Marijuana__Friend_or_Foe_

Marijuana: Friend or Foe' Marijuana should be legalized because prohibition has been tried before, and it failed, while it doesn’t move the United States forward in any way. The argument for and against the legalization of marijuana has been raging for over seven decades and only now is it becoming a major issue with the voting public. Although opponents argue that marijuana should not be legalized because of the health issues, because of children having easier access to the drug, and the “success” of prohibition, the government should legalize the drug because of the taxes that can be brought in, the savings from reducing frivolous arrests and jailing, the stopping of the explosive situation on the U.S. and Mexican border, and because of the inherent medicinal properties of the plant. Some who support marijuana prohibition claim that the drug is unhealthy. Arguing that marijuana is unhealthy directly opposes the fact that two of the most deadly drugs in America – alcohol and tobacco – are completely legal and sold across the nation. In 2007, the Center for Disease Control reported that alcohol was the direct cause of death for 23,199 people in the United States, dying of alcohol induced causes such as chronic liver disease, alcohol poisoning, and suicide (CDC₁ 21). Not included in that number is accidental deaths relating to drunk driving. Tobacco is much worse as every year about 443,000 people will die because of lung cancer, ischemic heart disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (CDC₂). Alternatively, the C.D.C. keeps no yearly reported death statistics about marijuana. Furthermore, the American Society of Addiction Medicine’s Principles of Addiction Medicine states that there is very little evidence of a death as a direct result of marijuana ingestion; “In healthy young users, marijuana’s cardiovascular effects are unlikely to be of clinical significance. Documented evidence of death resulting from recreational use, even in large doses, is lacking” (Cohen 55). The reported medical evidence does not support the continued prohibition of marijuana. Alcohol and tobacco are understood to be more addictive and more destructive when compared to marijuana, but they are legally available at any store. The demand for marijuana should be embraced, and it should be legalized and regulated in the same way as alcohol and tobacco are. The legalization and regulation of marijuana would open up a new product for the free market and increase federal and state budgets from the massive taxes that can be collected from the sale of marijuana. In a recent report from the California State Board of Equalization, Mr. Robert Ingenito states that “the total revenue increase from a hypothetical $50 per ounce tax could be as high as about $1.4 billion (Ingenito 3).” That $1.4 billion is only calculated from the citizens of California, not the entire United States. As the debate rages on for full legalization in California, the state is in the middle of a budget crisis, needing $19 billon dollars for a balanced budget (Christie 1). The current budget shortfall in California directly relates to the recession in the United States, which is suffering with ten percent unemployment and is fostering an economic recovery. An instant shot into the economic “arm” would be the activity from the national legalization of marijuana and the resulting tax revenue, dispensaries, and growers. The Unites States currently spends $2.6 billion dollars on the Department of Drug Enforcement Administration every year to arrest and jail people who buy, sell and use illegal drugs (DEA 2). These people are thrown into jail and the people must pay the bill. Taxpayers pay for food, shelter, and court costs for each and every prisoner. The enforcement and prison system budgets could be slashed, saving millions of dollars every year. But some opponents may argue for the jobs of these law enforcement personnel. While there are not many D.E.A. employees – roughly 11,000 – they do not need to be fired (DEA 2). These agents would still be needed to keep the more destructive drugs in check and to oversee the compliance to the new marijuana laws. Instead of arresting people for grown plants and other marijuana offences, the money could be saved or put to other uses, such as officers shutting down a methamphetamine workshops. A major problem of marijuana prohibition is that the drug has become very popular in American schools, because it’s available. As a result of current laws, you do not have to be of a legal age to buy marijuana, many drug dealers don't care how old you are if you have money. But to children and younger students, alcohol and tobacco are much harder to buy then marijuana, because alcohol and tobacco are legal and consequently regulated to prevent kids from purchasing it. Because of current polices, a state has been created of no regulation, providing no restrictions to the buying or selling of marijuana. Currently, normal approaches to drugs (alcohol, tobacco, and prescription drugs) are regulations to keep drugs away from kids, and treatment programs for people with problems of addiction. The current prohibition tactic used for marijuana does not allow reasonable responses to offences, and many people are jailed for non-violent crimes. Prohibition has been tried with alcohol, and it failed miserably. Alcohol was illegal for fourteen years as mandated by the 18th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1919. In the fourteen years of alcohol prohibition, violent crime gave rise to some of the deadliest Gangsters and gangs Chicago has ever seen. This same idea has been used on marijuana since 1937, a period of seventy three years. Unfortunately, the same is happening along the border of the U.S and Mexico as well-armed violent drug gangs take control of Mexican border towns and murder innocent civilians. The U.S. should have learnt this lesson decades ago, but we continue to repeat the same mistake. Prohibition is a failed policy that creates criminals willing to do anything for money in the black market of any illegal product. The legalization of alcohol drove the gangsters and gangs out of work. Legalization of marijuana would do the same to drug dealers and end the violent drug gangs of Mexico that supply them. In 1996, California voters approved Prop. 215 ¬– legalization of medicinal marijuana – for people who suffer from cancer, anorexia, AIDS, chronic pain, spasticity, glaucoma, arthritis, and migraines (Medical 1). This was not the first occasion of marijuana being used as a medicine, as marijuana has been used for its medicinal purposes for millennia. The ancient Egyptians used marijuana to treat sore eyes, and a Chinese mythical emperor claimed marijuana was a “superior elixir of immortality” (Webley 1). Greece used marijuana to cure their earaches and nineteenth century American medical journals spoke of marijuana’s medical benefits (Webley 1). A majority of cultures and religions throughout time have used and believed in the benefits of marijuana as a medicinal plant. Hinduism and Taoism both have mentions of the herb in their holy texts, the Shruti and the Tao Te Ching, respectively. Also, marijuana ¬– a seed bearing plant ¬– may be mentioned in context in the King James version of the Holy Bible: “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat” (Genesis 1:29). The medicinal properties of marijuana are well known and time-proven to be effective for relieving the symptoms of the many ailments that humans may develop. There are multiple sides to any argument, and the legalization of marijuana is no different. Some people may want to stay with the current failed, backwards laws and policies that have been in place for over seventy years. Many wish that the plant can be legalized in a responsible manner, using the same methods that have worked with tobacco and alcohol. Responsible restrictions and regulations that keep the drugs out of children’s hands across the nation. The responsible legalization of this drug could open up new markets for competition, and would also bring in enormous tax revenues into the coffers of out-of-cash states. Above all, marijuana should be legalized nationwide for the health benefits and pain relieving properties so many ill and dying patients need and want. Works Cited: “CDC₁ National Vital Statistics Report – Deaths: Final Data for 2007.” United States Center for Disease Control. May 2010. NVSR Vol. 58: 19. Web. PDF. 19 July 2010. . “CDC₂ – Annual Deaths Attributable to Cigarette Smoking.” United States Center for Disease Control. 29 May 2009. Web. 19 July 2010. . Christie, Jim. “Analysis: California Budget Outlook: Delay a Sure Thing.” Reuters. 22 June 2010. Web. 19 July 2010. . Cohen, Peter J. “Medical Marijuana: The Conflict Between Scientific Evidence and Political Ideology.” Utah Law Review 2009.1: 35-104. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 20 July 2010. “DEA Staffing & Budget.” United States Department of Justice - Drug Enforcement Administration. Web. 19 July 2010. . Ingenito, Robert. “Examining the Fiscal and Legal Implications of Legalization and Regulation of Marijuana.” California Board of Equalization. 28 Oct. 2009. Web. PDF. 19 July 2010. . "Medical Marijuana.” Medical Board of California. Web. 20 July 2010. . Webley, Kayla. “Brief History.” Time 175.24 (2010): 22. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 19 July 2010.