Should Marijuana Be Legalized

Marijuana as a drug should not be legalized, even though the advantages of legalizing it and taxing it are more than the costs of trying to keep it illegal. The opponents of this opinion may state that marijuana has a lot of benefits and should be legalized because it has medicinal values, people deserve freedom to use whatever they want, keeping it illegal is far most expensive than legalizing it, there is no evidence whatsoever that prohibiting a drug reduces its usage, it is used for religious purposes by many religions, it has far most medicinal values, there is misinformation and bad painting of its effects, legalizing it creates job opportunities, can be fermented to alcohol for use in engines, makes individuals hardworking and that school children are being misinformed about the drug. However, there are also reasons why marijuana should not be legalized, like for example, it is perceived as an illegal drug, its use for medical purposes is not accepted, it is historically linked to other hard drugs, it has been associated with unfashionable lifestyles, it also has been associated with oppressed ethnic groups, it has stayed illegal for so long and advocated for its legalization have never brought forward a genuine case for its legalization.

One of the main arguments pro-legalization of marijuana is that people deserve liberty and freedom to use whatever they like and want. There is actually no good reason for marijuana not to be legalized. The government should only limit the use of a drug if the users impose danger to the society and people around them. In this case, an individual, who decides to use marijuana, does it at his or her own will and does not involve non-users. Marijuana is far less dangerous than most of other drugs. I get to ask myself at this point, why are cigarettes legal yet, they cause cancer and many other health problems. Actually, there is no reported case of a marijuana user dying of cancer or any other medical complication. Some legal drugs, such as alcohol, cause liver diseases and kidney problems and can actually lead someone to death; yet, they are very much legal. In summary, people deserve freedom to use whatever they want. The government has no right to stop them as long as the use of the drugs puts other people around the user in danger.

Another argument on why marijuana should be legalized is that trying to keep it illegal is far most expensive than actually making it legal. A case in example is that in the United States of America, the American government and all its levels, i.e. the local authorities, the federal, and the state ones, currently spend a lot of money in the war against drugs. Billions of dollars are spent every year trying to chase high people in the streets. The people are then locked up in prisons and it’s the tax payers’ money that is used for their maintenance in prisons. Billions of dollars can be saved if the government stops stacking the prisons with people who use marijuana. Indeed, that could save a lot of money. Furthermore, legalizing marijuana and taxing it would earn the government a lot of revenue. We, therefore, would save a lot of money to be used elsewhere if we legalized and taxed marijuana.

Prohibiting marijuana helps the country in no way. There is no evidence whatsoever that prohibiting a drug will reduce its usage. There will always be people, who will use it secretly, and addicts will only find better and more creative places of using it in secrecy. Marijuana is common with the American high schools despite its prohibition. This is because it is readily available, and one does not need to be 21 or older to get it. It is easily accessible with the dealers in streets. It is actually not that hard to getting marijuana in high schools, than it is to get alcohol. This is because alcohol, being legal, has clear regulations on where or whom to sell it to.

Marijuana being illegal can be sold secretly to anyone at any time. If the government’s aim is to reduce the use of drugs, then it should devise methods that educate the youth, methods of keeping the drugs away from children, and treatment programs for the strong drug addicts. Instead, the government employs policemen to scare people with the jail terms instead of treatment of people with drug addiction issues. Furthermore, it costs a lot of money smoking cigarettes, than it is to smoke marijuana.

Marijuana has also plenty of medical values. There are cases of people with low food appetite using marijuana to stimulate their appetite. Marijuana actually stimulates the central certificatory are in the brain; hence, increases the appetite of the users. It is very common of someone to have a huge craving for food immediately after using marijuana. Marijuana also relieves nausea. There are also cases reported of cancer and AIDS patients using marijuana to relieve themselves. Marijuana can also be used as a pain reliever, as its usage recues the level of pain no matter how high it is. Furthermore, people against the legalization of marijuana have a drug of their choice in mind. Ask them. There is also proof that marijuana cures insomnia, as users can easily sleep peacefully through the night after use. Unlike alcohol, marijuana does not kill brain cells, as it acts by blocking receptors for neurotransmitters. The use of marijuana, when pregnant, does not affect the fetus unlike other drugs like cigarettes and alcohol that are more dangerous and at the same time are legal (Head, 2013).

Marijuana should also be legalized because some religions use it for the religious purposes. Just as Christians use wine in their churches, some Hindus, Rastafarians and Buddhists use marijuana in spiritual purposes. Since it has been their tradition for centuries, making marijuana illegal, therefore, hinders their rights. People require freedom to practice religion, as long as it does not entail human sacrifice, of which the use of marijuana is not. This is also according to The First Amendment.

School children are also misinformed about marijuana and its use. There are speculations and misconceptions that its use makes people mad. There is no case ever reported of a marijuana user ever running mad. There is also a belief that it makes people have the tendency of committing crimes. Whether on drugs or not, an individual wanting to commit a crime would just do it. Furthermore, marijuana users get relaxed and meditate on their life. It does not make them run around with guns and killing people. Marijuana’s usage is as legal in Amsterdam, just as it is about to be legalized in Canada. Both of the countries have much lower crime rates than the United States. This proves that marijuana does not make people want to commit a crime.

However, there are some reasons why marijuana should not be legalized in the United States of America. First of all, it is perceived as addictive. It is also classified as a high potential drug to abuse, according to which the individuals, using it, are said to get hooked to the drug so much that they cannot make their own decision. It is said that addicts will do anything to get the money to buy marijuana; hence, promoting the crime rate (Head, 2013).

Marijuana is also said to have no medical use. It is said that marijuana cures insomnia but there are cases of people, who stay awake on marijuana. How is that possible? There are also some speculations that marijuana helps AIDS and cancer patients to relax, which are not exactly supported by the real facts and figures.

Marijuana should also not be legalized because it is linked historically to other hard drugs such as opium, heroin and cocaine. Indeed, marijuana is associated with the dangerous gangs in the past days, where the gangs used marijuana before going to commit crimes. It means that if marihuana becomes legal then the crime rate will definitely increase.
Marijuana should also not be legalized because it is linked to unfashionable lifestyles. Marijuana is thought of as a drug that makes people turn out to be losers and hippies. People using marihuana are seen as losers. Moreover, there is an opinion that they have given up their lives or that they are just about to give up.

Legalization of marijuana should also not be done because it is associated with the oppressed ethnic groups. It has been associated Mexican Americans, and banning it will not encourage Mexican American cultures to predominate the country. But in the current days, this is not the case, since marijuana is used widely across every culture in the United States of America.

Marijuana should not be legalized because it has been illegal for so long that it will actually take longer than we think to try and convince people to legalize it. If something has been banned just recently, the uplifting of its banning will be easier; this is not exactly marijuana’s case. As a matter of fact, there are people, who were born and are old enough and have never heard about it being legal. They are not just used to it being legal.

Marijuana should also not be legalized because advocates for its legalization have never brought forward an appealing case of legalization of the drug. The only reason for legalization they bring forward is that the drug cures disease and makes people have a closer relationship with God. This sounds just not right in any case; especially, when someone tries to picture a marijuana user, who risks years of imprisonment just for looking for pleasure in using a banned drug.

In conclusion, marijuana should not be legalized. This is because the reasons put forward for its legalization are not a reality of the situation. Legalization of marijuana has much worse outcomes than keeping it illegal.