Preview

Legal Marijuana

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
3016 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Legal Marijuana
Legal Marijuana: Helpful or Harmful?
James Nix
Soc:102
Amber Anderson
May 25, 2013

Legal Marijuana: Helpful or Harmful?

The year is 2013 and the reality of legalized marijuana in the United States seems to be getting closer with each year. A highly controversial topic because marijuana’s primary use throughout history has been for abusive purposes more than anything else. Marijuana has medicinal uses and the stalks of the plants can be used for making paper or even fibers for ropes or canvases. All this takes a backseat to the reputation marijuana has as an illegal drug throughout history. This paper will take an in depth look at the topic of legal marijuana from an ethical point of view and analyze this with critical thought and reflection.
In this day and age everyone is brought up with knowledge of the “War on Drugs.” How much does this war cost us each year and would the decriminalization of marijuana be helpful or a harmful in this? There are quite a few reasons why many people are for the decriminalization of marijuana and quite a few reasons why it is opposed. If marijuana were to be decriminalized then the United States government would spend much less annually on the war on drugs than currently.
Our government spent an estimated 25 billion dollars in the last fiscal year towards the war on drugs. I found that “In support of the 2013 National Drug Control Strategy (Strategy), the President requests $25.4 billion in Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 to reduce drug use and its consequences in the United States. This represents an increase of $0.9 billion (3.7%) over the FY 2012 final level of $24.5 billion.” (2014, Funding). So on average our government spends 25 billion dollars a year toward eliminating or fixing this problem or epidemic depending on individual point of view.
Not only are we paying money yearly on fighting a seemingly losing battle on the war on drugs there are also quite a few good reasons marijuana should be decriminalized. There are



References: Crenshaw, W., & Guyot, K. (2012, Nov 26). Double take: Pros and cons of legalizing marijuana. Daily Journal World. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1202747284?accountid=32521 McKinney, M. (2013, Feb 03). Politics | medical marijuana uses varied. The Providence Journal. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1283580393?accountid=32521 Miron, Jeffery A., & Waldock, Katherine,; The Budgetary Impact of Ending Drug Prohibition,; The Cato Institute, 2010,; www.cato.org Mosser, K, 2010,; Bridgepoint Education, Inc. www.bridgepointeducation.com | content.ashford.edu National Drug Control Budget (NDCB),; FY 2014 Funding Highlights,; retrieved from http://www.whitehouse.gov on May 25, 2013.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Legalization of Marijuana

    • 2091 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Gray, James P, (2001) Why our drug laws have failed and what we can do about it: A…

    • 2091 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Legalization of Marijuana

    • 1557 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The topic of legalizing marijuana has been a topic of controversy for quite some time now not only throughout our local streets, but throughout the local and into the state government. The legalization of marijuana is such a controversial topic because some are for it and some are against it. People are for the legalization because of the great uses it has towards medicine, the money that could come from the taxation of legalized marijuana, and the emptying of prisons because of the releases of marijuana offenses. The list could go on and on. Other people are against the legalization because it is considered a “gateway drug”, or because the legalization of marijuana would eventually lead to the legalization of harder drugs such as heroine or cocaine. Despite the negative comments about the drug, marijuana should be legalized because it would give the U.S. a huge amount of money from the taxation and regulation of the drug, its uses would greatly impact our health throughout the medical field and throughout our own well being, and would help our fight with the war on drugs and our overcrowded prisons.…

    • 1557 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hawkins, J. (2014, January 21). 5 Reasons marijuana should remain Illegal. Town Hall. Retrieved from…

    • 1641 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Marijuana Legalization

    • 2144 Words
    • 9 Pages

    For most of the 20th century and beyond, it has been illegal in the United States and other countries, turning its sale and usage into a vast underground market that has gone untapped by any professional outlet. Some say that it is a harmful, addictive drug that leads to health detriments down the line for those who use it. However, there are others who claim that it is perfectly safe, not addictive, and could be an incredible source of income for a legitimate economy. The legalization of marijuana has the potential to create an incredible revenue stream of a highly demanded product that is safe to use. In this essay, the pros and cons of marijuana legalization will be explored and discussed.…

    • 2144 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Legalization of Marijuana

    • 3597 Words
    • 15 Pages

    Proponents for the legalization of marijuana offer several valid reasons to support their positions. The most common reason is that marijuana is proven to be no more harmful to a person’s body then legal drugs, alcohol and tobacco. They believe that the marijuana only affects the mind for a short term and the long-term effects are only minor. Lawyers Adam Ford and Andrew Walter concur, “ Arguments against legalizing marijuana can usually be applied with equal validity to legal substances such as alcohol and tobacco: alcohol and tobacco can be addictive, can lead to financial or social problems when used in excess, and can lead to serious health problems” (1). These two well recognized attorneys agree that marijuana should be treated the same as tobacco and alcohol because most of the reasons opponents give to not legalize marijuana all fall under bad aspects of those…

    • 3597 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    References: McVay, D.A. (2011, January 26). Drug War Facts: Common Sense for Drug Policy. Retrieved from…

    • 865 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Gerber, R.J. (2004). Legalizing marijuana : drug policy reform and prohibition politics . Westport, Conn.: Praeger.…

    • 2935 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Did you know that almost half of the population in the United States belongs in jail, according to the law on marijuana? It’s true. In 2008 Time Magazine reported that researchers had found more than 42% of people surveyed in the United States had tried marijuana at least once (Lynch, 2008). So if marijuana use is so common in the United States, why should it not be legalized? In this paper I will discuss both the supporting and opposing positions on the legalization of marijuana. I will also explore the moral and ethical views for legalizing marijuana.…

    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    War on Drugs Has Failed

    • 2403 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Having spent over $400 billion over the course of the American drug prohibition effort, it might be prudent to ask the question, "Are we making any progress?" ("Ron"). Amazingly, the answer from experts on both sides of the issue is a resounding "no." It is clear at this point that the War on Drugs has ultimately failed, while the collateral consequences of pursuing drug prohibition have left America in a disastrous state, rife with both economic and social problems.…

    • 2403 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    References: Anonymous, A. (2010, May). Legalizing medical marijuana: Are we crossing the line. Philadelphia City Paper, X(1301), 22.…

    • 1979 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Marijuana Argument Paper

    • 953 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Cited: “Arguments For and Against Legalizing Marijuana.”Pros & Cons of Legalizing Marijuana.University of Missouri at St. Louis.Web. 11 Sept. 2012.…

    • 953 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION

    • 631 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Cited: Klein, Joe. “Why Legalizing Marijuana Makes Sense.” Time. Time, 2 April 2009. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.…

    • 631 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The main reason marijuana should be legalized is because it will put the nation’s economy in a position for success. Marijuana can be taxed and sold out of local tobacco and liquor stores. Harvard University estimates legalization will bring in 6.7 billion dollars in taxes annually (Barbour 56). Today, America’s economy is struggling and the government is always looking for new ways to generate revenue. A one dollar excise tax on a minimum price of two dollars per joint would leave commercial demand to about nine to eighteen million joints sold, so tax revenues would equal from 3.2 billion to 6.4 billion dollars a year (Gieringer N.P). A fifty-cent excise tax on a minimum price of a dollar per joint would leave commercial demand to about twelve million to twenty-four million joints sold. So tax revenues would equal about 2.2 billion to 4.4 billion dollars a year (Gieringer N.P). It is estimated that the consumption of joints across the United States would be fifteen to thirty million joints a day (Gieringer N.P). All this money generated by taxes on marijuana could help bring our country into a new era of success. Not only could it help the federal government, but also the state and local governments. Each year the state of California generates a hundred…

    • 1068 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Miron, A. Jeffrey, Waldock, Katherine. The Budgetary Impact of Ending Drug Prohibition. Washington, DC: Cato Institute, 2010. Web. Feb. 18. 2014…

    • 2037 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Budget And Policy Paper

    • 1604 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The war on drugs is an expression used to describe the American approach in reducing drug use and abuse in the United States. President George Bush SR, televised a national message that drug abuse was "our nation's most serious domestic problem" (Beckett, 1997: 6). President Reagan had diverted more than $700 million from education, treatment, and research to law enforcement programs to fight the war on drugs. Reagan also gave more money to prisons and to the Drug Enforcement Administration, the federal agency responsible for preventing illicit drug use (Kraska, 1990: 117). The federal government spends more than $20 billion fighting the drug war which does not include state and…

    • 1604 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays