnecessary availability of the drug in the streets. The availability of the drug at the free market could mean that the drug is accessible to the general public including young people. The use of the drug by the young generation has the risk of having significant brain damages (Rehm, Crépault & Fischer, 2017). The young generation is always in school and thus being exposed to the use of the drug could adversely affect the education system of the country. The availability of the drug could lead people to engage in extreme activities such as theft to be able to afford the drug. Drug use has been associated with a significant increase in crime, and thus the government should consider putting in place structures to control the introduction of the substance into the market. One of the measures that the government can take is to establish specific zones for the selling of marijuana products. Age restrictions could govern specific areas. The age restrictions will serve a great deal in ensuring that the young generation is saved from the menace of the substance abuse. The government could also come up with education programs to educate the general public on the responsible use of marijuana to benefit from its advantages and avoid the uses that come at a disadvantage. The government will always win big from the legalization of marijuana if procedures are laid down properly to ensure that the negative impacts are well managed.
In sum, the debate on whether or not to legalize marijuana should be based on facts rather than mere individual opinions. The legalization of marijuana could serve to mitigate the effects caused by the secretive use of the drug. However, care should be taken to ensure that the drug is not cheaply accessible by the general public. Marijuana has several economical advantages although the government should consider the lifestyles of its citizens before legalizing the drug. Generally, the benefits of legalizing marijuana outdo the disadvantages since policies can be set to deal with the challenged that could come with the legalization process.
References
Hajizadeh, M. (2016). Legalizing and regulating marijuana in Canada: review of potential economic, social, and health impacts. International journal of health policy and management, 5(8), 453.
Rehm, J., Crépault, J. F., & Fischer, B. (2017). The devil is in the details! On regulating cannabis use in Canada based on public health criteria: comment on” legalizing and regulating marijuana in Canada: Review of potential economic, social, and health impacts”. International journal of health policy and management, 6(3), 173.
Silvia S., Christine M., Julian S., June H., Magdalene C., Katherine M., Deborah S., Sandro G.,& Melanie W. Drug and Alcohol Dependancy. State Level Medical Marijuana Laws, Marijuana use and perceived availability of Marijuana laws among the General US Population. 2016.