Essay on Marijuana_decriminalization
Introduction
Marijuana possession and cultivation is illegal in many countries. Marijuana is the most commonly abused illegal drug in the U.S. and around the whole world.
However, its decriminalization has become one of the most hot-debated issues within last ten years. Specialists in different areas call to revise the already outdated laws, and legalize marijuana possession and cultivation. The most convincing argument, supporting marijuana decriminalization, is the drug use for medical purposes. Besides, marijuana decriminalization can have positive economic effect, at least in the U.S.A.
The objective of this work is to examine historic, medical, social and financial aspects of the problem and collect the arguments supporting marijuana decriminalization.
Initial reason of marijuana prohibition
People who are not interested in the issue of marijuana ban probably think it was banned because it is a dangerous drug. However, the detailed research proves marijuana was banned mostly in economic reasons. Hemp is a valuable and highly-competitive raw material for paper industry: the fiber of young plants is cheap, environmental friendly, and easy-planted raw material. Nowadays the main raw materials for paper production are the following: wood, cotton, used paper. However, the use of wood for paper production shoud be shortened because it leads to deforestization in many regions. Deforestization leads to biobalance diversity shortage, natural water circulation changes, and in future perspective – to air oxygen level decrease. Wood is considered as a renewable natural source, but because of the long life cycle its consumption overweights its growth. Hemp as a natural source has some advantadges: for example, it requires comparativey short time to reach the maturity. However, the criminalization of marijuana prevents its use in paper production. Decriminalization of hemp can bring eco-friendly, easy-planting natural raw material on the raw market.
It is worth mentioning that hemp also can be used as a food. Hemp seeds can be used for poultry feeding and for home small birds; hemp oil can be used as a food and raw material in cosmetics production.
Thus, decriminalization of marijuana can provide new raw material for clothing and paper, as well as new food for people and animals.
Contradictions in law system as a reason to marijuana decriminalization
As it known, state and federal laws often contradict each other. Every such contradiction creates many problems for people whoare involved. Thus, in 1970 the Controlled Substances Act classified marijuana as a Schedule I drug, without acceptable medical use, though more than a dozen states have decriminalized possession or personal use of cannabis. This situation provoked the conflict between state and federal law.
In 1996 California voters passed Proposition 215 in 1996, legalizing the medical use of marijuana. Nowadays fifteen states and the district of Columbia allow the medical usage of cannabis. However, under federal law it is still illegal. Thus, marijuana decriminalization will remove the contradiction and make law system more perfect.
Medical reasons to decriminalize marijuana
Opponents of legal marijuana claim that marijuana addiction is the disease similar to alcoholism. Really, as every drug, cannabis has both physiological and psychological effects on the human body. The active substances of cannabis are called cannabinoids, especially tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The possible effects of cannabinoidis include euphoria, short-term mental disorder, anxiety and increase of blood pressure.
Although medicinal value of cannabis is still under discussion, THC has several well-documented effects: the amelioration of nausea and vomiting, stimulation of hunger, lowered intraocular eye pressure as well as general analgesic effects (pain reliever). It is proved that marijuana can be effective medicine for patients on the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease and even slows it; it is also can be used by patients with migraine headaches and a number of other diseases. However, in many states marijuana use is forbidded even for medical puposes. Recenly in Baltimore, Maryland, female Air Force veteran with multiple sclerosis was put on probabtio on 18 months for marijuana possession. She suffers from seizures and migraine headaches since being assaulted with a crowbar and uses marijuana for medical puposes. Now she tells she feels like “a wanted criminal in her home state” and she is very afraid to be taken out her family. (Bykowic, 2011) Last year Maryland failed decriminalize the medical marijuana, and every patient in this state – as well as other states, where marijuana is illegal – cannt feel safe. Criminalization а marijuana forces the patiets to make a serious choice – to suffer from their painful symproms, to seek for medical alternative treatment (not always available), or to break law and to become crime.
Thus, the use of marijuana for medical purposes is a reasonable argument for its legalization. However, this research is intended to prove the necessity of total marijuana legalization.
The economic influence of marijuana trade
“Drug war” causes the overcrowded prisons and demands a huge budgetary spending. It is no secret that the USA has the highest rate of prisoners in the world – near 1% of total population. Nearly 4% of prisoners was arrested for marijuana offenses. Some of them were imprisoned for possession of marijuana.
“In 2007 the Department of Justice reported that there were 1,841,182 drug arrests in the United States; marijuana arrests accounted for 47.4% of the drug abuse arrests. This allows us to estimate that about 872,720 persons were arrested for marijuana offenses.” (FBI report, 2007)
According to the National Association of State Budgeting Officers, the states spent $44 billion in tax dollars on corrections in 2007. With money from bonds and the federal government included, total state spending on corrections last year was $49 billion. By 2011, the report said, states are on track to spend an additional $25 billion. Criminalized marijuana is the “black hole”, which devours a lot of resources. If US government legalizes marijuana, it could gain tax revenue and pay for important social objectives such as education and health care.
The stunning fact is after more than seven decades of illegality there is no reliable data about the economics of marijuana itself. However, it is the common knowledge that illegal drug business is very profitable.
It seems to be a radical idea, but legalizing and taxing marijuana would not only help to get the additional money in the budget and provide much-needed jobs to farmers as well.
Thus, the legalization and taxation of marijuana can bring significant benefits for the economics of the USA.
Conclusion
Recently President Barak Obama rejected marijuana legalization. However, in the times of the financial crisis President needs new sources of finances to realize his economic stimulus package and do not increase federal debt. Legalization and taxation of marijuana could be the great cure for the USA economics tremor. It will shorten the budget spending and increase tax income. For example, the decrease in prisoners imprisoned for marijuana use and can shorten the cost of petitionary system for the budget.
Besides, the use of marijuana as a treatment can be effective and cost-effective therapy. The harm of marijuana use is obviously overvalued, and benefits are undervalued.
