Jocelyn Byers

ENG-112- Issue Report

March 24, 2019

Legalization of Marijuana and Its Implications

Every individual person has a differing opinion about legalizing marijuana. The debate

on whether to legalize marijuana or not has been long running. Some people view marijuana as

having a negative impact on individuals and the public, while others view it as beneficial in

many ways. Due to these differences in opinions, many states in the United States of America

have struggled and debated throughout time on whether legalizing marijuana would benefit or

harm their communities. One huge concern for the individuals who do not support legalization, is

that marijuana is a gateway drug that can lead a person to do far more harmful drugs. On the

completely other side of the spectrum, people who support legalization, find marijuana to be

medicating in many ways. Now let’s talk about the facts that can be presented when discussing

marijuana, legalizing it, and its implications, instead of focusing on the opinions of different

people.

The History of Marijuana

According to PBS, Marijuana is dried, shredded leaves from hemp plants. These plants

have been around since the seventeenth century. Farmers would grow hemp plants and then use

the product to create ropes, sails, and even some clothing items. At this point in time marijuana

wasn’t even thought of as a drug, more of an essential. However, during the Civil War other

materials were becoming more popular, hemp materials were put on the back burner. After time

passed people learned that if it was smoked, the hemp plant could get a person high. It started
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becoming more popular again, but this time as a drug. When people started to smoke marijuana,

various media outlets would link marijuana use to violence, insanity, and even sometimes

murder. Even though at the time twenty-nine of the thirty professional doctors believed the drug

was not a dangerous drug. The media gave marijuana a dangerous reputation, this led to the

Marijuana Tax of 1937, which outlawed the use of marijuana (Onder).

Throughout time the government decided to discuss the possibility of decriminalizing

marijuana, but before that happened former POTUS Ronald Reagan passed the Anti-Drug Act of

1986. This act created penalties for possession of marijuana. The act did in fact develop through

time and became more of a “three strike policy”. A New York Times report, in 2015, stated that

arrests for possession of small amounts of marijuana outnumbered all violent crimes. This

became an issue for many people and groups. Today, in 2019, the total number of states that

have legalized medicinal marijuana is twenty-nine states, nine of which including Washington,

D.C., have also legalized the recreational use of the drug for adults. Although marijuana is still

illegal under the federal law (Donnelly and Young).

Pros to Legalizing Marijuana

There are negative and positive aspects of the marijuana business and using it

recreationally. Some of the many positive aspects of marijuana is the fact that legalization of

marijuana can help reduce the black market. It has some economic benefits that include taxes and

licensing. Cost savings in court and police time ("High Time to Talk about Pot"). It can help

soothe/calm anxiety and help with pain management. It increases appetite which can help people

who struggle with eating disorders. It can help manage symptoms related to multiple health

conditions such as Cancer, Epilepsy, Multiple Sclerosis, etc. In addition to relieving the
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symptoms of many physical ailments, it’s been found to help with mental health conditions such

as PTSD, anxiety, and depression.

A common misconception and concern that people have is that if “pot” is legalized the

people that partake in it will rise, this was not the case for Colorado. There was no visible change

in marijuana users from 2014 to 2015. Colorado is one of the states that have legalized

marijuana, the state legalized it in 2015. There was no visible change in marijuana users from

2014 to 2015. There are also reports, that state “that arrests involving marijuana has decreased by

46% between the years of 2012 and 2014” (The Department of Public Safety). Colorado is one

of five states that have the lowest unemployment rate in America, ranking at 3.0% as of

December 2016. The legal marijuana industry helped with unemployment rates by adding over

18,000 new full-time jobs in 2015. The most notable beneficial change for the state was the tax

receipts, Colorado received around $198.5 million in taxes from marijuana sales in 2016 (Phil’s

Stock World). Colorado is a state that has proved that legalizing marijuana can in fact be

beneficial to a community.

Cons to Legalizing Marijuana

Now onto some of the negative aspects of using and legalizing marijuana. The main

concern people have regarding marijuana is the negative impacts it can have on individuals and

the public. Marijuana can be viewed as a possible gateway drug or an opening for people to try

far more dangerous drugs such as cocaine, pain pills, heroine, etc. These drugs are very addictive

and dangerous, the use of them can rise death rates along with crime rates. Marijuana raises

health risks regarding adolescents whose brains are still developing. Impairments in judgement

and memory can arise while under the influence of marijuana. People can use marijuana

irresponsibly and it could have detrimental effects to someone’s mind and life. Lastly, most
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likely even the legalization of marijuana will not be a cure or solution to illegal marijuana trade

in America (High Time to Talk about Pot).

On a negative note involving Colorado and legalization, the state experienced the third

largest increase in the number of homeless people in 2016 because many people were moving

there because weed was legalized, and they had hopes of finding a “marijuana related job”. After

marijuana was legalized people liked to believe it would serve as the solution to all their

problems, they were mistaken. When it comes to the cons of legalization people are concerned

with the affects it has on an individual, how those affects can impact the person’s actions, and

how those actions can affect the public. It is considerably a cycle.

The Big Debate over Legalization

There is a mixture of states in which marijuana is legal and illegal. In November of 2013,

the pro-marijuana legalization lobbies had a lot to celebrate. On November 5, residents of

Portland, Maine voted to legalize marijuana for adult consumption in their city. Along with that,

Colorado’s residents voted to approve taxation on legal pot sales. This will help Colorado help

accumulate money to fight off any possible interference from the Federal Government. However,

not everyone is rejoicing in the “Pot Lobbies” triumphs. The alcohol industry and the pot

industry have an ongoing feud, which is expected. The alcohol industry was not pleased with the

billboard ads being posted in Portland, funded by Washington DC’s –based Marijuana Policy

Project. The ads stated that “it is better to smoke weed than to drink booze.” Since, the alcohol

industry has protested the legalization of marijuana (Leonard).

Even though marijuana is still illegal under federal law, it seems as though states

legalization of marijuana will continue to increase. Research shows that can be beneficial in
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some situations, but there are still concerns when it comes to the harmful effects toward an

individual and the public health. In the debate over legalization, schools can serve as a resource

and teach students about the marijuana itself and its effects. They state that schools should

continue to dissuade students from using any drugs, alcohol, and/or tobacco (Donnelly and

Young). It is important to educate the younger population about issues like this, so as they grow,

they can make educated decisions.

Moving Forward

Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug. Marijuana is widely available, and

widely used all over the U.S. No matter how many laws are put into place over time, whether

legalizing pot or limiting it, there is always concerns that follow (Kerr). The main concerns that

many people have when it comes to marijuana is physical and mental health. Marijuana has such

a complexed history, from originally being a plant used for different materials that turned into a

drug that became widely used. There are many benefits that come with using marijuana such as

symptom/pain relief, but there are also harmful aspects to using it such as impairment in

judgement while under the influence. At the end of the day it is all about a person’s perspective

and opinion on the issue. It appears that legalization will continue to increase throughout the U.S.

and so will people’s reservations about it. Both sides have very compelling points and facts that

are presented. It is important to acknowledge both the benefits and the disadvantages of

legalizing marijuana.
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Works Cited
Phil's Stock World: Legal Marijuana's Social Impact on Colorado. Newstex, Chatham, 2017.

ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/187662

7685?accountid=10163.

Leonard, Devin. "Pot and Booze Lobbyists Rumble in Washington." Business week, Nov, 2013,

pp. 1. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/149288

3370?accountid=10163.

Donnelly, Joseph, and Michael Young. "The Legalization of Medical/Recreational Marijuana:

Implications for School Health Drug Education Programs." The Journal of School

Health, vol. 88, no. 9, 2018, pp. 693-698. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/208724

5570?accountid=10163, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/josh.12669.

"High Time to Talk about Pot." The Leader, Sep 02, 2015. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/170914

2646?accountid=10163.

Onder, Hannah. "Legalization of Marijuana Continues to be Hot Political Topic. "University

Wire, Nov 13, 2018. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/213245

8547?accountid=10163.
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Kerr, Geoffrey T. Understanding the Relationship between Marijuana use and Self-Control,

University of Colorado at Boulder, Ann Arbor, 2016. ProQuest,

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/179367

0601?accountid=10163.