Legalization of marijuana has been a controversial issue in the U.S. for several years. The people vs. the federal government or the state vs the federal government are just some of the main debates over its legalization. In the past marijuana was used as medicine until the 1937 when a new tax fee led to end of its use. In 1972 marijuna was placed in schedule I of the controlled Substance Act , meaning it has a high potential for abuse and no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States. Despite the fact that billions of dollars have been spent enforcing marijuana prohibition and millions of individuals arrested, “marijuana is still the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States” (NSDUH,2015) with over 17.4 million
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Substantial researches has pointed drug problem as a major public health and safety risk. Hence, for the administration, Legalizing marijuana would increase its accessibility and regularize its use, which can lead to health issues, particularly among young people. “ In 2011, approximately 4.2 million met the diagnostic criteria for abuse or dependence on marijuana,” and it was showed that “marijuana potency has triple over the past 20 years, raising serious concerns about the implications for public” (Whitehouse, n.d). Drug legalization also destabilizes preventative health strategies, a cornerstone in improving overall public health in the United States. Nevertheless, with the growing demands to ease restrictions on cannabis research, the Obama administration had recently announced the elimination of the additional review of the Public Health Service for studies of marijuana as this was a crucial barrier to research to look for more "understanding of both the adverse effects and potential therapeutic uses for marijuana or its components” (Warner, 2015). Public …show more content…
In a survey they conducted in february 2014, 54% of people agree that one should not be prosecutated if found with a small amount of marijuana (PewResearch Center, 2014) and medicine marijuana should be allowed. This view has aligned with the nineteen states and the District of Columbia that have decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use and the twenty-three states that have legalized marijuana for medical purposes. Add to that, recently four states, as well as D.C., have legalized recreational marijuana. Some positive effects of the decriminalization of marijuana are the fact that it reduces the penalties for first-time possession of a small amount of marijuana for personal use for adults, and violation is not anymore at the level of a crime. Also, States that have decriminalized marijuana can be viewed as Brandeisian called “laboratories of democracy.” Those states will offer the opportunity to federal government and other states to observe changes that the decriminalization has brought since the law has been put into effect. For instance, the changes in the overall patterns of use and the cost to the justice and health systems can be observed to establish if the modification in the law has had a
Substantial researches has pointed drug problem as a major public health and safety risk. Hence, for the administration, Legalizing marijuana would increase its accessibility and regularize its use, which can lead to health issues, particularly among young people. “ In 2011, approximately 4.2 million met the diagnostic criteria for abuse or dependence on marijuana,” and it was showed that “marijuana potency has triple over the past 20 years, raising serious concerns about the implications for public” (Whitehouse, n.d). Drug legalization also destabilizes preventative health strategies, a cornerstone in improving overall public health in the United States. Nevertheless, with the growing demands to ease restrictions on cannabis research, the Obama administration had recently announced the elimination of the additional review of the Public Health Service for studies of marijuana as this was a crucial barrier to research to look for more "understanding of both the adverse effects and potential therapeutic uses for marijuana or its components” (Warner, 2015). Public …show more content…
In a survey they conducted in february 2014, 54% of people agree that one should not be prosecutated if found with a small amount of marijuana (PewResearch Center, 2014) and medicine marijuana should be allowed. This view has aligned with the nineteen states and the District of Columbia that have decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use and the twenty-three states that have legalized marijuana for medical purposes. Add to that, recently four states, as well as D.C., have legalized recreational marijuana. Some positive effects of the decriminalization of marijuana are the fact that it reduces the penalties for first-time possession of a small amount of marijuana for personal use for adults, and violation is not anymore at the level of a crime. Also, States that have decriminalized marijuana can be viewed as Brandeisian called “laboratories of democracy.” Those states will offer the opportunity to federal government and other states to observe changes that the decriminalization has brought since the law has been put into effect. For instance, the changes in the overall patterns of use and the cost to the justice and health systems can be observed to establish if the modification in the law has had a