thesis statement about legalization of marijuana

THREE ESSAYS ON THE EFFECT OF LEGALIZING MARIJUANA ON HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND SOCIAL SECURITY

The legalization of marijuana has emerged as a critical public policy issue, with far-reaching implications for health, education, and government programs at both the state and federal levels. The three essays of this dissertation show that medical marijuana legalization (MML) has a negative effect in each of these areas. The first essay shows, that the enactment of MMLs can exacerbate the crisis of overdose deaths in the United States. The study analyzes three key areas: the rate of overdose deaths caused by both legal and illegal drugs, the impact of MML on social norms regarding the perceived harm of marijuana, and an investigation into the gateway theory by examining the use of other addictive drugs. I find that MMLs increase deaths attributed to overdose by 21.5% population. MMLs s also indicate increase the number of deaths due to prescribed opioids by 44.6%, and deaths from all opioids (heroin and cocaine in addition to prescribed opioids) by 37.2 % Results suggest an overall increase in the use of marijuana, primarily due to lower perceived risk among adolescents. Additionally, results show an increase in hospital admissions due to substance abuse. The analysis suggests that legalizing medical marijuana may exaggerate the current problem of drug overdose in the United States. The second essay examines the impact of improved access to medical marijuana, measured by the proximity of schools to the nearest dispensary, on the academic performance of high school students in California. Students in schools farther from a marijuana dispensary have higher academic performance as measured through AP, ACT, SAT scores, and average GPA, and lower number of suspensions due to violence and illicit drug use. To show this, I construct the first geocoded dataset on marijuana dispensary and high school locations, use newly developed difference-in-differences estimators that rule out any bias due to heterogeneous treatment effects over time, and explore dynamic responses. This essay reveals the importance of ensuring a largest possible distance between schools and dispensaries to protect adolescents from the potential harm caused by medical marijuana. Finally, the third essay shows that in the long term, MMLs increase the number of disabled workers who receive Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) because of mental health issues. SSDI is a major social insurance program that provides benefits to workers who become disabled, and understanding how policy changes in other areas may impact this program is important. In this study, there were important differences between the results of a two-way fixed effects model and a new model by Callaway and Santa’Anna. MMLs, in theory, could either increase or decrease the number of SSDI recipients, and traditional fixed effects models suggest both could be at play; however, only the negative effect is robust to correction for heterogeneous effects. This highlights the need for future research to understand the true impact of medical marijuana legalization

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The Evidence—and Lack Thereof—About Cannabis

Research is still needed on cannabis’s risks and benefits. 

Lindsay Smith Rogers

Although the use and possession of cannabis is illegal under federal law, medicinal and recreational cannabis use has become increasingly widespread.

Thirty-eight states and Washington, D.C., have legalized medical cannabis, while 23 states and D.C. have legalized recreational use. Cannabis legalization has benefits, such as removing the product from the illegal market so it can be taxed and regulated, but science is still trying to catch up as social norms evolve and different products become available. 

In this Q&A, adapted from the August 25 episode of Public Health On Call , Lindsay Smith Rogers talks with Johannes Thrul, PhD, MS , associate professor of Mental Health , about cannabis as medicine, potential risks involved with its use, and what research is showing about its safety and efficacy. 

Do you think medicinal cannabis paved the way for legalization of recreational use?

The momentum has been clear for a few years now. California was the first to legalize it for medical reasons [in 1996]. Washington and Colorado were the first states to legalize recreational use back in 2012. You see one state after another changing their laws, and over time, you see a change in social norms. It's clear from the national surveys that people are becoming more and more in favor of cannabis legalization. That started with medical use, and has now continued into recreational use.

But there is a murky differentiation between medical and recreational cannabis. I think a lot of people are using cannabis to self-medicate. It's not like a medication you get prescribed for a very narrow symptom or a specific disease. Anyone with a medical cannabis prescription, or who meets the age limit for recreational cannabis, can purchase it. Then what they use it for is really all over the place—maybe because it makes them feel good, or because it helps them deal with certain symptoms, diseases, and disorders.

Does cannabis have viable medicinal uses?

The evidence is mixed at this point. There hasn’t been a lot of funding going into testing cannabis in a rigorous way. There is more evidence for certain indications than for others, like CBD for seizures—one of the first indications that cannabis was approved for. And THC has been used effectively for things like nausea and appetite for people with cancer.

There are other indications where the evidence is a lot more mixed. For example, pain—one of the main reasons that people report for using cannabis. When we talk to patients, they say cannabis improved their quality of life. In the big studies that have been done so far, there are some indications from animal models that cannabis might help [with pain]. When we look at human studies, it's very much a mixed bag. 

And, when we say cannabis, in a way it's a misnomer because cannabis is so many things. We have different cannabinoids and different concentrations of different cannabinoids. The main cannabinoids that are being studied are THC and CBD, but there are dozens of other minor cannabinoids and terpenes in cannabis products, all of varying concentrations. And then you also have a lot of different routes of administration available. You can smoke, vape, take edibles, use tinctures and topicals. When you think about the explosion of all of the different combinations of different products and different routes of administration, it tells you how complicated it gets to study this in a rigorous way. You almost need a randomized trial for every single one of those and then for every single indication.

What do we know about the risks of marijuana use?  

Cannabis use disorder is a legitimate disorder in the DSM. There are, unfortunately, a lot of people who develop a problematic use of cannabis. We know there are risks for mental health consequences. The evidence is probably the strongest that if you have a family history of psychosis or schizophrenia, using cannabis early in adolescence is not the best idea. We know cannabis can trigger psychotic symptoms and potentially longer lasting problems with psychosis and schizophrenia. 

It is hard to study, because you also don't know if people are medicating early negative symptoms of schizophrenia. They wouldn't necessarily have a diagnosis yet, but maybe cannabis helps them to deal with negative symptoms, and then they develop psychosis. There is also some evidence that there could be something going on with the impact of cannabis on the developing brain that could prime you to be at greater risk of using other substances later down the road, or finding the use of other substances more reinforcing. 

What benefits do you see to legalization?

When we look at the public health landscape and the effect of legislation, in this case legalization, one of the big benefits is taking cannabis out of the underground illegal market. Taking cannabis out of that particular space is a great idea. You're taking it out of the illegal market and giving it to legitimate businesses where there is going to be oversight and testing of products, so you know what you're getting. And these products undergo quality control and are labeled. Those labels so far are a bit variable, but at least we're getting there. If you're picking up cannabis at the street corner, you have no idea what's in it. 

And we know that drug laws in general have been used to criminalize communities of color and minorities. Legalizing cannabis [can help] reduce the overpolicing of these populations.

What big questions about cannabis would you most like to see answered?

We know there are certain, most-often-mentioned conditions that people are already using medical cannabis for: pain, insomnia, anxiety, and PTSD. We really need to improve the evidence base for those. I think clinical trials for different cannabis products for those conditions are warranted.

Another question is, now that the states are getting more tax revenue from cannabis sales, what are they doing with that money? If you look at tobacco legislation, for example, certain states have required that those funds get used for research on those particular issues. To me, that would be a very good use of the tax revenue that is now coming in. We know, for example, that there’s a lot more tax revenue now that Maryland has legalized recreational use. Maryland could really step up here and help provide some of that evidence.

Are there studies looking into the risks you mentioned?

Large national studies are done every year or every other year to collect data, so we already have a pretty good sense of the prevalence of cannabis use disorder. Obviously, we'll keep tracking that to see if those numbers increase, for example, in states that are legalizing. But, you wouldn't necessarily expect to see an uptick in cannabis use disorder a month after legalization. The evidence from states that have legalized it has not demonstrated that we might all of a sudden see an increase in psychosis or in cannabis use disorder. This happens slowly over time with a change in social norms and availability, and potentially also with a change in marketing. And, with increasing use of an addictive substance, you will see over time a potential increase in problematic use and then also an increase in use disorder.

If you're interested in seeing if cannabis is right for you, is this something you can talk to your doctor about?

I think your mileage may vary there with how much your doctor is comfortable and knows about it. It's still relatively fringe. That will very much depend on who you talk to. But I think as providers and professionals, everybody needs to learn more about this, because patients are going to ask no matter what.

Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast , an editor for Expert Insights , and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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Marijuana legalization is a contentious issue with implications for health, economy, and society. Essays might explore the arguments for and against legalization, the experiences of regions where marijuana has been legalized, and the legal, economic, and social ramifications of legalization. Additionally, discussions might extend to the medical uses of marijuana, its impact on the criminal justice system, and its societal perceptions. We have collected a large number of free essay examples about Marijuana Legalization you can find in Papersowl database. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

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How To Write an Essay About Marijuana Legalization

Introduction to marijuana legalization.

When embarking on an essay about marijuana legalization, it's crucial to begin with a comprehensive overview of the topic. Marijuana legalization is a multifaceted issue that encompasses legal, medical, social, and economic dimensions. Your introduction should briefly touch upon the history of marijuana use and its legal status over time, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of the arguments for and against legalization. Establish your thesis statement, outlining the specific aspect of marijuana legalization you will focus on, whether it's the potential medical benefits, the social implications, or the economic impact of legalizing marijuana.

Examining the Arguments for Legalization

In this section, delve into the arguments commonly made in favor of legalizing marijuana. These arguments often include the potential medical benefits of marijuana, such as its use in pain management and treatment of certain medical conditions. Discuss the viewpoint that legalization could lead to better regulation and quality control of the substance, as well as potentially reduce crime rates related to illegal drug trade. It's also important to consider the economic aspect, such as the revenue generated from taxing legal marijuana sales. Provide well-researched evidence and examples to support these arguments, ensuring that your essay presents a balanced and informed perspective.

Exploring the Counterarguments

Next, address the arguments against marijuana legalization. These may include concerns about the health risks associated with marijuana use, such as potential impacts on mental health and cognitive function, especially among young people. Discuss the fears that legalization might lead to increased usage rates, particularly in adolescents, and the potential for marijuana to act as a gateway drug. There's also the argument regarding the challenges of enforcing regulations and controlling the quality and distribution of legal marijuana. Like the previous section, ensure that you present these counterarguments with supporting evidence and a fair analysis, demonstrating an understanding of the complexities of the issue.

Concluding the Essay

Conclude your essay by summarizing the main points from both sides of the argument. This is your opportunity to reinforce your thesis and provide a final analysis of the issue based on the evidence presented. Reflect on the potential future of marijuana legalization, considering the current trends and policy changes. A well-crafted conclusion should provide closure to your essay and encourage the reader to continue contemplating the nuanced aspects of marijuana legalization. Your concluding remarks might also suggest areas for further research or consideration, underscoring the ongoing nature of the debate surrounding marijuana legalization.

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2018 Theses Doctoral

Essays on Cannabis Legalization

Thomas, Danna Kang

Though the drug remains illegal at the federal level, in recent years states and localities have increasingly liberalized their marijuana laws in order to generate tax revenue and save resources on marijuana law enforcement. Many states have adopted some form of medical marijuana and/or marijuana decriminalization laws, and as of 2017, Washington, Colorado, Maine, California, Oregon, Massachusetts, Nevada, Alaska, and the District of Columbia have all legalized marijuana for recreational use. In 2016 recreational marijuana generated over $1.8 billion in sales. Hence, studying marijuana reforms and the policies and outcomes of early recreational marijuana adopters is an important area of research. However, perhaps due to the fact that legalized recreational cannabis is a recent phenomenon, a scarcity of research exists on the impacts of recreational cannabis legalization and the efficacy and efficiency of cannabis regulation. This dissertation aims to fill this gap, using the Washington recreational marijuana market as the primary setting to study cannabis legalization in the United States. Of first order importance in the regulation of sin goods such as cannabis is quantifying the value of the marginal damages of negative externalities. Hence, Chapter 1 (co-authored with Lin Tian) explores the impact of marijuana dispensary location on neighborhood property values, exploiting plausibly exogenous variation in marijuana retailer location. Policymakers and advocates have long expressed concerns that the positive effects of the legalization--e.g., increases in tax revenue--are well spread spatially, but the negative effects are highly localized through channels such as crime. Hence, we use changes in property values to measure individuals' willingness to pay to avoid localized externalities caused by the arrival of marijuana dispensaries. Our key identification strategy is to compare changes in housing sales around winners and losers in a lottery for recreational marijuana retail licenses. (Due to location restrictions, license applicants were required to provide an address of where they would like to locate.) Hence, we have the locations of both actual entrants and potential entrants, which provides a natural difference-in-differences set-up. Using data from King County, Washington, we find an almost 2.4% decrease in the value of properties within a 0.5 mile radius of an entrant, a $9,400 decline in median property values. The aforementioned retail license lottery was used to distribute licenses due to a license quota. Retail license quotas are often used by states to regulate entry into sin goods markets as quotas can restrict consumption by decreasing access and by reducing competition (and, therefore, increasing markups). However, license quotas also create allocative inefficiency. For example, license quotas are often based on the population of a city or county. Hence, licenses are not necessarily allocated to the areas where they offer the highest marginal benefit. Moreover, as seen in the case of the Washington recreational marijuana market, licenses are often distributed via lottery, meaning that in the absence of an efficiency secondary market for licenses, the license recipients are not necessarily the most efficient potential entrants. This allocative inefficiency is generated by heterogeneity in firms and consumers. Therefore, in Chapter 2, I develop a model of demand and firm pricing in order to investigate firm-level heterogeneity and inefficiency. Demand is differentiated by geography and incorporates consumer demographics. I estimate this demand model using data on firm sales from Washington. Utilizing the estimates and firm pricing model, I back out a non-parametric distribution of firm variable costs. These variable costs differ by product and firm and provide a measure of firm inefficiency. I find that variable costs have lower inventory turnover; hence, randomly choosing entrants in a lottery could be a large contributor to allocative inefficiency. Chapter 3 explores the sources of allocative inefficiency in license distribution in the Washington recreational marijuana market. A difficulty in studying the welfare effects of license quotas is finding credible counterfactuals of unrestricted entry. Therefore, I take a structural approach: I first develop a three stage model that endogenizes firm entry and incorporates the spatial demand and pricing model discussed in Chapter 2. Using the estimates of the demand and pricing model, I estimate firms' fixed costs and use data on locations of those potential entrants that did not win Washington's retail license lottery to simulate counterfactual entry patterns. I find that allowing firms to enter freely at Washington's current marijuana tax rate increases total surplus by 21.5% relative to a baseline simulation of Washington's license quota regime. Geographic misallocation and random allocation of licenses account for 6.6\% and 65.9\% of this difference, respectively. Moreover, as the primary objective of these quotas is to mitigate the negative externalities of marijuana consumption, I study alternative state tax policies that directly control for the marginal damages of marijuana consumption. Free entry with tax rates that keep the quantity of marijuana or THC consumed equal to baseline consumption increases welfare by 6.9% and 11.7%, respectively. I also explore the possibility of heterogeneous marginal damages of consumption across geography, backing out the non-uniform sales tax across geography that is consistent with Washington's license quota policy. Free entry with a non-uniform sales tax increases efficiency by over 7% relative to the baseline simulation of license quotas due to improvements in license allocation.

• Cannabis--Law and legislation
• Marijuana industry
• Drug legalization
• Drugs--Economic aspects

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Americans overwhelmingly say marijuana should be legal for medical or recreational use

With a growing number of states authorizing the use of marijuana, the public continues to broadly favor legalization of the drug for medical and recreational purposes. 

An overwhelming share of U.S. adults (88%) say either that marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use by adults (59%) or that it should be legal for medical use only (30%). Just one-in-ten (10%) say marijuana use should not be legal, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted Oct. 10-16, 2022. These views are virtually unchanged since April 2021.

The new survey follows President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon people convicted of marijuana possession at the federal level and direct his administration to review how marijuana is classified under federal law. It was fielded before the Nov. 8 midterm elections, when two states legalized the use of marijuana for recreational purposes – joining 19 states and the District of Columbia , which had already done so.

Pew Research Center asked this question to track public views about the legal status of marijuana. For this analysis, we surveyed 5,098 adults from Oct. 10-16, 2022. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the ATP’s methodology .

Here are the questions used for this report, along with responses, and its methodology .

Over the long term, there has been a steep rise in public support for marijuana legalization, as measured by a separate Gallup survey question that asks whether the use of marijuana should be made legal – without specifying whether it would be legalized for recreational or medical use. This year, 68% of adults say marijuana should be legal , matching the record-high support for legalization Gallup found in 2021.

There continue to be sizable age and partisan differences in Americans’ views about marijuana. While very small shares of adults of any age are completely opposed to the legalization of the drug, older adults are far less likely than younger ones to favor legalizing it for recreational purposes.

This is particularly the case among those ages 75 and older, just three-in-ten of whom say marijuana should be legal for both medical and recreational use. Larger shares in every other age group – including 53% of those ages 65 to 74 – say the drug should be legal for both medical and recreational use.

Republicans are more wary than Democrats about legalizing marijuana for recreational use: 45% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents favor legalizing marijuana for both medical and recreational use, while an additional 39% say it should only be legal for medical use. By comparison, 73% of Democrats and Democratic leaners say marijuana should be legal for both medical and recreational use; an additional 21% say it should be legal for medical use only.

Ideological differences are evident within each party. About four-in-ten conservative Republicans (37%) say marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use, compared with a 60% majority of moderate and liberal Republicans.

Nearly two-thirds of conservative and moderate Democrats (63%) say marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use. An overwhelming majority of liberal Democrats (84%) say the same.

There also are racial and ethnic differences in views of legalizing marijuana. Roughly two-thirds of Black adults (68%) and six-in-ten White adults say marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use, compared with smaller shares of Hispanic (49%) and Asian adults (48%).

Related: Clear majorities of Black Americans favor marijuana legalization, easing of criminal penalties

In both parties, views of marijuana legalization vary by age

While Republicans and Democrats differ greatly on whether marijuana should be legal for medial and recreational use, there are also age divides within each party.

A 62% majority of Republicans ages 18 to 29 favor making marijuana legal for medical and recreational use, compared with 52% of those ages 30 to 49. Roughly four-in-ten Republicans ages 50 to 64 (41%) and 65 to 74 (38%) say marijuana should be legal for both purposes, as do 18% of those 75 and older.

Still, wide majorities of Republicans in all age groups favor legalizing marijuana for medical use. Even among Republicans 65 and older, just 17% say marijuana use should not be legal even for medical purposes.

While majorities of Democrats across all age groups support legalizing marijuana for medical and recreational use, older Democrats are less likely to say this. About half of Democrats ages 75 and older (51%) say marijuana should be legal for medical or recreational purposes; larger shares of younger Democrats say the same. Still, only 8% of Democrats 75 and older think marijuana should not be legalized even for medical use – similar to the share of all other Democrats who say this.

Note: Here are the questions used for this report, along with responses, and its methodology .

• Drug Policy
• Medicine & Health

Ted Van Green is a research analyst focusing on U.S. politics and policy at Pew Research Center .

9 facts about Americans and marijuana

Most americans favor legalizing marijuana for medical, recreational use, most americans now live in a legal marijuana state – and most have at least one dispensary in their county, clear majorities of black americans favor marijuana legalization, easing of criminal penalties, concern about drug addiction has declined in u.s., even in areas where fatal overdoses have risen the most, most popular.

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Five Reasons Why We Should Legalize Cannabis

Cannabis use in the United States has had a long and complicated history. For decades, people who used cannabis were subject to social ostracization and criminal prosecution. However, attitudes toward cannabis have been evolving in recent years. An increasing number of states have started to legalize cannabis for medical or recreational use. This shift in policy has been driven by a variety of factors including changing public attitudes and the potential economic benefits of legalization. In this article, we will explore the potential benefits of legalizing cannabis in our country.

1. Legalization for the Environment

Legalizing cannabis can have significant benefits for the environment. When cannabis is grown illegally, it is often done in environmentally damaging ways, such as using chemical pesticides or clearing primary forests to make room for crops. Legalization could allow customers to support more environmental growers. This will incentivize more responsible growing practices, such as the use of organic farming methods or the use of renewable energy sources to power indoor grow operations. In addition, the culture of growing cannabis can help to discover and preserve precious marijuana seeds , increasing biodiversity and facilitating a deeper understanding of cannabis plants and their cultivation.

2. Legalization for Justice

Where cannabis is illegal, people are being arrested and charged for possession or sale, which leads to costly court cases and a burden on the criminal justice system. Legalization would free up law enforcement resources to focus on more serious crimes and simultaneously reduce the number of people incarcerated for non-violent drug offenses. This could help to reduce the overall prison population and save taxpayers money.

In addition, legalization can have significant benefits for justice and equity, particularly for marginalized communities that have been disproportionately affected by the criminalization of cannabis. Communities of color have been particularly affected by the war on drugs, with Black Americans being nearly four times more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession than white Americans, despite similar rates of use.

By regulating cannabis cultivation and sales, legalization can help to eliminate the black market and reduce the involvement of criminal organizations in the cannabis industry. This can lead to safer communities and reduced drug-related violence in communities that have been most affected by the criminalization of cannabis.

3. Legalization for Public Health

Cannabis has been shown to have many beneficial and therapeutic effects on both physical and mental health. However, people may be hesitant to seek medical marijuana treatment due to fear of legal repercussions if cannabis is illegal. Legalization can allow more people to enjoy better health outcomes. It can also promote the safer use of cannabis by educating the public on appropriate cannabis use and providing quality control measures for cannabis products. Legalization can also lead to increased research into potential medical applications of cannabis and could lead to the development of innovative treatments.

Another potential perk of cannabis legalization is that it could reduce the use of more harmful drugs. In the absence of cannabis, people may turn to more dangerous drugs like heroin or fentanyl to manage chronic pain or other conditions. By legalizing cannabis, we can provide a safer alternative for these individuals and could reduce the overall demand for these more dangerous drugs. States that have legalized cannabis found a decrease in opioid overdose deaths and hospitalizations, suggesting that cannabis are an effective alternative to prescription painkillers.

4. Legalization for the Economy

The legalization of cannabis can generate significant tax revenue for governments and create new economic opportunities. When cannabis is illegal, it is sold on the black market, and no taxes are collected on these sales. However, when it is legal, sales can be regulated, and taxes can be imposed on those sales. In states that have legalized cannabis, tax revenue from cannabis sales has been in the millions of dollars , with California registering a whopping $1.2 billion in cannabis tax revenue in 2021. This impressive income can be used to reduce budget deficits, fund various public services such as education and healthcare, and create new opportunities for investment in projects that revitalize the economy.

Aside from tax revenue, legalizing cannabis can create new jobs. The cannabis industry is a rapidly growing industry, and legalization could lead to the creation of new jobs in areas such as cultivation, processing, and retail sales. This can help to reduce unemployment and create new gainful opportunities for people who may have struggled to find employment in other industries. Legalization can also lead to increased investment in related industries, such as the development of new products or technologies to improve cannabis cultivation or the creation of new retail businesses. There are now several venture capital funds and investment groups that focus solely on cannabis-related enterprises.

5. Legalization for Acceptance

Finally, legalization could help reduce the stigma surrounding cannabis use. Before cannabis legalization, people who use the plant were often viewed as criminals or deviants. Legalization can help change this perception and lead to more open and honest conversations about cannabis use. Ultimately, legalization could lead to a more accepting and inclusive society where individuals are not judged or discriminated against for their personal and healthcare choices. By legalizing cannabis, we can harness the power of a therapeutic plant. Legalization can heal not just physical and mental ailments of individuals but also the social wounds that have resulted from its criminalization.

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211 Marijuana Essay Topics & Examples

Should marijuana be legalized? This question is controversial and worth discussing!

🔝 Top 10 Marijuana Research Topics

🌱 marijuana essay: how to write, 🏆 best marijuana essay examples.

• 💡Interesting Cannabis Topics to Write about

🥇 Exciting Marijuana Essay Topics

🎓 controversial weed topics, 🔎 marijuana research paper topics, ❓ marijuana research questions.

Marijuana, also known as cannabis, is a psychoactive drug made from a plant and used for recreational and medical purposes. Being fully prohibited in some countries, it is fully legalized in others. In your essay about marijuana, you might want to focus on the pros and cons of its legalization. Another option is to discuss marijuana dependence. One more idea is to compare and contrast marijuana laws in various US states. Finally, you can discuss the business aspects of the issue.

Whether you have to write an argumentative, descriptive, or cause and effect essay, our article will be helpful. It contains marijuana topics to research and write about. You can use them for a paper, speech, or any other assignment. Best marijuana essay examples are added to inspire you even more.

• Mental and physical effects of cannabis
• Marijuana and mental ability: the correlation
• Cannabis consumption: the key modes
• Marijuana: short-term and long-term effects
• Cannabis and reproductive health
• History of cannabis
• Legal status of marijuana in various countries: compare and contrast
• Should cannabis be legalized?
• Cannabis as a gateway drug
• The use of marijuana for medical purposes

With the current-day process of drug legalization and the popularization of cannabis, writing a marijuana essay becomes more than a one-track, anti-drug endeavor.

Whether your stance is for or against recreational drug use, you should be able to call upon credible sources to form a well-rounded and informed opinion that may sway your readers toward your cause.

Starting from your pre-writing process and bibliography and until you write your conclusion, you need to keep in mind particular points that will make tackling any marijuana essay topics easy. From a structural and pre-writing viewpoint, you should:

• Brainstorm your ideas. Doing so will allow you to decide on a particular approach to your subject.
• Do your research, compiling your bibliography, and perusing various book and journals titles, as well as research papers, interviews, and statistics.
• Utilizing authoritative sources to support your argument will make your writing more academic and respectable.
• Write a marijuana essay outline, which should help you better your essay structurally.
• Compose an eye-catching title. Marijuana essay titles are already intriguing, so do your best not merely to draw your readers in but to prepare them for your argument by demonstrating your stance on the topic.

If you are still not sure how to begin your paper, look for sample ones online. Searching for good examples will help you understand the tools that work in essay writing, which ones you can apply to your issue, and which bore the audience.

Just remember that plagiarism is a punishable offense. However, gaining some inspiration from the work of others is not!

Now you are ready to begin, having carried out the research and created guidelines for your writing process. However, an intriguing title and an issue that may easily excite people is not enough to convince your readers of your subject’s validity.

Nonetheless, the potentially provocative nature of your paper provides you with the ability to write a fail-safe marijuana essay hook. Your introduction should build upon the sentiment expressed in your title and give your audience an initiative to read further.

You can start by providing surprising statistics or describing a present drug scenario. The goal of writing an introduction is to give your readers a brief understanding of your issue and present them with partial facts, making them want to continue reading.

Do not be afraid to expand your topics and link various data together while keeping in mind an academic approach.

Adverse societal effects of marijuana use may include an increase in the number of car accident cases, especially if there is no culture of safety around recreational drug use. However, trying to link it to society’s degradation may require more evidence than mere statistics.

Understand which approach is more likely to convince your audience and be ready to respond to potential counterarguments to your facts. Treating your audience as knowledgeable is one of the central characteristics of a good essayist.

Remember to write only sentences that are relevant to your argument. A sound mental practice when writing an essay is to continuously ask yourself, whether each phrase relates to your thesis statement.

If yes, does it help advance it forward? If the answers for these questions is no, you may have to rephrase, remove, or even re-research your facts to demonstrate a compelling understanding of the issue.

Need more essential tips to get your essay started? Use IvyPanda for all your academic needs!

• Reason Why Marijuana Should Be Legal This is an important consideration since data on the prevalence of Marijuana indicates that the US is still the world’s largest single market for the drug.
• Alcohol and Drugs Effects on High School Students According to Martin, “society also advertises the image of individual and social happiness for alcohol and drug users; this misconception results in the societal decrease of achievement, especially, of high school age students”.
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Marijuana Countries including Netherlands, Israel and Canada have lenient laws regarding the use of marijuana, cases in point that proponents of its legalisation have used to highlight the merits of legalising it.
• Legalizing Marijuana: Pros and Cons The focus of this paper will be on the impact of the legalization of the U.S.economy with possible positive and negative sides of the matter.
• Legalization of Marijuana: Arguments For and Against It will therefore be difficult to regulate the use of marijuana among young people and other unauthorized people if it is legalized. It should be noted that marijuana has various negative effects to the health […]
• How Does Marijuana Affect the Brain? One of the profound findings of the studies is on the negative effects of marijuana on the brain. Research findings on the brain show that abuse of marijuana for a long time affects the brain […]
• Should Marijuana Be Legal? It is perhaps very essential to be acquainted with an account of laws that surround marijuana in order to understand the reasons why the drug ought to be legalized.
• Marijuana and Its Effects on Mental Health The effects of the use of marijuana can be comparable to those exhibited by the removal of this important part of the brain.
• Usage and Effects of Marijuana In the modern world, more and more countries are recognizing the role of cannabis in bringing benefits to the population. For the purposes of better understanding the drug and navigating the modern realities, it is […]
• Political Opinion on Legalization of Marijuana On the other hand, the case introduces the man as a member of the Methodist Church, and this community is known for its strict opinion about marijuana as a gateway drug.
• Discretion Powers Regarding Marijuana Laws Albeit, marijuana laws in New York are favorable for the users as marijuana was fully legalized in March of 2021, allowing for both medical and recreational use.
• Marijuana as an Alternative Medication for Pain Relief The PICOT question for the identified health care issue is the following: in a patient population requiring pain relief, does marijuana represent a viable alternative medication as compared to opioid-based prescription drugs for alleviating the […]
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• Synthetic Marijuana: Physiological and Social Factors The report generated by Drug and Alcohol Dependence article in the year 2010 showed that the majority of the people who used synthetic marijuana were between the ages of 12 to 29.
• Cannabis or Marijuana for Medical Use In the West, for the first time, medical use became known thanks to the work of Professor O’Shaughnessy, who personally observed the process of her treatment in India.
• Marijuana Research: Personal Connection and Medical Use In the United States, military marijuana is prohibited, but initially, it was used for recreation and as a form of medicine in the twentieth century.
• Marijuana Possession in a High-School Student Case Her participation in the program will be an educational experience and put the juvenile offender in touch with professionals who can understand the motives of her behavior instead of giving Jane Doe an actual criminal […]
• Marijuana Legitimization and Medical Controversy The proponents of the legitimization of marijuana for medical use argue that it has numerous medical uses. Currently, in the US, there is a rather peculiar situation with the legalization of marijuana for medical use.
• Workplace Policy on Marijuana Use in Michigan The legalization and decriminalization of marijuana use in 23 states of the US lead to complicated issues when it comes to the consideration of workplace policies.
• Law: Legislation Regarding Marijuana Farming To evaluate the applicability of the proposed marijuana farming bill, the current marihuana production legislation needs to be reviewed, and the changes in social norms regarding criminal behavior are to be analyzed.
• Marijuana Legalization: Controversial Issue in Canada Canada became the second country in the world to legalize the cultivation and consumption of cannabis in 2018. Besides, the substance is addictive, and it is challenging to stop consuming it.
• Marijuana: Myths and Legal Justification Over the past decades, much attention has been drawn to the question of the categorization of marijuana in terms of the national systematization of drugs controlled by the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
• Marijuana Legalization and Issues to Consider If marijuana is fully legalized, there might be a rise in use among youth, which is dangerous from the physiological point of view, and there will be no legal justification to end it.
• Hip-Hop and Marijuana Use in College Students It has been estimated that over half of the college student population regularly use marijuana, while over 25% used it during past month.
• Marijuana Use among American and Bolivian Students The study is a perfect example of the use of theory in a research. As such, it is possible for college students in Bolivia to have a similar deviant behavior, which in this case is […]
• The Relationships Between Marijuana and the Legal System The most common ideas discussed within a framework of this debate are connected to the issues of permission to keep marijuana at home for personal needs such as medical needs, and a total ban on […]
• Should Marijuana Be a Medical Option? Medical marijuana is used to refer to the use of marijuana as a physician-recommended form of medication in its natural or synthetic form.
• Use of Marijuana for the Medicinal Purposes It is therefore quite evident that even though the marijuana legalization will go hand in hand with a set minimum age within which individuals will be allowed to use it, at the long run the […]
• The Medicinal Value of the Marijuana: There Are Potential Benefits to a Patient Other Than Risks This article provides an insight to the effects of chemotherapy treatment to the body of the cancer victims. It defines the drug in a lengthy way including what the drug is, the effects of taking […]

💡 Interesting Cannabis Topics to Write about

• Pros and Cons of Legalization of Medical Marijuana It is evident that medical treatment with the use of marijuana would be beneficial for both: patients and the government because of the opportunity to earn on taxation.
• Legalization of Recreational Use of Marijuana The role of the Supreme Court in the specified case boils down to stating the conditions, in which the prescription and the following use of marijuana by the patient, can be deemed as legitimate.
• The Chances of a Successful Appeal by a Marijuana Convict The Superior Court ruled that the Fourth Amendment rights of the defendant were violated; a decision that was upheld by the Court of Appeal.
• Marijuana Legalization: Chronic Seizure Treatment With that said, despite numerous states already having legalized one or both applications, the federal government remains opposed to either form of legalization, and marijuana possession and use remain federal offenses.
• Adverse Effects of Marijuana Use This paper aims to provide an analysis of the article that gives a perspective on the adverse health effects and harm related to marijuana use. Thus, the academic article on the adverse effects of marijuana […]
• “Adverse Health Effects of Marijuana Use” by Volkow et al. Based on national marijuana studies and DSM-IV, the researchers conclude that addiction to marijuana is a non-debatable statement and that starting marijuana use in adolescence doubles or even quadruples the risks of cannabis use disorder.
• Marijuana Use May Double the Risk of Accidents for Drivers According to the Department of Safety and Homeland Security, the number of Americans driving under the influence of illegal substances has risen drastically. The risk of a crash is also related to the number of […]
• Legalized Marijuana: Negative and Positive Sides The economy and finance from the very beginning were anticipating that this law will bring the largest income to the state’s budget and create plenty of job opportunities under the rule of law.
• Marijuana: Legislative History and Future The focus of the legislation in many states is to end the illegal sale of cannabis and monetize it for tax purposes and so that distribution can be controlled.
• Ethical Perspective of the Legalization of Marijuana In spite of a popular view of the medical benefits of marijuana, doctors insist that the use of marijuana provides the same dangerous effect as other drugs.
• Marijuana Legalize: Advanatages and Disadvantages The truth that marijuana is illegal and prohibited is suitably caused by the number of funds invested in the war against drugs.
• Arguments for Banning the Legalization of Marijuana Marijuana is a dangerous drug that should not be legalized even if it is in the context of it containing the medicinal value.
• Federalism and Medical Marijuana Needless to say, United States faced political and social challenges as well, and the disputes over federalism and over the legal use of marijuana in medicine are still the most burning and controversial issues in […]
• The Effects of Marijuana on the Body, Mind and Brain Cells A drug is a substance that changes the bodily function of a body when consumed, there are several definitions of the word drug but it is believed that the most important function of a drug […]
• College Students in UK and Marijuana The reasons for the punishments are very different but the result remains the same: marijuana is still used by the majority of students and is available for everyone.
• Decriminalizing Marijuana for Medicinal Use Because of inconsistent and problematical data, it is impracticable to access quantitatively to what extent that drugs encourage the incidence of crime.
• Psychological Effects of Marijuana Some people experience panic reactions, which tend to be temporary and often are triggered by a feeling of not being in control Marijuana’s psychological effects include a sense of euphoria or well-being, relaxation, altered time […]
• Logical Benefits of Legalizing Marijuana This will be a source of revenue to the government; when the revenues increase, it means that gross domestic product for the country increases. It will be a source of income not only to the […]
• Social Effects of Marijuana Research has shown that the use of marijuana affects the smoker’s day-to-day lifestyle in relation to society, the environment, and day-to-day activities.
• Federal vs. State Law: Medical Marijuana in the US The main problem is that these laws and regulations have not reduced the number of people who use marijuana for medical purposes.
• Medical Marijuana: Pros of Legalizing It must be admitted that at the time of the passage of these laws, histories from some, but not all, heroin users indicated that the use of marijuana had preceded the use of heroin.
• Marijuana: To Legalize or Not to Legalize? Marijuana, which is also known under dozens of nicknames such as weed or pot, is now the most widespread illegal drug across the US. Moreover, the vast majority of marijuana abusers claim pot to be […]
• Marijuana Legalization and Consumption Among Youth The most popular excuse among drug consumers is the instrumental use of the drug. As long as the drug influence is undermined, the number of college students willing to experience the marijuana effects will be […]
• Legalization of Medical Marijuana: Help or Harm? Nowadays, a majority of people worldwide support the legalization of marijuana, and it is possible to predict that this support will keep getting stronger in the future.
• Medical Marijuana Legalization Concerns This change raises political concerns and requires the government to review its economy to adapt to the use of MM. The representation of the legal process highlighted the history of previous legislations and reported on […]
• Medical Marijuana: Legal and Research Concerns However, while the purpose of recreational marijuana is often disconnected from its long-term effects on people’s health in scholarly discussions, the use of medical marijuana is viewed from the point of patient’s health and the […]
• Medical Marijuana in the Army: Addressing a Problematic Issue Denying the use of medicinal marijuana as one of the fastest and the most efficient ways of relieving pain in the military setting, one will inevitably infringe upon the rights of American troops.
• Should Marijuana Be Legalized? Marijuana legalization is a topic of social trends and beliefs that are based not only on health but political and economic factors as well.
• Marijuana Legalization and Its Benefits for Society The example of several states that have already introduced the appropriate law provides the ground for vigorous debates about the absence of the expected deterioration of the situation and emergence of multiple problems associated with […]
• Marijuana Legalization in 5 Policy Frameworks The legalization of marijuana is still one of the debatable issues at the federal and state levels. For instance, the use of marijuana is prohibited at the federal level while the recreational and medical use […]
• Marijuana Legalization in California The muscle relaxation effect of marijuana also appears to be a positive effect that should be used to argue for its legalization.
• Legalization of Marijuana in the United States It should not be forgotten that it is a cause of numerous tragedies. Also, some studies show that the use of marijuana is especially dangerous for young people.
• Medical Marijuana Legalization by National Football League However, it must be realized that some of these players are usually in excruciating pain to the point that some may have lost consciousness.
• Marijuana: Users, Desired Effects and Consequences The frequent users consist of youths and adults who have abused Marijuana to the extent they have become dependent on it.
• Effects of Marijuana on Memory of Long-Term Users The pivotal aim of the proposed study is to evaluate the impact of marijuana use on long-term memory of respondents. The adverse impact of marijuana after the abstinent syndrome refers to significant changes in prefrontal […]
• Trends in the Use of Marijuana The researchers claim that the legalization of marijuana in California led to the development of the acceptance of marijuana use as well as the increase in this drug consumption.
• Medical Marijuana Legalization Rebuttal The claim of fact is that A.C.A.continues to be beneficial despite the arguments of Republican politicians and current challenges. The claim of policy is the appeal to Republicans and Democrats to work together on the […]
• Marijuana Legislation and Americans’ Contribution To identify whether patients with intractable pain hold more favorable views regarding legislation of marijuana use than the general public, it is necessary to determine various inclusion and exclusion criteria that might influence the society’s […]
• Medical Marijuana Policy and Framing Approach This is a clear indication that different arguments can be presented by these actors to support the legalization and use of medical marijuana.
• Policy Analysis: Rules for Growing Medical Marijuana Overall, the main goal of the document is to address the health needs of people requiring marijuana to relieve the manifestations of their illness as well as the implications of growing marijuana for medical purposes.
• Marijuana Crime in California State and Federal Courts To compare the severity of the punishment that could be imposed by a federal court to what was announced at a state institution, it should be remembered that the investigation process would not take long […]
• Legal Marijuana Market Analysis and Taxes Impact Consequently, the primary goal of this paper is to understand the impact of taxes on the financial stability of the market for legal marijuana with the help of the law of supply and demand and […]
• Controversy Around Medical Marijuana Legalization The consideration of the problem of marijuana legalization from the perspective of public safety involves such points as crime rates and traffic accidents. The fact of economic benefits of the Cannabis legalization is also apparent: […]
• The Legalization of Marijuana: Regulation and Practice It is imperative to note that legalization of marijuana is a topic that has been quite controversial and has led to numerous discussions and disagreements.
• Marijuana History, Medical Purposes and Threats Although many people believe that marijuana is harmless and the access to it should be unlimited, it has a number of negative health effects and might lead to addiction.
• Marijuana Use and Serious Mental Illnesses 21% of the respondents of 18 years and above claimed to have used marijuana for the first time prior to their 12th birthday.
• Marijuana as an Unjustifiable Pain Reliever The debate on whether to legalize the use of marijuana has been there for the last 20 years. In addition to this, it causes panic and anxiety hence causing the user to hallucinate.
• The Safety of Using Medicinal Marijuana for Pain Relief Speaking about the introduction section of the study, it is important to note that it is rather short if compared to other parts of the article as the researchers were paying more attention to presenting […]
• Should Marijuana Be Treated Like Alcohol? Considering the benefits that would accompany the legalization of marijuana and its treatment like alcohol, I strongly agree with Buckley’s comparison; marijuana should be treated like alcohol. First, the use of marijuana affects the body […]
• Political Issues of Marijuana in America The largest demographic groups against the legalization of marijuana include the Republicans and the southerners. Most of the Democrats continue to support the legalization of marijuana in the country.
• Changes in Laws of Marijuana Regulation In addition, the study intends to uncover the impacts of the said laws and the accompanying changes. The case studies will be compared to assess the impacts of legislations on marijuana in the society.
• Concepts of Legalizing Marijuana Although in most cases, most individuals associate Marijuana with numerous health complications and social problems, for example, brain damage, and violent behavior hence, supporting its illegalization, such individuals take little consideration of its significance in […]
• Marijuana Legalization in Illinois The case for legalization of marijuana in Colorado evidences the need to alter federal laws prohibiting marijuana for its legalization law to have both statutory and federal backing in the state of Illinois.
• Public Safety and Marijuana Legalization Some of the states have failed to tax marijuana. Hence, it is difficult to get the precise figures in terms of tax values that states could collect from marijuana.
• Heroin and Marijuana Abuse and Treatment The success in the process of drug addiction treatment is only possible when the patient is willing to co-operate and has a desire to recover and defeat the habit.
• The Marijuana Usage Legislation This research paper is aimed at discussing the effects that can be produced by the changes in the legislation on the use, storage, and distribution of marihuana.
• Medical Marijuana Program in California The physicians should also do a periodic review of the treatment and how the patients respond to the medical marijuana. The medical marijuana is only restricted to patients who are qualified and recommended by a […]
• History and Effects of Legalization of Marijuana As predicted, the legalization of marijuana in several states has led to an increase of marijuana abuse among youngsters Studies have shown a pattern of the use of cannabis and risky behavior of the individuals.
• Debates Around Legalization of Medical Marijuana The supporters and opponents of the legalization of marijuana have opted to focus on either the positive or the negative aspects of the effects of the drug to support their views on policies to legalize […]
• Federal Drug Laws vs. State Medical Marijuana Acts A senate bill for the case of Los angeles is on the process of considering the use of marijuana for medical purpose.
• The Use of Marijuana and Its Benefits Criminalization of the use of marijuana and negative reviews as well as negative exposure from the media has driven marijuana use to the black markets with often negative consequences to the economy and society.
• Medical Marijuana use for Terminal Colon Cancer The author hopes to use this paper to highlight the uses of marijuana in management of colon cancer at its terminal stage.
• How New York Would Benefit From Legalized Medical Marijuana The arrests resulting from possession of marijuana in New York is quite huge compared to those in California and New Jersey states in America.
• Should Be It Legal to Sell the Marijuana in the United States? What I want to know is the reasons of why so many people use such serious psychoactive drug as marijuana of their own accord and do not want to pay special attention to their activities […]
• Supporting of Marijuana Legalization Among the Adult Population Proponents argue that legalization of marijuana will lead to increased revenues for the government amid economic challenges. Legalizing marijuana will not lead to cancer and deaths but will spark the debate for apparent effects of […]
• Marijuana: The Issues of Legalization in the USA To understand all the possible effects of the marijuana legalization, it is necessary to pay attention to the definition and classification of the drug with references to determining the most important social and legal aspects […]
• Reasons for Legalization of Marijuana The legalization of the drug would bring to an end the discrimination of the African Americans in marijuana-related arrests, reduce the sales of the drug and its use among teenagers, encourage the development of hemp […]
• Legalizing Marijuana: Arguments and Counter-Arguments On the other hand, many groups have outlined that the legalization of marijuana would lead to an increase in the rate of crime in addition to opening up of the gateway to the abuse of […]
• Drug use and misuse in western society: Effects of chronic marijuana use among young women and girls It is also based on the fears of the impacts of the drug use, concerns over the reduced productivity that’s likely to cause harm to the user and the society and so on.
• Medical Marijuana Policy in the United States The importance of legalization of medical marijuana is that, the government will be able to monitor and control marijuana in the country.
• The Arguments For and Against Marijuana Decriminalization The production, preparation, trade and use of marijuana has been prohibited in most parts of the world and a lot of resources are used every year to combat it.
• The Illegal Use of Marijuana Canada is among the leading nations in the percentage use of illegal marijuana as stated in the World Drug Report of the year 2007.
• Marijuana and Its Economic Value in the USA The grim reality of the economic performance of the United States of America lies in the lengthy debate over the legalization of marijuana.
• Should We Legalize Marijuana For Medical Use? In addition to that, the use of Marijuana especially by smoking either for medical reasons or to heal ailments, is a social activity that will help bring them together and improve their social ties.
• Why Marijuana Should Be Legalized? The government should save that money it uses in prohibiting the use of marijuana as it has no proved harm to the users.
• Arguments on Why Marijuana Should Be Illegalized The greater part of the population believes that the sustained use of this product is beneficial in numerous ways. Therefore, it is clear that the negative effects of the drug outdo the constructive ones.
• A Case for Legalizing Marijuana Marijuana is one of the drugs that the government policy targets and as it currently stands, the government uses a lot of resources in prosecuting and punishing marijuana consumers through the legal system.
• The Marijuana Industry and Its Benefits Marijuana use also slows down the growth of cancerous tumors in the brain, lungs, and breasts; thus, it is valuable in the management of cancer.
• The Decriminalization of Marijuana One of the main reasons that the supporters of this argument have progressed is that by decriminalization of marijuana, the government would save huge amounts of money that it uses on enforcing laws that relate […]
• The Use of Marijuana in California The US government ensures that its use is limited to a minimum by enforcing harsh punishments to the dealers and users of marijuana.
• Federal Government Should Not Legalize the Use of Marijuana On the other hand the use of marijuana actually increased in the country. It is not only the DEA or the federal government that is reluctant in the legalization of marijuana.
• Issues with Marijuana Legalization in the United States This is the reason why the debate on the legalization of marijuana has been on the increase since the past 10 years.
• The history of marijuana According to the new set of legislation, it was considered illegal to be found in possession of 25 grams of marijuana.
• Does Legalizing Marijuana Help or Harm the United States? The latter measure is not merely being advocated by the proponents of marijuana use since the legalization of marijuana has been supported by NAACP not because it fully backs the smoking of marijuana.
• Marijuana, Heroin and Prescription Opiate Abuse and How Are They Related to the Society The core issues mentioned in the article revolves around addiction and abuse of opioid agents as well as its relation to the use of heroin and marijuana.
• Increasing Marijuana Use in High School The author’s concerns in the article are that the usage of marijuana is becoming prevalent among the American youth. It is evident that the author is against the publication and marketing of the medical marijuana […]
• The Union: The Business Behind Getting High by Brett Harvey Some other reasons advanced by the documentary include the ability of the government to control the sale of such drugs to minors and also collection of tax revenue. The documentary espouses a number of reasons […]
• The Debates on the Legal Status of Marijuana This means that the use of marijuana encourages the consumption of other drugs such as alcohol and cigarettes. Additionally, the use of marijuana is associated with increase in crime and consumption of other illicit drugs.
• Marijuana Is a Healthier Alternative to Cigarettes Cigarette smoking has also been reported to cause respiratory infections due to the damage caused in the cells that prevent entry of microorganisms into the respiratory system hence reducing the immunity of the system.
• Marijuana’s Negative Effects and Advantages Marijuana is the most commonly abused drug among the youths and adults in the United States and other countries in the world.
• Use of Marijuana and Its Consequences The plant was grown in the United States of America for agricultural purposes during the colonial period up to the beginning of the 20th century.
• Should Marijuana Drugs Be Decriminalized? The production, preparation, trade and use of marijuana has been prohibited in most parts of the world and a lot of resources are used every year to combat it. Thus, decriminalization of marijuana is likely […]
• Argument About Legalizing Marijuana in America Therefore, if at all the government of the United States is to prohibit the use of marijuana in the country, it should be ready to cater for the high costs that come in hand with […]
• Marijuana’s Positive and Negative Effects The main aim of creating these institutions is to evaluate the impact and the effects of marijuana on the abusers and on the environment.
• Limited and Controlled Use of Marijuana The question of legalizing marijuana refers to the legal use of marijuana both in private and public places for medical use or otherwise.
• The Moral and Ethical Reasons Why Marijuana should be legal It is my humble opinion that the billions of dollars being spent on the war against marijuana should be diverted to more useful projects like feeding the less fortunate in the society.
• The Problem of Legalization of Marijuana and Hemp Many individuals tend to believe that the use of Marijuana is morally wrong as it alters the mental state of the user and leads to dangerous addictions and actions in the end.
• Minor and Major Arguments on Legalization of Marijuana Premises 1: If marijuana were to be legalized it would be impossible to regulate its’ sell to, and use by the minors. Making marijuana illegal is denying them a right to the use of this […]
• The Reasons Why Marijuana Should be Made Legal Among the reasons that support the legalization of marijuana include: the medical basis that marijuana has some benefits and that the state could gain revenue from the trade of marijuana as opposed to the costs […]
• Why Is Marijuana Legalized In Some States And Not Others? I consider the legalization of marijuana to be a positive step as its prohibition entails intrusion of personal freedom and just like any other substance it is only harmful when it is not taken in […]
• Marijuana Legalization and Crime Rates The possible outcome of this effort will be the safe consumption of the drug, easy monitoring, and creation of awareness to the public on the dangers of excessive use of the drug and lastly the […]
• The Effect of Legalization of marijuana in the Economy of California It has been predicted that if the government legalizes the drug, there will be a lot of changes pertaining to the demand for the drug in the market and as a result, there will be […]
• Marijuana Must Not Be Legalized According to the national institute of drug abuse, the active chemical in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol, act on the region of the brain responsible for time awareness, sensory, attention, thoughts, memory and pleasure.
• Decriminalization of Marijuana The decriminalization of marijuana resulted due to public outcry over the effects of marijuana. Among the disadvantages include the saving of money and time for other businesses, promotion of the judicial justice as the centre […]
• Policy Brief: Why Marijuana Use Should Be Legalized in the Us In this perspective, it is valid to argue that marijuana users may be undergoing long incarcerations in US jails due to the misconceived fantasies that took root in the public mind in the 1930’s, and […]
• Medical Uses of Marijuana The feelings of hallucination make one to lose consciousness and feel as though in very different world that is full of bliss.
• Should Marijuana Be Legalized in Canada?
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• Get Ready for Americas Fastest-Growing Industry: Marijuana
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• Issues Hampering the Legalization of Marijuana
• Economical Argument for the Legalization of Marijuana
• Juvenile Smoking and Marijuana Use
• All the Reasons Why Marijuana Should Be Legalized for Medical Purposes
• Exploring the Effects and After Effects of Marijuana
• Factors That Influences Teenagers to Use Marijuana
• College Students Attitude Toward Marijuana Use on Campus
• Drugs Case for Legalizing Marijuana
• Logical Reasoning for the Legalization Marijuana
• Future Trends and Marijuana for Medicinal Purposes
• Countering Anti-Medical Marijuana Efforts in Massachusetts
• Abnormal Psychology Problem: Excessive Use of Marijuana and Alcohol
• Food and Drug Administration Bans Use of Marijuana in the US
• Addiction and Smoking Marijuana Plays
• Analyzing Affordable Care Act and Marijuana
• Driving Under the Influence of Marijuana is Hazardous
• America Requirements Medicinal Weed: Marijuana Legalization
• Comparing and Contrasting Marijuana and Alcohol
• Many People Believe That Marijuana Should Be Legalized
• How Media Framing Effects Marijuana Prohibition and Legalization?
• How Can Legalize Marijuana Help the United States?
• How Does Military Jurisdiction Deal with Marijuana Now Would Legalization?
• How America Will Benefit from Legal Marijuana?
• How Legalizing Marijuana Will Impact Society?
• Does Marijuana Cause Brain Damage?
• How Marijuana Will Not Work in the US?
• Does Marijuana Have Any Medicinal Uses?
• How Many Individuals Smoke Marijuana in the United States?
• Does Previous Marijuana Use Increase the Use of Other Drugs?
• How Medical Marijuana Works?
• How the Social Contract Theory Prevents the Legalization of Marijuana?
• How Marijuana Affects Hauora?
• Why Do Americans Enjoy Marijuana?
• What are the Positive and Negative Effects of Legalizing Marijuana?
• What are the Benefits and Drawbacks of Legalising Marijuana?
• Does Legalizing Marijuana Make Sense?
• What Are the Medical Causes and Effects of Marijuana Use?
• How Are Employers Coping with Medical Marijuana Legislation?
• Does Marijuana Work the Treatment of Diseases?
• Does Marijuana Have Medicinal Purposes?
• How Does Marijuana Law Work in District of Columbia Class?
• Does Increasing the Beer Tax Reduce Marijuana Consumption?
• How Legalizing Marijuana Could Help Boost the Economy?
• Does Marijuana Have More Harmful or More Beneficial Effects?
• How Will Marijuana Legalization Affect Public Health?
• Does Marijuana Use Impair Human Capital Formation?
• How Gender and Age Effects Marijuana Usage and Brain Function?
• How Marijuana Affects Our Society?
• How American Children Start to Smoke Marijuana and Why?
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• v.110(6); Nov-Dec 2013

More Reasons States Should Not Legalize Marijuana: Medical and Recreational Marijuana: Commentary and Review of the Literature

Recent years have seen substantial shifts in cultural attitudes towards marijuana for medical and recreational use. Potential problems with the approval, production, dispensation, route of administration, and negative health effects of medical and recreational marijuana are reviewed. Medical marijuana should be subject to the same rigorous approval process as other medications prescribed by physicians. Legalizing recreational marijuana may have negative public health effects.

Introduction

Recent years have seen a cultural shift in attitudes towards marijuana. At the time of this writing, medical marijuana is legal in 20 states and the District of Columbia; recreational marijuana is now legal in Washington and Colorado. A substantial and growing literature documents legalized marijuana may have adverse effects on individual and public health.

Medical Use of Marijuana

The term ‘medical marijuana’ implies that marijuana is like any other medication prescribed by a physician. Yet the ways in which medical marijuana has been approved, prescribed, and made available to the public are very different from other commercially available prescription drugs. These differences pose problems unrecognized by the public and by many physicians.

Lack of Evidence for Therapeutic Benefit

In the United States, commercially available drugs are subject to rigorous clinical trials to evaluate safety and efficacy. Data appraising the effectiveness of marijuana in conditions such as HIV/AIDS, epilepsy, and chemotherapy-associated vomiting is limited and often only anecdotal. 1 , 2 To date, there has been only one randomized, double-blind, placebo- and active-controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of smoked marijuana for any of its potential indications, which showed that marijuana was superior to placebo but inferior to Ondansetron in treating nausea. 3 Recent reviews by the Cochrane Collaboration find insufficient evidence to support the use of smoked marijuana for a number of potential indications, including pain related to rheumatoid arthritis, 4 dementia, 5 ataxia or tremor in multiple sclerosis, 6 and cachexia and other symptoms in HIV/AIDS. 2 This does not mean, of course, that components of marijuana do not have potential therapeutic effects to alleviate onerous symptoms of these diseases; but, given the unfavorable side effect profile of marijuana, the evidence to justify use in these conditions is still lacking.

Contamination, Concentration & Route of Administration

Unlike any other prescription drug used for medical purposes, marijuana is not subject to central regulatory oversight. It is grown in dispensaries, which, depending on the state, have regulatory standards ranging from strict to almost non-existent. The crude marijuana plant and its products may be contaminated with fungus or mold. 7 This is especially problematic for immunocompromised patients, 8 including those with HIV/AIDS or cancer. 9 Furthermore, crude marijuana contains over 60 active cannabinoids, 10 few of which are well studied. Marijuana growers often breed their plants to alter the concentrations of different chemicals compounds. For instance, the concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the principal psychoactive ingredient, is more than 20-fold more than in marijuana products used several decades ago. Without rigorous clinical trials, we have no way of knowing which combinations of cannabinoids may be therapeutic and which may be deleterious. As marijuana dispensaries experiment by breeding out different cannabinoids in order to increase the potency of THC, there may be unanticipated negative and lasting effects for individuals who smoke these strains.

Marijuana is the only ‘medication’ that is smoked, and, while still incompletely understood, there are legitimate concerns about long-term effects of marijuana smoke on the lungs. 11 , 12 Compared with cigarette smoke, marijuana smoke can result in three times the amount of inhaled tar and four times the amount of inhaled carbon-monoxide. 13 Further, smoking marijuana has been shown to be a risk factor for lung cancer in many 14 , 15 but not all 16 studies.

High Potential for Diversion

In some states, patients are permitted to grow their own marijuana. In addition to contributing to problems such as contamination and concentration as discussed above, this practice also invites drug diversion. Patients seeking to benefit financially may bypass local regulations of production and sell home-grown marijuana at prices lower than dispensaries. We do not allow patient to grow their own opium for treatment of chronic pain; the derivatives of opium, like marijuana, are highly addictive and thus stringently regulated.

Widespread “Off-label” Use

FDA-approved forms of THC (Dronabinol) and a THC-analog (Nabilone), both available orally, already exist. Indications for these drugs are HIV/AIDS cachexia and chemotherapy-associated nausea and vomiting. Unlike smoked, crude marijuana, these medications have been subject to randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trials. Yet despite these limited indications where marijuana compounds have a proven but modest effect in high-quality clinical trials, medical marijuana is used overwhelmingly for non-specific pain or muscle spasms. Recent data from Colorado show that 94% of patients with medical marijuana cards received them for treatment of “severe pain.” 17 Similar trends are evident in California. 18 Evidence for the benefit of marijuana in neuropathic pain is seen in many 19 - 21 but not all 22 clinical trials. There is no high-quality evidence, however, that the drug reduces non-neuropathic pain; this remains an indication for which data sufficient to justify the risks of medical marijuana is lacking. 4 , 23 – 25

If marijuana is to be ‘prescribed’ by physicians and used as a medication, it should be subject to the same rigorous approval process that other commercially available drugs undergo. Potentially therapeutic components of marijuana should be investigated, but they should only be made available to the public after adequately powered, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials have demonstrated efficacy and acceptable safety profiles. Furthermore, these compounds should be administered in a way that poses less risk than smoking and dispensed via standardized and FDA-regulated pharmacies to ensure purity and concentration. Bypassing the FDA and approving ‘medicine’ at the ballot box sets a dangerous precedent. Physicians should be discouraged from recommending medical marijuana. Alternatively, consideration can be given to prescribing FDA-approved medicines (Dronabinol or Cesamet) as the purity and concentration of these drugs are assured and their efficacy and side effect profiles have been well documented in rigorous clinical trials.

Recreational Marijuana

The question of recreational marijuana is a broader social policy consideration involving implications of the effects of legalization on international drug cartels, domestic criminal justice policy, and federal and state tax revenue in addition to public health. Yet physicians, with a responsibility for public health, are experts with a vested interest in this issue. Recent legislation, reflecting changes in the public’s attitudes towards marijuana, has permitted the recreational use of marijuana in Colorado and Washington. Unfortunately, the negative health consequences of the drug are not prominent in the debate over legalizing marijuana for recreational use. In many cases, these negative effects are more pronounced in adolescents. A compelling argument, based on these negative health effects in both adolescents and adults, can be made to abort the direction society is moving with regards to the legalization of recreational marijuana.

Myth: Marijuana is Not Addictive

A growing myth among the public is that marijuana is not an addictive substance. Data clearly show that about 10% of those who use cannabis become addicted; this number is higher among adolescents. 26 Users who seek treatment for marijuana addiction average 10 years of daily use. 27 A withdrawal syndrome has been described, consisting of anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, depression, and changes in appetite 28 and affects as many as 44% of frequent users, 29 contributing to the addictive potential of the drug. This addictive potential may be less than that of opiates; but the belief, especially among adolescents, that the drug is not addictive is misguided.

Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders

Marijuana has been consistently shown to be a risk factor for schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. 30 – 32 The association between marijuana and schizophrenia fulfills many, but not all, of the standard criteria for the epidemiological establishment of causation, including experimental evidence, 33 , 34 temporal relationship, 35 – 38 biological gradient, 30 , 31 , 39 and biological plausibility. 40 Genetic variation may explain why marijuana use does not strongly fulfill remaining criteria, such as strength of association and specificity. 41 , 42 As these genetic variants are explored and further characterized, marijuana use may be shown to cause or precipitate schizophrenia in a genetically vulnerable population. The risk of psychotic disorder is more pronounced when marijuana is used at an earlier age. 32 , 43

There is some evidence that compounds naturally found in marijuana have therapeutic benefit for symptoms of diseases such as HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, and cancer. If these compounds are to be used under the auspices of ‘medical marijuana,’ they should undergo the same rigorous approval process that other medications prescribed by physicians, including randomized, placebo- and active-controlled trials to evaluate safety and efficacy, not by popular vote or state legislature.

Effects on Cognition

Early studies suggested cognitive declines associated with marijuana (especially early and heavy use); these declines persisted long after the period of acute cannabis intoxication. 44 – 46 Recently, Meier and colleagues analyzed data from a prospective study which followed subjects from birth to age 38; their findings yielded supportive evidence that cannabis use, when begun during adolescence, was associated with cognitive impairment in multiple areas, including executive functioning, processing speed, memory, perceptual reasoning, and verbal comprehension. 47 Rogeberg 48 criticized the study’s methodology, claiming that the results were confounded by differences in socioeconomic status; this claim, however, was based on sub-analyses that used very small numbers. Additional sub-analyses 49 of the original study cohort showed that marijuana was just as prevalent in populations of higher socioeconomic status, suggesting that socioeconomic status was not a confounding variable. Any epidemiological study is subject to confounding biases and future research will be needed to clarify and quantify the relationship between cognitive decline and adolescent marijuana use. However, the findings of the original study by Meier et al show there is indeed an independent relationship between loss of intelligence and adolescent marijuana use. This finding, moreover, is consistent with prior studies. 44

Other Negative Health Effects

Substantial evidence exists suggesting that marijuana is harmful to the respiratory system. It is associated with symptoms of obstructive and inflammatory lung disease, 11 , 50 an increased risk of lung cancer, 14 , 15 and it is suspected to be associated with reduced pulmonary function in heavy users. 51 Further, its use has been associated with harmful effects to other organ systems, including the reproductive, 52 gastrointestinal, 53 and immunologic 10 , 54 systems.

Social Safety Implications: Effects on Driving

Marijuana impairs the ability to judge time, distance, and speed; it slows reaction time and reduces ability to track moving objects. 55 , 56 In many studies of drug-related motor vehicle fatalities, marijuana is the most common drug detected except for alcohol. 57 , 58 Based on post-mortem studies, Couch et al determined that marijuana was likely an impairing factor in as many fatal accidents as alcohol. 59 One study showed that in motor vehicle accidents where the driver was killed, recent marijuana use was detected in 12% of cases. 57 Other research confirms a significantly increased risk of motor vehicle fatalities in association with acute cannabis intoxication. 60

Risk Perception and Use in Adolescents

Marijuana use among adolescents has been increasing. Data that has tracked risk perception and use of marijuana among adolescents over decades clearly shows an inverse relationship; as adolescent risk perception wanes, marijuana use increases. 61 As more states legalize medical and recreational marijuana, risk perception is expected to decrease, causing the prevalence of use among adolescent to continue to rise. This is among the most concerning of issues about the drug’s legalization because so many of the negative effects of marijuana—including cognitive impairment and risk for short- and long-term psychosis— are heightened when used during adolescence.

There is some evidence that compounds naturally found in marijuana have therapeutic benefit for symptoms of diseases such as HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, and cancer. If these compounds are to be used under the auspices of ‘medical marijuana,’ they should undergo the same rigorous approval process that other medications prescribed by physicians, including randomized, placebo- and active-controlled trials to evaluate safety and efficacy, not by popular vote or state legislature. Furthermore, these therapeutic compounds should be administered via a route that minimizes long-term health risk (i.e., via oral pill) and should be dispensed by centrally regulated pharmacies to ensure the purity and concentration of the drug and allow for the recall of contaminated batches.

Marijuana for recreational use will have many adverse health effects. The drug is addictive, with mounting evidence for the existence of a withdrawal syndrome. Furthermore, it has been shown to have adverse effects on mental health, intelligence (including irreversible declines in cognition), and the respiratory system. Driving while acutely intoxicated with marijuana greatly increases the risk of fatal motor vehicle collision. Legalization for recreational use may have theoretical (but still unproven) beneficial social effects regarding issues such as domestic criminal justice policy, but these effects will not come without substantial public health and social costs. Currently there is a lack of resources devoted to educating physicians about this most commonly used illicit substance. The potential benefits and significant risks associated with marijuana use should be taught in medical schools and residency programs throughout the country.

Samuel T. Wilkinson, MD, is in the Department of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Ct.

Contact: [email protected]

None reported.

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Argumentative Essay On Marijuana Legalization

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Why Marijuana Should be Legalized Argumentative Essay Outline

Introduction.

Thesis: Marijuana should be legalized as it is more beneficial that it may be detrimental to society.

Paragraph 1:

Marijuana has not caused turmoil in some of the countries where it has been legalized.

• Marijuana does not increase violent, and property crimes as many suggest.
• Studies reveal that in Colorado, violent crimes have declined following the legalization of marijuana.

Paragraph 2:

Prohibiting use of marijuana does not limit its consumption.

• In spite of the many laws prohibiting the use of marijuana, it is one of the most highly abused drugs.
• 58% of young people from all over the world use marijuana.
• It has not been attributed to any health complications.

Paragraph 3:

Legalization of marijuana would help state governments save taxpayers money.

• Governments spend lots of funds on law enforcement agencies that uphold laws restricting the use of marijuana.
• They also spend vast sums of money on sustaining arrested dealers and consumers in prison.
• Legalizing marijuana would result in saving vast sums of money.

Paragraph 4:

Marijuana is less noxious than other legal substances.

• Marijuana has less health side effects than other legal substances such as alcohol and tobacco.
• Alcohol is 114 times more destructive than marijuana.

Paragraph 5:

Marijuana has been proven to have medical benefits.

• Marijuana helps stop seizures in epileptic patients.
• It helps stop nausea in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy .

Paragraph 6:

Marijuana has been proven to be a stress reliever.

• Marijuana relieves stress and depression in their users by causing excitement.
• Its use reduces violence and deaths related to stress and depression.

Conclusion.

There are many misconceptions about marijuana existent in the modern world. People have continued to ignore health benefits linked to this substance citing their unproven beliefs. Owing to its ability to stop seizures, nausea, and stress in individuals governments should highly consider marijuana legalization. Its legalization will also help state governments reduce expenses that result from maintaining suspects convicted of marijuana possession and consumption.

Why Marijuana Should be Legalized Argumentative Essay

The argument that marijuana use should be made legal has gained momentum both in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world in recent years. This has seen the drug being legalized in some states in the U.S. such that by 2013, twenty states had legalized medical marijuana. As of the same year, Colorado and Washington had legalized recreational marijuana. The arguments behind the push for legalization majorly revolve around the idea that the drug has medicinal effects. However, there are also arguments that there are serious health effects associated with the drug and this has only further fueled the already raging debate. This paper argues that marijuana should be legalized as it is more beneficial that it may be detrimental to society.

Marijuana has not caused any notable negative effects in countries where it has been legalized. There is a general belief that marijuana consumers are violent. However, no authentic research can prove these assertions. As already seen, some states in the United States have legalized both medicinal and recreational marijuana. In spite of this, no cases of marijuana-related violence have been recorded so far in such states (Markol, 2018). Reports reveal that the rate of violence and property crimes have decreased in Colorado following the legalization of the drug. If marijuana does not increase violent crimes, there is no reason as to why it should not be legalized.

It is also noteworthy that prohibiting marijuana use does not limit its consumption. Less than 10% of countries in the world prevent the use of marijuana, but according to research, 58% of young people in most of these countries are marijuana users (Head, 2016). General reports reveal that marijuana is one of most commonly abused drug in the world. It is also readily available in most states as it is a naturally growing plant (Head, 2016). In spite of its continued use, there are few cases, if any, of marijuana-related health complications that have been reported in any of these countries (Head, 2016). Therefore, if the illegality of marijuana does not limit its consumption, then state governments should consider its legalization.

Legalization of marijuana would further help state governments save taxpayers’ money. It is widely known that in countries where marijuana is illegal, authorities are stringent and will arrest any individual found in possession of the drug (Sanger, 2017). However, as earlier mentioned, laws prohibiting the use of the drug do not prevent its consumption, and this means that many people are arrested and prosecuted for possessing it (Sanger, 2017). State governments therefore use a lot of funds to support law enforcement agencies that seek to uphold laws prohibiting the use of marijuana (Sanger, 2017). Many people have been arrested and incarcerated for either possessing or consuming the drug, and the government has to use taxpayers’ money to sustain such people in prison. Since these actions do not limit consumption of marijuana, state governments should legalize the drug so as to save taxpayers money.

Another advantage of marijuana is that it is less noxious than other legal substances. According to research, marijuana is the least harmful drug among the many legal drugs existent in the world today (Owen, 2014). There are millions of campaigns every year cautioning people against smoking cigarettes, but there has been none seeking to warn people about marijuana consumption (Owen, 2014). Lobby groups have even been making efforts to push for legalization of marijuana. If marijuana had severe health effects as many purport, state governments would be investing heavily in campaigns aimed at discouraging its consumption (Owen, 2014). According to studies, alcohol, which is legal in many countries, is 114 times more harmful than marijuana (Owen, 2014). Therefore, if such harmful substances can be legalized, then there are no justifications as to why marijuana should not be legalized.

Further, marijuana has been proven to have medicinal benefits. Several countries, particularly in Europe, and the United States have legalized both medicinal and recreational marijuana. Their move to legalize marijuana was based on medical reports that showed a variety of health benefits linked to the drug (Noonan, 2017). Research shows that marijuana can reduce seizures in epileptic persons. Several studies have also proven that the drug indeed has a variety of health benefits. For instance, Charlotte Figi, who is now aged 10, used to have more than 100 seizures every month at age three, but since Colorado legalized medicinal and recreational marijuana, her parents started treating her with the substance, and today her seizures have significantly reduced (Noonan, 2017). Marijuana has as well been proven to reduce nausea in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Owing to this medicinal value, state governments should consider legalizing the drug.

Additionally, marijuana has been proven to be a stress reliever. Consumption of the drug causes excitement among its users enabling them to forget about troubling situations. Unlike alcohol which is likely to aggravate stress and depression, marijuana works wonders in alleviating anxiety and depression (Sanger, 2017). There are many health and social effects associated with stress, including mental disorders and violence against others (Sanger, 2017). To avoid cases of stress-related violence and mental disorders, state governments should make marijuana consumption legal.

There are many misconceptions about marijuana in the world today. People have continued to ignore the health benefits linked with this substance and have instead focused on citing yet-to-be proven misconceptions. Owing to the ability of the drug to stop seizures, nausea, and stress in individuals, governments should seriously consider its legalization. The legalization will also help state governments reduce expenses that result from sustaining suspects convicted of marijuana possession and consumption. So far, there is more than enough evidence proving that marijuana has lots of benefits to individuals, the society, and the government, and therefore should be legalized.

Head, T. (2016). “8 reasons why marijuana should be legalized”. ThoughtCo . Retrieved June 27, 2020 from https://www.thoughtco.com/reasons-why-marijuana-should-be-legalized-721154

Markol, T. (2018). “5 reasons why marijuana should be legalized”. Marijuana Reform . Retrieved June 27, 2020 from http://marijuanareform.org/5-reasons-marijuana-legalized/

Noonan, D. (2017). “Marijuana treatment reduces severe epileptic seizures”. Scientific American . Retrieved June 27, 2020 from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/marijuana-treatment-reduces-severe-epileptic-seizures/

Owen, P. (2014). “6 powerful reasons to legalize marijuana”. New York Times . Retrieved June 27, 2020 from https://www.alternet.org/drugs/6-powerful-reasons-new-york-times-says-end-marijuana-prohibition

Sanger, B. (2017). “10 legit reasons why weed should be legalized right now”. Herb . Retrieved June 27, 2020 from https://herb.co/marijuana/news/reasons-weed-legalized

Why Marijuana Should be Legal Essay Outline

Thesis:  Marijuana has health benefits and should thus be legal.

Benefits of Marijuana

Marijuana slows and stops the spread of cancer cells.

• Cannabidiol can turn off a gene called Id-1 and can therefore stop cancer.
• In an experiment, researchers were able to treat breast cancer cells with Cannabidiol.

Marijuana helps with pain and nausea reduction for people going through chemotherapy.

• Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy suffer from severe pains and nausea.
• This can further complicate their health.
• Marijuana can stir up their appetite, decrease nausea, and reduce pain.

Paragraph  3:

Marijuana can control epileptic seizure.

• Marijuana extract stopped seizures in epileptic rats in ten hours.
• The seizures were controlled by the THC.

Disadvantages of Marijuana

Marijuana is addictive.

• One in ten marijuana users become addicted over time.
• If one stops using the drug abruptly, they may suffer from such withdrawal symptoms.

Marijuana use decreases mental health.

• Users suffer from memory loss and restricted blood flow to the brain.
• Users have higher chances of developing depression and schizophrenia.

Marijuana use damages the lungs more than cigarette smoking .

• Marijuana smokers inhale the smoke more deeply into their lungs and let it stay there for longer.
• The likelihood of lung cancer can be increased by this deeper, longer exposure to carcinogens.

Why Marijuana Should Be Legal

Paragraph 7:

Improved quality and safety control.

• Legalization would lead to the creation of a set of standards for safety and quality control.
• Users would know what they exactly get in exchange for the money they offer.
• There would be no risks of users taking in unknown substances mixed in marijuana.

Paragraph 8:

Marijuana has a medicinal value.

• Medical marijuana treats a wide assortment of “untreatable” diseases and conditions.
• Public health would be improved and the healthcare system would experience less of a drain.  

Paragraph 9: 

Among the major arguments against marijuana legalization is often that legalization would yield an increase in drug-impaired driving.

• This argument holds that even now when the drug is yet to be fully legalized in the country, it is a major causal factor in highway deaths, injuries, and crushes.
• It however beats logic why marijuana is illegalized on the ground that it would increase drug-impaired driving while alcohol is legal but also significantly contributes to the same problem.

Legalization of marijuana would have many benefits. The drug is associated with the treatment of many serious illnesses including the dreaded cancer. Legalization would also save users from consuming unsafe marijuana sold by unscrupulous people.

Why Marijuana Should Be Legal Essay

There is an ongoing tension between the belief that marijuana effectively treats a wide range of ailments and the argument that it has far-reaching negative health effects. There has nevertheless been a drive towards legalization of the drug in the United States with twenty nine states and the District of Columbia having legalized it for medical and recreational purposes. It was also found by a study that there is a sharp increase in the use of marijuana across the country (Kerr, Lui & Ye, 2017). Major public health concerns are being prompted by this rise. This should however not be the case because marijuana has health benefits and should thus be legal.

Marijuana slows and stops the spread of cancer cells. A study found that Cannabidiol can turn off a gene called Id-1 and can therefore stop cancer. A 2007 report by researchers at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco also indicated that the spread of cancer may be prevented by Cannabidiol. In their lab experiment, the researchers were able to treat breast cancer cells with this component (Nawaz, 2017). The positive outcome of the experiment showed that Id-1 expression had been significantly decreased.

Marijuana also helps with pain and nausea reduction for people going through chemotherapy. Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy suffer from severe pains, appetite loss, vomiting, and painful nausea. This can further complicate their already deteriorating health. Marijuana can be of help here by stirring up the appetite, decreasing nausea, and reducing pain (Nawaz, 2017). There are also other cannabinoid drugs used for the same purposes as approved by the FDA.

It was additionally shown by a 2003 study that the use of marijuana can control epileptic seizure. Synthetic marijuana and marijuana extracts were given to epileptic rats by Virginia Commonwealth University’s Robert J. DeLorenzo. In about ten hours, the seizures had been stopped by the drugs (Nawaz, 2017). It was found that the seizures were controlled by the THC which bound the brain cells responsible for regulating relaxation and controlling excitability.

Some scientists claim that marijuana is addictive. According to them, one in ten marijuana users become addicted over time. They argue that if one stops using the drug abruptly, they may suffer from such withdrawal symptoms as anxiety and irritability (Barcott, 2015). However, the same argument could be applied to cigarette smoking, which is notably legal. There is need for more studies to be conducted into this claim being spread by opponents of marijuana legalization.

It is also argued that marijuana use decreases mental health. Those opposed to the legalization of recreational marijuana like to cite studies that show that users of the drug suffer from memory loss and restricted blood flow to the brain. They also argue that users have higher chances of developing depression and schizophrenia. However, these assertions have not yet been completely ascertained by science (Barcott, 2015). The claim about depression and schizophrenia is particularly not clear because researchers are not sure whether the drug triggers the conditions or it is used by smokers to alleviate the symptoms.

It is further claimed that marijuana use damages the lungs more than cigarette smoking. It is presumed that marijuana smokers inhale the smoke more deeply into their lungs and let it stay there for longer. The likelihood of lung cancer, according to this argument, can be increased by this deeper, longer exposure to carcinogens. However, the argument touches not on the frequency of use between marijuana and cigarette smokers (Barcott, 2015). It neither takes into account such alternative administration methods as edibles, tinctures, and vaporizing.

Legalization of marijuana would lead to improved quality and safety control. Purchasing the drug off the street provides end users with no means of knowing what they are exactly getting. On the other hand, legalizing it would immediately lead to the creation of a set of standards for safety and quality control (Caulkins, Kilmer & Kleiman, 2016). This would certainly work in the marijuana industry just as it is working in the tobacco and alcohol industries. Users would be able to know what they exactly get in exchange for the money they offer. Additionally, there would be no risks of users taking in unknown substances mixed in marijuana sold on the streets.

Marijuana should also be legal because it has a medicinal value. It has been proven that medical marijuana treats a wide assortment of “untreatable” diseases and conditions. These include problems due to chemotherapy, cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, migraines, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and Crohn’s disease (Caulkins, Kilmer & Kleiman, 2016). Public health would be improved and the healthcare system would experience less of a drain if medical cannabis products were made available to those suffering from the mentioned conditions. Consequently, more public funds would be available for such other public service initiatives as schools and roads.

Among the major arguments against marijuana legalization is often that legalization would yield an increase in drug-impaired driving. This argument holds that even now when the drug is yet to be fully legalized in the country, it has already been cited to be a major causal factor in highway deaths, injuries, and crushes. Among the surveys those arguing along this line might cite is one that was conducted back in 2010, revealing that of the participating weekend night-time drivers, “8.6 percent tested positive for marijuana or its metabolites” (“Why We Should Not Legalize Marijuana,” 2010). It was found in yet another study that 26.9% of drivers who were being attended to at a trauma center after sustaining serious injuries tested positive for the drug (“Why We Should Not Legalize Marijuana,” 2010). It however beats logic why marijuana is illegalized on the ground that it would increase drug-impaired driving while alcohol is legal but also significantly contributes to the same problem.

As the discussion reveals, legalization of marijuana would have many benefits. The drug is associated with the treatment of many serious illnesses including the dreaded cancer. Legalization would also save users from consuming unsafe marijuana sold by unscrupulous people. There are also other health conditions that can be controlled through the drug. Arguments against its legalization based on its effects on human health also lack sufficient scientific support. It is thus only safe that the drug is legalized in all states.

Barcott, B. (2015).  Weed the people: the future of legal marijuana in America . New York, NY: Time Home Entertainment.

Caulkins, J. P., Kilmer, B., & Kleiman, M. (2016).  Marijuana legalization: what everyone needs to know . New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Kerr, W., Lui, C., & Ye, Y. (2017). Trends and age, period and cohort effects for marijuana use prevalence in the 1984-2015 US National Alcohol Surveys.  Addiction ,  113 (3), 473-481.

Nawaz, H. (2017).  The debate between legalizing marijuana and its benefits for medical purposes: a pros and cons analysis . Munich, Germany: GRIN Verlag.

Why We Should Not Legalize Marijuana. (2010). In  CNBC . Retrieved June 25, 2020 from  https://www.cnbc.com/id/36267223 .

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Hawaii Has Been Debating Marijuana Legalization For Half A Century

Lawmakers have been vacillating over how to handle weed consumption in the islands since the late 1960s.

State Rep. John Carroll was fed up with Hawaii’s outdated marijuana laws. 

The Republican lawmaker had recently been at a rock concert where much of the audience had lit up — some right in front of police officers. Thousands of Hawaii’s citizens smoked pot, Carroll told the Honolulu Star-Bulletin newspaper, but nothing had been done to update the legal code to “better fit the state’s changing morals.”

“We have to face the situation realistically,” he said, a few months before introducing a bill to decriminalize the drug.

It was 1973. 

Five years later, after several attempts at legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana had died in the Legislature, Rep. Lisa Naito chastised her colleagues on the House Judiciary Committee for voting to defer yet another bill on the matter. How could they let another session go by without addressing an issue that was relevant to so many people in the state? 

“This is the fourth year in a row that we have closed our eyes to this problem,” Naito said. “The only way we are going to get some of our Neanderthal thinking changed is when we get some new legislators in here.”

When debates over marijuana legalization began in earnest in the late 1960s, some observers predicted that Hawaii would be one of the first states to legalize the drug. Instead, the political fight over how to best regulate weed has been perennial and slow-moving. 

Special Series

Some things never change. This series looks back at issues and events that seem to keep going decade after decade. What can we learn from how we’ve handled things in the past?

Hawaii’s newspaper archives show not only how long the state has been debating marijuana legalization, but also how little the arguments for and against such a move have changed over the last half a century.

“One of the greatest dangers from the use of pot is that our ridiculous laws result in useful citizens being branded for life with a criminal conviction,” an Advertiser columnist wrote in 1970.

But the critical point in dealing with marijuana is not public opinion or even how many people use the drug, then-Lt. Gov. George Ariyoshi told the Star-Bulletin in 1973.

“Until we have concrete evidence that marijuana is not harmful to one’s health, I’m against its legalization,” he said.

Changing Views On Marijuana

Coverage of marijuana in Hawaii newspapers follows a similar trajectory as the rest of the nation. In the 1800s, most references to cannabis in the islands’ English language papers were about its medicinal uses, followed by concern about the utter lack of regulation over said medicine.

An 1886 issue of the Evening Bulletin contained instructions for treating corns with a concoction of cannabis indica dissolved in salicylic acid and alcohol.

Ten years later, the Hawaiian Star newspaper tried to raise awareness about the secrecy of ingredients in cigarette brands sold by various companies, many of which contained valerian root or cannabis, the article said. Food and medicinal products marketed to children contained untold amounts of drugs — including not just cannabis but also morphine and heroin — the Commercial Pacific Advertiser warned in 1910.

In 1914, Hawaii created a “poison list” of substances that could only be sold in the islands by pharmacists and medical practitioners. In the previous four years, 59 people had died as a result of ingesting drugs, the article said . Though no one had died from cannabis consumption, it was included on the poison list.

By the late 1920s, as the issue of recreational marijuana use became a greater topic of public conversation, news coverage began to focus on the drug as a growing social menace.

Marijuana “portends greater evil for the nation than opium” the Honolulu Star-Bulletin declared in 1937. The price of a marijuana cigarette in Honolulu was 75 cents at the time, the captain of Honolulu’s vice squad said, adding that the department was not aware of any weed being grown in the islands. Rather, it was being smuggled in by ship.

Suppose you smoked a reefer, muggle, moota, grifo or loco weed? The article asked.

“You would become nauseated. Gradually your irritation would merge into exhilaration as the narcotic affected your higher nerve centers. You have increased strength, in other words, are ‘hopped up'” the article declared. “Your courage is boundless. If you want something, you take it. This is the state in which murder, robbery and other crimes are committed. Time seems prolonged. Walking from one chair to another takes hours. You laugh if someone tells you something which otherwise would sadden you.”

Throughout the 1930s and ’40s, vice squads routinely busted residents of the islands for possessing small amounts of weed, but people were often fined rather than incarcerated. Then in the 1950s, as hysteria over drug-induced violence ramped up, groups like the Citizens Council on Narcotics Control r ecommended stiffer penalties . Federal mandatory minimum sentences for drug possession were put into place in the early 1950s.

By the 1960s, the penalty for someone caught with marijuana for the first time — for their own use, not for sale — was a maximum of one year imprisonment and a fine of $1,000 for a first offense. The penalty doubled for subsequent offenses. Federal law was even harsher: a penalty of not less than five years imprisonment for a first offense,

A second offense could result in a sentence of up to 40 years.

“In Hawaii, even first-degree murderers are not punished so severely,” the paper wrote.

At the same time, an increase in the popularity of pot on college campuses started sparking new conversations about whether any of the widely varying state or federal punishments across the country were appropriate.

Hawaii lawmakers took up the issue in 1969, giving state judges the discretion to downgrade charges in marijuana cases.

Failed Legislative Efforts

By the early 1970s, marijuana use had become much more mainstream — and so had the idea that the current penalties no longer fit the crime.

Lawmakers taking up the issue of decriminalizing marijuana in 1971 had a problem, though. Without any personal experience smoking pot, they didn’t know what they were talking about.

“It’s going to be hell for us, because many of us don’t know what the heck marijuana is,” Kauai Rep. Tony Kunimura said to the head of the Honolulu Police Department’s narcotics squad during a legislative hearing. “Lieutenant, can you give us a controlled experiment?”

If lawmakers were going to make intelligent decisions on the matter, they needed to be better informed.

“I’m serious,” he said to the cop. “Can you make some available?”

The exchange became the inspiration for a satirical column in the Honolulu Advertiser the following week , which tapped into a real fear of the day: That if Hawaii were to legalize the drug, the state would be overrun with pot-smoking hippies from the mainland. That could be addressed, an imaginary lawmaker in the column suggested, by legalizing weed only for Hawaii residents.

“The cop at the International Marketplace, when he spots someone smoking marijuana, merely has to ask for his Pot Card. If the smoker proves he’s been here three years, the cop says, ‘Aloha, kamaaina. Enjoy,'” the satirical lawmaker suggested.

The same year, the state’s deputy public defender came out in support of “legal, over-the-counter sales of marijuana.”

Defending people busted for marijuana took up about a quarter of public defenders’ time, he said, calling marijuana “perhaps the most controversial problem facing Hawaii now.”

Honolulu’s city prosecutor Barry Chung was directly opposed. Chung called state lawmakers irresponsible for seeking a study on legalizing marijuana.

“I find it hard, Mr. Chairman, to believe that life today is so poor, so barren, so utterly without meaning and challenge, that the government must now consider giving to its people another pleasure, another means of escape,” he said in a prepared statement.

In 1972, lawmakers successfully changed the state penal code to make possession of marijuana for personal use a petty misdemeanor rather than a felony.

But the next year, in introducing a bill to legalize marijuana, the Republican Senator representing Waikiki said that any jail time for pot possession was too punitive.

“Just to go to jail for even one day is not right,” he said.

A majority of his colleagues disagreed.

Hawaii lawmakers introduced bills to legalize or decriminalize the drug in 1970. And 1971. And 1972, ‘73, ‘74, ‘78 and ‘79 and ’81. Year after year, they failed to pass.

 In 1979, then-state Rep. Neil Abercrombie tried a different tactic , introducing a bill to effectively legalize marijuana by removing all mentions of it from the state criminal code.

Abercrombie “claimed a moral victory,” the Star-Bulletin wrote, “saying that ‘it was a triumph of sorts just to get the bill out of any committee.’”

Abercrombie said he would try again the next year to get enough votes to pass the bill. But by 1980, momentum to legalize the drug dissipated as attitudes in government took a turn to the right on the issue of drug control.

“I don’t believe that it’s going to be legalized in our state, and I don’t believe one state should legalize it without it being done on a national basis,” then-Gov. George Ariyoshi told the Hawaii Tribune-Herald in 1981, adding that he was personally opposed to legalization.

The impact that making the drug available would have on teenagers and ongoing concerns about a lack of sufficient health studies were cited frequently in debates on the issue from 1970 to 2024.

By the 1990s, much of the discussion had shifted to the use of medical marijuana.

In 1999, a year after a House Health Committee deferred action on a bill to legalize medical weed, Jerry Hunt, a World War II veteran with an artificial leg, joined dozens of people with severe illnesses in pleading for lawmakers to make marijuana a prescribable medication.  

“I am a Marine Veteran from World War II. Why should I have to stumble around the streets trying to buy some marijuana?” Hunt said.

In 2000 the Legislature passed a bill legalizing medical marijuana. It would be another 16 years before the state would pass a law creating a mechanism for patients to legally purchase the drug. In the meantime, a wave of states moved forward with legalizing recreational marijuana.

Growing Popularity

While a majority of lawmakers have consistently opposed legalizing weed throughout the last 50 years, news coverage has shown public opinion in the islands to be generally more relaxed on the matter.

“People here seem pretty liberal about it,” a Marine told the Honolulu Advertiser in 1971 in a story about weed and the military. “We believe Hawaii will be the first state to legalize marijuana.”

Around the same time, Hawaii started becoming synonymous with high-quality marijuana strains like Maui Wowee and Kona Gold.

In 1980, two years after the state began large-scale efforts to destroy pot-growing operations, marijuana was one of the state’s top agricultural moneymakers, the United Press International wrote. The street value of pot crops seized in 1979 alone was triple that of the papaya industry.

While concerns in the early 1970s focused on Hawaii attracting too many pot users by becoming the first state to legalize the drug, today’s arguments run the opposite.

Hawaii is the only Pacific state without legal marijuana, but making the drug available would scare away Japanese tourists, opponents argued earlier this year in a successful effort to kill yet another round of bills to legalize or decriminalize weed.

If there’s one thing that lawmakers appear to have conceded over the years, it’s that regardless of regulations, the drug isn’t going away.

“Public opinion surveys report that a steadily increasing number of Americans have smoked pot — or are willing to admit that they have,” the Honolulu Advertiser wrote in a 1973 editorial that could well have been written today. “Legal or not, harmful or harmless, marijuana seems here to stay.”

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Thesis Statement For Medical Marijuana Essay

Show More Thesis Statement: Medical marijuana has many medical benefits warranting its legalization, which include eliminating visual haloes produced by glaucoma, controlling intraocular pressure, cough suppression, as well as the treatment of asthma, depression, pain, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, peripheral neuropathy and muscle spasticity in conditions such as multiple sclerosis. AIDS, and cancer. I. Background Information- Cannabis sativa, or marijuana as we have come know, has been around for five millennia and used medically throughout the world to treat many medical ailments, which include pain, whooping cough, asthma and anxiety. A. Therefore, regardless of the fact cannabis utilization does not have the evidence-based controlled trials to merit the beneficial use required for prescriptive authority, the trials to date, alongside the successful historical use of cannabis in treating ailments as compared to other viable solutions, may possibly oblige no further studies to demonstrate its therapeutic worth (Bostwick). 1. “Traditional Eastern medicine met Western medicine when W.B. O’Shaughnessy, an Irish physician working in Calcutta in the 1830’s wrote a paper extolling “Indian hemp” (Bostwick 173). “The list of indications for which he recommended cannabis-pain, vomiting, convulsions, and spasticity-strikingly resembles the …show more content… “Robert Randall was diagnosed with severe glaucoma at age 24 and was expected to become totally blind long before he turned 30” (Russo, et al. 4). “His own journey commenced when he independently discovered that smoking a certain amount of cannabis eliminated the annoying visual haloes produced by his glaucoma” and “through painstaking documentation and experimentation, Randall subsequently confirmed the inability of medical science to control his intraocular pressure (IOP) by any legal pharmaceutical means,” which led to Randall obtaining “his first government supplied cannabis in November, 1976” (Russo, et al.

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According to the author, Mitchell Earleywine, “Medicinal uses for cannabis date back to 2737 B.C., when the Chinese emperor and pharmacologist Shen Neng prescribed the drug for gout, malaria, beriberi, rheumatism, and memory problems” (168). Earleywine’s point is that cannabis has been used for a long time and has helped reduce symptoms. Cannabis or marijuana back then, cured a variety of symptoms and was adequate to be used for nausea, headaches, muscle spasms, and cramps. Earleywine also states that “smoked marijuana for brief interventions or as a treatment for the terminally ill has no more negative side effects than many other popular drugs” (171). In other words, Earleywine believes that medical marijuana is just as similar as taking prescribed or known medicine.…

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Medical Marijuana Medical marijuana has many great effects on many different people with many different health related problems. Marijuana has been proven to help with pain, nausea, appetite, etc. Many cancer patients, patients with HIV, patients with seizures, patients with neurological disorders, and many more have benefitted from medical marijuana. There are many states that have already legalized this for medical purposes, but there are still many who have not. Many people are worried that legalizing medical marijuana will cause other health related problems, but the good outweighs the bad.…

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A report written by a doctor about her patients describes the effects marijuana had on them with different health issues. She worked with veterans who struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder, who sometimes had to take up to twelve different medications to deal with all their mental or physical problems. Later, she found out that many had started to get better or stopped using their prescription medications when given marijuana. After doing some more research, she found that marijuana was not only a promising solution to the effects of PTSD, but also countless others. Issues such as, bronchitis, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV, chronic pain, Alzheimer 's, and cancer were all found to be eased or the conditions were improved (Jen Christensen…

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This paper was prepared for Psychology 1030,taught by Professor Maggie Wharton, Fall 2014 Legalizing Marijuana Practical uses for marijuana, also known as hemp and cannabis, can be traced back as far as 2700 B.C. in China. Additionally, in the world’s oldest pharmacopoeia, also from China, drug recipes for more than 100 ailments including, gout, rheumatism, malaria, and absentmindedness were treated with marijuana. Non-medical uses for marijuana in ancient times included paper and sailcloth making as early as 1000 A.D. in the Arab world and continued to be used as such well into the 1800’s in Europe and its colonies.…

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The Legalization of Marijuana as a Cure An argumentative essay Submitted to: Ms .Monica Tugade Faculty, CEAS, De La Salle Lipa Partially fulfilment in the requirement of the subject in Comski1 Submitted by: Clyde Jewel C. Solis September 25 2014 1…

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POV: Decision to Reclassify Marijuana as a Less Dangerous Drug Is Long Overdue

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Move signals a new opportunity for scientific research and economic opportunities, but quest i ons remain

Seth blumenthal.

In 1971, when asked about psychiatric professionals’ support for cannabis’ therapeutic applications and benefits, President Richard Nixon complained, “Most people would do a hell of a lot better with a preacher than a psychiatrist.” For Nixon, removing science from the cannabis discussion and elevating morality and virtue moved the conversation into his long-standing concern with youth’s ever-growing permissiveness.

However, cannabis science seems to be making a comeback. In a widely anticipated, but still controversial announcement, the Biden administration indicated that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will move cannabis out of its Schedule I narcotic classification—grouped with the most dangerous drugs, such as heroin, that the DEA deems highly addictive and of little or no medicinal value. With cannabis a Schedule III substance, businesses will now be allowed to invest in the industry with tax relief and researchers will have an opportunity to investigate cannabis without the draconian restrictions on funding in place since 1971.

While many cannabis legalization activists argue that the move does little to address the historical wrongs of the war on drugs and fails to end federal marijuana prohibition, it is important to note this foundational shift away from the moralistic and criminalized framing perpetuated over the last 50 years since Nixon ensured this outdated scheduling classification.

When Nixon announced the war on drugs and his signature contribution in 1971, the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), narcotics enforcement in America suffered from a fragmented patchwork of policies that begged for federal standards across state lines and provoked a controversy about where cannabis stood in relation to other “street drugs.” Marijuana, the symbolic drug of the counterculture, quickly became a political football in the increasingly heated dialogue surrounding the generation gap. Hoping to diffuse this tension, Nixon appointed Governor Raymond P. Shafer (R-Pa.), a former prosecutor, as head of the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse to develop guidelines for prevention and law enforcement as well as scheduling recommendations.

The Shafer Commission conducted the most extensive and comprehensive examination of marijuana ever performed by the US government. They recorded thousands of pages of transcripts of formal and informal hearings, solicited all points of view, including those of public officials, community leaders, professional experts, and students. They also organized a nationwide survey of public beliefs, information, and experience with drugs. In addition, they conducted separate surveys of opinion among district attorneys, judges, probation officers, clinicians, university health officials, and “free clinic” personnel. In total, they commissioned more than 50 projects to survey enforcement of the marijuana laws in six metropolitan jurisdictions.

Nixon found himself in the awkward position of opposing his own study as the report claimed that marijuana did not cause hallucinations and that there was no evidence pot itself caused “crime, sexual immorality or addiction to hard drugs.” The commission recommended that private use be legalized, but further suggested that Nixon should remove drug classification from the DEA purview to allow cannabis rescheduling. As Congressman James Scheuer (D-N.Y.) observed, the commission’s recommendation to decriminalize marijuana represented a “great step forward in regaining the credibility of the youth in our country.”

Nixon disagreed. A week before the report came out, the president announced he would never decriminalize cannabis no matter the study’s findings. “I don’t want psychiatrists,” Nixon grumbled, “I want to smash the dope peddlers.” Thus, Nixon maintained an enforcement- and supply side–focus on cannabis policy that exaggerated prohibition’s moral righteousness, dismissed the scientific evidence, and maintained the DEA’s control over scheduling, which stifled researchers’ efforts to understand this widely used substance.

While efforts to persuade the DEA to reschedule cannabis failed several times, this imminent correction raises a new controversy. Even cannabis activists question the impact this new policy will have on enticing “Big Pharma” and corporate investment, often at odds with the public health research that rescheduling allows and threatening the struggling effort in each state to foster economic and racial equity in the industry. While the opening of both research and economic opportunities reflect a shared effort to bring cannabis science out of the morality framing Nixon preferred, Biden’s efforts shift the question from “whether” we should reschedule to “how.”

Seth Blumenthal, a master lecturer in the College of Arts & Sciences Writing Program, can be reached at [email protected] .

“POV” is an opinion page that provides timely commentaries from students, faculty, and staff on a variety of issues: on-campus, local, state, national, or international. Anyone interested in submitting a piece, which should be about 700 words long, should contact John O’Rourke at [email protected]. BU Today reserves the right to reject or edit submissions. The views expressed are solely those of the author and are not intended to represent the views of Boston University.

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Florida law enforcement groups decline to weigh in on recreational marijuana ballot measure

I t’s been six weeks since the Florida Supreme Court ruled that Amendment 3 could be on the ballot in November. And six weeks of silence from the two largest organizations representing Sheriffs and police chiefs in the Sunshine State. Their job is law enforcement.

But the Florida Sheriffs Association and the Florida Police Chiefs Association have issued no statements indicating whether they support, oppose, or will remain neutral on the proposal to legalize recreational marijuana.

Right now in Florida, possession of 20 grams or less of marijuana is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail, and a $500 fine.

But some local governments, including Orlando, Cocoa Beach, and Volusia county, have reduced the penalty to a civil fine.

If voters give the green light to Amendment 3 "adult personal use of marijuana" will mean you can possess an amount "not to exceed three ounces." Today, that amount… equivalent to approximately 85 grams… would be a felony punishable by five years in prison and $5,000.

Waiting for all of these potential changes to take place are police, deputies and troopers who have the job of making sure laws are enforced. WESH 2 News talked with the head of the largest law enforcement agency in central Florida, Orange county Sheriff John Mina, who said, “Our focus has always been on drug traffickers, violent drug trafficking organizations, and so it's really not going to have an effect on us.

Sheriff Mina also says legalizing pot is not going to suddenly clear prisons, adding, “In the Orange county jail, there's not a single person in there for just simple possession of marijuana.”

WESH checked the weekend arrest reports at the Orange County Jail and found the names of three dozen inmates facing cannabis charges, but none that didn't also include some other charges.

Certainly, recreational marijuana presents the likelihood of more impaired drivers on the road, and police say that has been the case since the 2016 passage of medical marijuana, prompting many agencies to train officers as Drug Recognition Experts or DREs.

Mina added, “Although it may be legal just as alcohol is, you still have to follow the laws of the road and not drive under the influence.”

While Sheriff Mina is talking about recreational marijuana, he declined to say if he's casting a ballot for it.

Florida requires 60% of voters to say “yes” in order for an amendment to pass.

Even as voters decide on Amendment 3, the administration of President Joe Biden is moving toward reclassifying marijuana down from a schedule one drug, like LSD and heroin, to a schedule three drug, like steroids. Public input will be collected before a decision is made.

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Texas leaders zero in on exploding hemp market

Texas Tribune

By Karen Brooks Harper And Yuriko Schumacher

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Austin hemp entrepreneur Shayda Torabi is looking at a year filled with uncertainty.

For the six years they've been in business, Torabi and her two sisters have operated Restart, their hemp dispensary, in a modest neighborhood in North Austin within an entirely lawful framework — evolving as the laws changed, and staying comfortably and legally off the radar of state lawmakers who authorized the sale of consumable hemp in Texas in 2019.

But all of that is about to change.

Some Texas lawmakers have marked hemp dispensaries for what could be some radical changes in regulations next year. Since their products were legalized, there’s been an overnight proliferation of shops offering baked goods, gummies, oils, and smokable buds made with cannabis derivatives — some containing small amounts of psychoactives.

Once the darling of a burgeoning wellness industry, the purveyors of legal cannabis products now face questions from critics who remain unconvinced of the safety of their products and want tighter regulations — or even partial bans.

Consumable hemp products come in forms that include smokable vapes and flower buds, oils and creams, baked goods, drinks, gummies and candies.

Restart CBD offers a variety of different edibles, paraphernalia and drinks. Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune

They contain industrial hemp or hemp-derived cannabinoids, including the non-intoxicating cannabidiol known as CBD. They may not contain more than 0.3% concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the intoxicating part of the cannabis plant that comes in forms known as delta-8, delta-9 and THCA.

The difference in the legal and illegal products lies in the plants from which they come. Hemp and marijuana plants are both cannabis plants. Marijuana plants have high THC. Hemp has low THC.

Texas is one of about a dozen states that has not legalized marijuana in any form for broad use.

But t housands of dispensaries in Texas are selling hemp-derived products that look, taste and sometimes intoxicate similar to their more potent sibling. They’ve sprung up in recent years through loopholes in state and federal law that allow them to sell their low-THC products with no age limits, loose and inconsistent testing requirements, and no limit on the number of licenses allowed in the state. And it’s happening amid a series of oft-changing statutes and court decisions that throw retailers, advocates, police, prosecutors and parents into confusion over what’s actually legal to buy, sell, possess and consume.

Since consumable hemp was legalized in Texas , the number of retail registrations for consumable hemp products has exploded in the state.

In 2020, the first year the Texas Department of State Health Services began registering retailers, some 1,948 retailers were actively registered. By 2023, that number had jumped to 8,343. And in the first four months of 2024, the state has already seen more than 7,700 active registrations.

Last month, Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick ordered the Texas Senate to look into potentially banning the hemp products that contain THC, and investigate strict regulations for retailers across Texas. A hearing is scheduled for later this month.

There is no similar charge for the more business-friendly Texas House, which voted last year to expand the state’s medical marijuana program in legislation that also would have regulated the dispensaries.

That bill never got a vote in the Senate, the result of a political maneuvering over unrelated issues and a decided lack of interest in expanding weed laws in the conservative upper chamber.

Because it’s a Patrick priority, it’s likely to come up when lawmakers convene in January for the regular legislative session. Meanwhile, Congress is getting ready to reauthorize the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, also known as the Farm Bill, that instituted widespread changes for the hemp industry, including the authorization of the sale of intoxicating hemp-derived products.

So far, the latest U.S. House and Senate versions of that bill — which both propose to loosen barriers for industrial hemp farmers — leave out any changes that would address either the increasing calls by critics for limits on dispensaries or pushes by advocates for wider access. But further changes could come before the legislation gets a vote later this year.

Torabi, the Restart brand owner and president of the Texas Hemp Coalition, said she is looking for some clarity and support from both Austin and Washington.

“We're now seeing the hemp conversation not just in Texas, but nationally, show the pathway for how we can access this plant and really, ultimately help consumers who are seeking relief with cannabis products,” Torabi said. “We’re watching and waiting to see what happens next.”

The state does not limit the number of dispensary registrations or hemp licenses it allows. Health officials conduct random testing for the presence of heavy metals, pathogens, pesticides, solvents and the concentration of THC.

Retailers must pay an annual fee of $155 per location. License holders are on the hook for additional required state fees.

Torabi’s cannabis dispensary sells hemp-derived gummies, oils, edibles and smokable plant buds that are marketed as having wellness benefits like decreased depression or stress relief. While federal drug officials have approved the use of a seizure medicine that contains CBD, most of the hemp-derived products are not regulated by the federal government.

Her products contain either CBD, or low-concentration cannabinoid THC derivatives like THCA, delta-9 and delta-8. Some products are combinations of those.

Some regulations that would keep her industry legit would be welcome, Torabi said.

“It is the wild, wild West out there, and I can imagine you’d throw a stone in any direction and find not only new CBD products but the expansion of psychoactive cannabinoids,” said Torabi, who sells both types. “And it's a double-edged sword. It’s great that we’re giving access to these products where the consumers are, but the lack of regulation is really the crux of the conversation.”

The presence of bad actors who could trigger regulations that drag down legitimate operations not only threaten the very existence of her business if they cause a total ban on her products, Torabi said.

They also ruin the reputation of people like her and the products she passionately believes in after she used CBD, at her mother’s urging, to deal with chronic pain after she was hit by a car as a pedestrian in downtown Austin years ago, she said.

And while it’s true that consuming low-quality, unregulated products from unscrupulous retailers can be uncomfortable or unsafe for users, the customers coming to Restart to purchase high-quality CBD and low-dose THC products consistently tell her how they have helped them with issues like inflammation, insomnia, depression and similar benefits, Torabi said.

“We share the same concerns as Patrick, which is why we really do try to self-regulate as much as possible because we see where there can be malintent or taking what the intent was and twisting it,” she said. “It's a challenging place to be in because I do empathize with the state's concerns, but the transformative conversations that we're having on a daily basis are just so powerful, and those shouldn't be overlooked.”

The wellness benefits claimed by purveyors of hemp-derived consumables have been neither endorsed nor refuted by the U.S. Federal Drug Administration. Federal drug enforcement officials recently signaled that marijuana, would soon lose its status as a Schedule 1 narcotic — which are drugs that are highly addictive but have no medicinal value — and become eligible for broad research on its medicinal effects.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick takes a knee while speaking during a keynote lunch at the Texas Public Policy Foundation Texas Policy Summit 2024 at the AT&T Hotel & Conference Center in Austin on Mar. 21, 2024. Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune

That’s not an opening for legal pot or any other changes in Texas, but it does bolster the argument that cannabis in whatever form it takes can have uses beyond industrial rope and intoxicating party drugs, advocates say.

“We're simply asking Dan Patrick to not eliminate the market but to further regulate and lean on organizations like ours, and to lean on leading operators like myself at Restart, to really understand and become educated,” Torabi said.

The state’s miniscule medical marijuana program, the Compassionate Use Program run by the Texas Department of Public Safety, has about 12,000 enrollees and a short list of conditions that would qualify a resident to buy low doses of marijuana in either edible or oil form.

Texans with a variety of conditions — such as epilepsy, autism, cancer and post-traumatic stress disorder — can access cannabis oil from marijuana plants with less than 1% THC. Medical cannabis can treat the symptoms of some of these diseases or reduce the side effects of other treatments, such as alleviating the nausea and loss of appetite associated with chemotherapy or reducing nightmares in patients with PTSD.

It is legal to buy and use most smokable hemp products such as flower or vape cartridges with CBD, THCA and delta-8. The smokable version of delta-9, a hemp derivative which has a higher THC level than delta-8, is illegal in Texas.

All hemp derivatives can be legally sold in oils, creams, gummies, sodas, candies, coffee and other consumables that retailers like Torabi stock in storefronts, convenience stores, breweries, coffee shops, trailers and online.

Consumable hemp was made legalby the federal Farm Bill in 2018 and in Texas, the following year by House Bill 1325 , which Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law.

Critics say that because consumable hemp stores have been allowed to sell their products without stringent testing requirements, age limits or other regulations, they pose a health risk and their extreme growth in numbers has undercut access by the patients who truly need cannabis for health reasons.

Different types of edibles are displayed at Restart CBD on Thursday, May 9, 2024 in Austin. Edibles are their best selling products. Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune

They want lawmakers to enact age restrictions, on-site or in-state testing requirements, regulations on the ingredients and changes to how the psychoactive ingredients in the consumable hemp products are measured by state regulators.

States like Colorado, where both medical and recreational marijuana are legal, are putting tighter restrictions like these on those products as a way to reign in access and force more health and safety accountability on the consumable hemp industry.

Many of the current retailers, including Torabi, put some of these restrictions on themselves. All of Restart’s non-smokeable products are produced in Texas, including some handcrafted in her hometown of Austin. Her shop does not sell to anyone under the age of 21 for delta-8 and delta-9 products and 18 for CBD products.

Nico Richardson, CEO of Texas Original, the leading medical cannabis provider in the state, is frustrated that his operation, which his medical marijuana patients depend on for relief from symptoms of cancers and nerve disorders among other ills, is hindered by enormous regulation while businesses like Torabi’s are not.

For example, since he can only store his inventory in one location under Texas law, it gets ferried back and forth across the state at Richardson’s company’s expense. If a patient in the medical marijuana program in El Paso doesn’t pick up an order, Richardson’s staff has to drive to that city and bring that order of medical grade cannabis product back to Austin — a huge expense as well as an enormous waste of staff resources, he said.

“On the way, my driver passes probably 1,500 hemp dispensaries dealing delta-8 and delta-9 with no restrictions, and it’s everywhere in the state,” Richardson said. “Am I upset about that? Yes. I think it’s absolutely horrendous.”

Texas Original is one of two medical marijuana providers in Texas and serves the vast majority of the patients on the state program, Richardson said.

“You have patients in Texas that have gone through the process in the compassionate use program to get clean, well-tested, well-regulated medicine that is safe. That’s what they’re coming into the program for, and that’s what we’re trying to provide them,” Richardson said.

But that system will not survive if the hemp industry is not reigned in, he said. People are too easily convinced that all consumable hemp products are safe because they can buy them in the gas station or because they were at some point tested before they were sold, he said.

“It is complete and utter gaslighting,” Richardson said.

Lawmakers have instituted regulations beyond basic licensing fees and requirements in place, such as a restriction that the products can’t contain more than 0.3% THC by weight and that retailers have records showing that the products have been tested to confirm those numbers. But there is no guidance, for example, on how recently a product should have been tested, even though the amount of THC in a product can increase over time due to degradation and environmental factors.

Short of seeing a shutdown of the entire hemp industry, Richardson said tighter industry regulations “are long overdue.”

“It was never the intent here in Texas, and it certainly was never the intent for the 2018 federal Farm Bill, that you'd have a massive industry of — let's call it what it is — intoxicating hemp derivatives. It's marijuana by another name,” he said. “That's certainly not how the system was supposed to run.”

Near the end of May, the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee will hear public testimony about the issue. Both Richardson and Torabi plan to be there.

Restart CBD Owner Shayda Torabi in her Austin store on May 9, 2024. Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune

Torabi envisions a movement that would join people like her and Richardson — currently at odds in the fight — to craft a regulatory framework in Texas that allows access to all cannabis products, from low-dose CBD to medical grade pot to maybe even recreational legalization.

But what Torabi sees now is an opportunity for the pro-cannabis community to be a national leader in treating the plant as a tool for wellness, in whatever form it can be delivered.

“It's not like we're legalizing cannabis, and it's going to be a free-for-all, and there's no rules and checkpoints — that's absolutely not what we're asking for,” Torabi said. “We're just asking for inclusion, legitimacy and the acceptance that this is not something that you can keep dismissing as a conversation.”

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