Brianna Manzanares

HLTH 1050
Paul Roberts
Research Paper
04/22/15
The legalization of medicinal and recreational marijuana has been a hot topic of debate
over the past decade. Many people are completely against the idea of such a drug being used
recreationally, let alone medically, in fear that it would do more harm than good, while others are
open to the idea, believing that legalization can come with many benefits. The US is in the
middle of a prohibition not unlike alcohol prohibition. In the past few years, 4 states have
legalized marijuana for recreational use. while 24 states have legalized medical marijuana. Most
people who are against legalization are so for various reasons. Some believe that marijuana acts
as a gateway drug, and that legalizing the drug will make it easier for children and adolescents to
obtain the drug. Others are against the idea for religious reasons. On the other side of the
spectrum, several people see many benefits to legalization. For one, marijuana can be used to
treat various diseases, such as mental illnesses, eating disorders, cancer and epilepsy. Others who
are for legalization believe that selling and taxing marijuana would have huge monetary benefits.
Not only would legalization bring forth money and medical treatments, some argue that it could
lower incarceration rates for drug related offenses.
Marijuana was first introduced to the US in the 17th century when creating products
made from hemp was widely encouraged. Farmers were required to grow hemp until after the
Civil War, when other domestic materials replaced hemp. Marijuana then became a popular
ingredient in medicines during the late 19th century. As time passed, people became less
accepting of the leaf. In the early 1900s, Mexican immigrants introduced recreational use of
marijuana, which created fear and prejudice of the immigrants. Americans would then start to

fear the drug, stating that marijuana was associated with violent crimes committed by the
Mexican immigrants. By 1931, many states made marijuana illegal.
Prejudice against Mexican immigrants seemed to have caused many Americans to believe
that marijuana was the cause of violence, which created a war on drugs, thus making marijuana
illegal all over the US. Since then, we have been programmed to believe that marijuana is bad.
This is what caused many people to believe that marijuana is a gateway drug. In his article
Inside the Gate: Insiders Perspective on Marijuana as a Gateway Drug, Rashi K. Shulka states
that many drug users have admitted to using marijuana in the past, when they initially started
taking drugs.
According to his research, 65% of adults in his study believed that marijuana was a
gateway drug, but could not provide evidence to support their claims. Shulka argues that While
the gateway hypothesis is useful for describing possible linkages between early substances that
are used and later ones, it is problematic for a number of reasons. Variations in patterns of
initiation and progression, and changes in drug involvement in later stages of the drug use career
are likely to be overlooked by those promoting the validity of the gateway hypothesis. (Shulka
19). This means that while many drug users have admitted to using marijuana, it cannot
indefinitely prove that marijuana use leads to heavier drug use. Shulkas study shows that while
many people who abuse heavier substances such as heroin and methamphetamine have used
marijuana, there is no evidence showing that marijuana was the cause of the later drug abuse in
the test subjects.
Another prominent argument against the legalization of recreational marijuana would be
that legalization may cause an increase in adolescent drug abuse. Many people believe that if
marijuana were to become readily available, teenagers would be able to obtain the drug as easily

as they obtain alcohol. For the most part, people worry about the negative effects prolonged
smoking of marijuana may have in teenagers. The website learnaboutmarijuanwa.org discusses
the correlation between adolescents and marijuana. One page states that early initiation of
marijuana use can affect memory, attentiveness and poor performance in school. The website
asserts that Adolescence is a period when many developmental changes are occurring. It is a
time when a young persons intellectual capacities expand and their friends and peers become
increasingly influential. (Adolescents and Marijuana). What this means is that according to
learnaboutmarijuanawa.org, the earlier an adolescent begins smoking marijuana, the bigger the
chance of developmental problems.
While learnaboutmarijuanawa.org did make some key points on why teenagers who
smoke marijuana are at risk for developmental problems, the website also explicitly states that
although many teens do still try marijuana, the prevalence rates of teens who use marijuana has
declined over the past decade. What this means is that even if marijuana is legally available to
adults, it doesnt necessarily mean that teens will start using the drug earlier, as rates have
decreased. Legalizing the drug clearly has no impact on how often adolescents use marijuana.
There have been many benefits of legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes in the past
decade. In his article called Why Society Should Consider Medical Marijuana, Scott Kellogg
discusses the many medical benefits that marijuana posseses. Kellogg explains that marijuana is
fairly safe, even beneficial to our health. He states that only about 10% of people who use
marijuana will become addicted, opposed to other highly addictive prescription drugs. Kellogg
explains that:
Chronic pain and medical illnesses can have a similar effect on the life structure and
psyche of patients. They too decrease the possibilities for the individualboth internally
and socially. This means that medical marijuana will be a healing and therapeutic agent

to the degree that it increases internal freedom and promotes personal complexity.
(Kellogg 1)
Kellogg explicitly states that medical marijuana can help people with chronic physical and
mental illnesses live normal, happy lives. The list of illnesses marijuana can help is long and
diverse, including disabilities such as blindness to certain cancers. The amount of evidence
supporting these claims is incredible, which has caused over 20 states to legalize the use of
marijuana for medicinal purposes.
Because of the prohibition on marijuana happening in the United States, we have seen
quite a few steps forward in legalization in the past 3 years alone. In 2012, Washington and
Colorado legalized marijuana for medicinal and recreational use for adults. Since then, there
have been massive improvements in these two states. In the Huffington Post article titled
Colorado and Marijuana Legalization One Year Later: What Has Changed?, Art Way discusses
everything that has changed since the legalization of marijuana in Colorado. It seems as though
nothing but good has happened in that one year.
Way starts off by talking about possession charges. According to state data, marijuana
possession charges dropped from 30,000 to only below 2,500. This means that the amount of
people incarcerated for drug related charges vastly decreased, with a total 41% drop in drug
related incarceration all around. Way then goes on to discuss the hottest topic; taxes. Way
states that The medical marijuana regulatory framework enforced by the Colorado Department

of Revenue was refined to tax and regulate the retail market. As of October, Colorado brought in
more than $40 million in marijuana taxes. (Way 1). This number is huge. Not only is the
legalization of recreational marijuana bringing in huge amounts of tax money, it is creating retail
jobs in heavily regulated dispensaries.
The monetary benefits do not stop at taxes. Later on in the article, Way explains where all
of these taxes are going and whom they are benefiting. Way addresses this by stating that, in

regards to the taxes, the bulk of this revenue will go towards youth prevention efforts focused
on marijuana and overall mental health (Way 1). Not only are these taxes going towards
education, they are going towards prevention efforts, meaning that the rates of adolescent
marijuana abuse should decrease. Other benefits Way discusses include low unemployment rates,
a fast growing economy and traffic fatality rates are at an historic low.
After researching both sides of the argument, one cannot deny that the pros indefinitely
outweigh the cons. For one, there is no correlation between violence and marijuana use. I
actually had a hard time researching reasons why marijuana legalization is a bad thing. For the
most part, there is no concrete evidence that marijuana is a gateway drug, or that legalization of
the drug will cause an increase in adolescent drug abuse. So why are so many people against the
idea? I believe that is because we have been told from a young age that marijuana is bad.
Where does this stem from? The answer is this; after the Mexican-American War, many people
became xenophobic, blaming violent crimes on the Mexican immigrants for their introduction to
recreational marijuana use. In short, it stems from racism. There are so many studies showing the
benefits of medical marijuana, and not very many studies opposing their findings.
In my opinion, after doing some heavy research, I do believe that marijuana should be
legalized for all purposes. Legal or not, people will partake in the use of marijuana. Whether it be
for medical or recreational uses, people genuinely enjoy the drug. Not only do many believe that
marijuana is enjoyable, the health benefits it possesses are incredible. Personally, I know of a few
people (who have chosen to remain anonymous) who have stated that using marijuana has
greatly reduced their anxiety, help them sleep and has even helped rid their migraines. And there
are studies that prove these findings. I, personally, would much rather deal with a person who is
high rather than a person that is drunk. Alcohol has been proven to be much more dangerous, but

is legal to all adults. I cant help but ask, why not pot?. With all the evidence supporting the
benefits of marijuana, it is very hard for me to deny the legalization of the drug.

Works Cited:
"Adolescents and Marijuana." Learn About Marijuana. University of Washington, 1 June 2014.
Web. 22 Apr. 2014. <http://learnaboutmarijuanawa.org/factsheets/adolescents.htm>.
Fairchild, Caroline. "Legalizing Marijuana Would Generate Billions In Additional Tax Revenue
Annually." Huffington Post (2013). The Huffington Post. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/20/legalizing-marijuana-taxrevenue_n_3102003.html>.
Kellog, Scott. "Why Society Should Consider Medical Marijuana." Addiction Professional 5
(2014): 26-30. CINAHL Complete. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
Shukla, Rashi K. "Inside the Gate: Insiders' Perspectives on Marijuana as a Gateway Drug."
Humboldt Journal of Social Relations 35 (2013): 5-23. Ebsco Host. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
<http://web.b.ebscohost.com.dbprox.slcc.edu>.
Way, Art. "Colorado and Marijuana Legalization One Year Later: What Has Changed?" The
Huffington Post 30 Dec. 2014. The Huffington Post. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/art-way/colorado-and-marijuana-le_b_6397664.html>.