Should Cannabis Use Be Legalized
Should Cannabis be Legalized?
A Review of the Literature
Should Cannabis be Legalized?
A Review of the Literature
Whether cannabis use should be legalized has been always a controversial topic in worldwide. The supporters of legalization of cannabis use believes the health damages that caused by cannabis are less than those associate with cigarettes; as a result, if production and sale of cigarettes is legal, why cannabis use cannot be legalized? In addition, supporters believe the legalization of cannabis use can save government’s law enforcement funds and crack down smuggling of cannabis effectively; furthermore, governments can earn more tax revenue as well. On the other hand, opponents say that since cannabis is a kind of new-born drug, the physical damages that caused by using cannabis need to be studied further, in addition, the legalization of cannabis can cause many social problems because people who use cannabis are more likely to be out of control of their minds. Also, opponents believe that using cannabis can become an incentive of using harder drugs. With the recent legalization of cannabis in Colorado and Washington legalization, the existing drug prohibition was shaken. Based on two major factors, health and economy, whether cannabis use should be legalized becomes more and more controversial. According to John A Henry, the professor of the School of Medicine of Imperial College, using cannabis does cause some health problems. In his article “Comparing Cannabis with Tobacco,” he points out that smoking cannabis may cause some similar health damages as smoking cigarettes, and many of these effects appear early (Henry, 2003). Also, he adds, besides physical damages, “Regular use of cannabis is associated with an increased incidence of mental illnesses, most notably schizophrenia and depression” (Henry, 2003). Also, he states that because the use of cannabis is a new-born phenomenon, the study of health damages that caused by smoking
A Review of the Literature
Should Cannabis be Legalized?
A Review of the Literature
Whether cannabis use should be legalized has been always a controversial topic in worldwide. The supporters of legalization of cannabis use believes the health damages that caused by cannabis are less than those associate with cigarettes; as a result, if production and sale of cigarettes is legal, why cannabis use cannot be legalized? In addition, supporters believe the legalization of cannabis use can save government’s law enforcement funds and crack down smuggling of cannabis effectively; furthermore, governments can earn more tax revenue as well. On the other hand, opponents say that since cannabis is a kind of new-born drug, the physical damages that caused by using cannabis need to be studied further, in addition, the legalization of cannabis can cause many social problems because people who use cannabis are more likely to be out of control of their minds. Also, opponents believe that using cannabis can become an incentive of using harder drugs. With the recent legalization of cannabis in Colorado and Washington legalization, the existing drug prohibition was shaken. Based on two major factors, health and economy, whether cannabis use should be legalized becomes more and more controversial. According to John A Henry, the professor of the School of Medicine of Imperial College, using cannabis does cause some health problems. In his article “Comparing Cannabis with Tobacco,” he points out that smoking cannabis may cause some similar health damages as smoking cigarettes, and many of these effects appear early (Henry, 2003). Also, he adds, besides physical damages, “Regular use of cannabis is associated with an increased incidence of mental illnesses, most notably schizophrenia and depression” (Henry, 2003). Also, he states that because the use of cannabis is a new-born phenomenon, the study of health damages that caused by smoking
References: Henry, J. (2003). Comparing Cannabis With Tobacco. BMJ, 326(7396), 942-943. doi: 10.1136/bmj.326.7396.942. Pederson ,W. (2011). Cannabis and Social Welfare Assistance: A Longitudinal Study. Addiction, 106(9), 1636-1643. Rosenthal,E & Kubby, S & Newwhat ,S. (2003). Why Marijuana Should Be Legal. （2nd ed.）. New York, NY: Thunder’s Mouth Press. Bradford, H. (2012, July, 11th ). 14 Ways Marijuana Legalization Could Boost The Economy. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http:// huffuingtonpost.com. Mcvay, D. (1991). Marijuana Legalization: The Time Is Now. In James, A(Eds), The Drug Legalization Debate(pp.125-151 ). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.