Marijuana Should Be Legalized in the United States “Federal and state laws (should) be changed to no longer make it a crime to possess marijuana for private use” (President Richard M. Nixon). Marijuana has been illegal in the United States since the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, which was made to convince Americans that it was a dangerous substance brought in by Mexican immigrants. Meanwhile, it was a popular household medication we called ‘cannabis’. Lies were told about the drug’s effects in court to make it illegal and use it to deport unwanted immigrants, putting a bad name to marijuana. (Dr. Malik Burnett and Amanda Reiman) These messages continue to cloud the majority’s judgement, but by now we should be able to overcome petty lies and
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Marijuana alone cannot kill. If overdosed, it can cause anxiety, which compared to other drugs is significantly less dangerous. Marijuana’s immediate effects include increase in heart rate, relaxed breathing passage, and bloodshot eyes, but these short-lived effects have no long-term consequences. Marijuana can be consumed or smoked. Consumption has no specific adverse effects, but smoking can cause coughing and lower the lungs’ immune response. This allows for easier infection of respiratory illnesses. The reason people use and enjoy marijuana is because the effects include euphoria, relaxation, heightened sensory perception, laughter, and increased appetite. The concerns of many people include the tolerance and addiction marijuana may cause. However there are no withdrawal symptoms associated with marijuana, and therefore tolerance can be counteracted by taking occasional breaks from the drug, and the estimated 9% of people who may become addicted can therefore easily quit (National Institute on Drug Abuse, Marijuana). It is obvious that all other illegal …show more content…
It is actually more or less helpful. In Colorado, there has been a decrease in traffic fatalities, a decrease in possession charges, and an increase in tax revenue. Marijuana has become a $700 million per year industry. According to a study by the National Incident Based Reporting System on crimes in correlation to marijuana, since 2010, possession, distribution, and cultivation charges are down by over 90%, and drug related incidents overall have gone down 23%. Marijuana related incidents have gone down 53% since 2010, and synthetic marijuana arrests have also dropped (Phillip Smith, “Five Results”). Furthermore, the tax earnings for Colorado in October of 2015 are as follows: $9,188,847 from retail (common recreational marijuana) tax, and $521,615 for license charges (regarding the right to grow and sell recreational marijuana only), so $9,710,462
Marijuana alone cannot kill. If overdosed, it can cause anxiety, which compared to other drugs is significantly less dangerous. Marijuana’s immediate effects include increase in heart rate, relaxed breathing passage, and bloodshot eyes, but these short-lived effects have no long-term consequences. Marijuana can be consumed or smoked. Consumption has no specific adverse effects, but smoking can cause coughing and lower the lungs’ immune response. This allows for easier infection of respiratory illnesses. The reason people use and enjoy marijuana is because the effects include euphoria, relaxation, heightened sensory perception, laughter, and increased appetite. The concerns of many people include the tolerance and addiction marijuana may cause. However there are no withdrawal symptoms associated with marijuana, and therefore tolerance can be counteracted by taking occasional breaks from the drug, and the estimated 9% of people who may become addicted can therefore easily quit (National Institute on Drug Abuse, Marijuana). It is obvious that all other illegal …show more content…
It is actually more or less helpful. In Colorado, there has been a decrease in traffic fatalities, a decrease in possession charges, and an increase in tax revenue. Marijuana has become a $700 million per year industry. According to a study by the National Incident Based Reporting System on crimes in correlation to marijuana, since 2010, possession, distribution, and cultivation charges are down by over 90%, and drug related incidents overall have gone down 23%. Marijuana related incidents have gone down 53% since 2010, and synthetic marijuana arrests have also dropped (Phillip Smith, “Five Results”). Furthermore, the tax earnings for Colorado in October of 2015 are as follows: $9,188,847 from retail (common recreational marijuana) tax, and $521,615 for license charges (regarding the right to grow and sell recreational marijuana only), so $9,710,462