Universidad San Francisco de Quito

Mishell Peafiel
00117852
16-03-2015
Should marijuana be legalized
Nowadays marijuana is the most common drug that is in legalization discuss.
In most countries, possession and use of cannabis, also commonly known as
marijuana ,is considered illegal. In fact, it can be noted that for many years, cannabis
has been considered as an illegal drug in most countries. Nevertheless, today, some
countries have legalized cannabis while other countries have not. In particular, small
quantities of cannabis have been allowed in regions such as Europe, North America and
South America. On the other hand, various penalties are imposed for use or possession
of cannabis in most countries. The penalties generally range from simple to severe
punishments. Possession of small quantities of marijuana is not punished in the same
way as possession of large quantities.I think that it should be legalized because it can be
used in medicine, it would increase the economy, it is not so bad as legal drugs and it
can reduce the crime rate.
Primarily, cannabis should be legalized since it is used for medication, and its
legalization means better and higher quality health standards. The drug has been used in
the United Kingdom to treat MS patients, and it has been found to work effectively.
Moreover, in the United States, some states such as Washington and Colorado have also
legalized the possession and usage of marijuana for medical purposes. Therefore,
banning cannabis would be a disadvantage to people who suffer from diseases that use it
as a major component in their medicine. The consumption of cannabis for medical

purpose is the strongest reason to legalize it. Cannabis helps a condition that is known
as cancer chemotherapy. The condition causes extreme vomiting to its patients. It also
helps to open up lungs of an asthma patient.
In addition, the legalization of marijuana can also yield a new tax source for the
government, which will consequently increase the government revenue. When this
argument is viewed in perspective of the current economic situation, it can be noted that
the argument makes a lot of sense. Indeed, that is the case since at the moment, most of
the returns from cannabis business ends up with criminal gangs that control its trade in
various regions around the world. However, that situation would be changed

if

marijuana was legalized, the government would control its trade. According to Gallup
(2013), the number of Americans who favor legalization of marijuana has consistently
been on the increase with the figure reaching its highest level in October 2013 as 58%
of the Americans were found to favor legalization of marijuana.
On the other hand, people who argue that marijuana should not be legalized
consider it asa more lethal substance to the human body than alcohol, which is legal.
According to them, the effects

alcohol and cigarettes have in

human body are

dangerous since among others, they cause cancer, and liver cirrhosis. The United Sates
department of health and human studies (2008) conducted a study that found that in the
country, 69.7 million people use tobacco, while 15 million people abuses alcohol and,
the study also found out that 4.2 million of the American population abuses cannabis
while every 1000 deaths were found to have been caused by smoking related diseases,
while 550 deaths were found to have been caused by alcohol related diseases and
accidents. The critics of illegalization of this drug use such research findings to claim
that cannabis is already being widely used in United States and other parts of the world

and it does not cause more deaths when compared to other drugs. Therefore, proponents
of legalization of marijuana argue that it should be legalized since it is less harmful than
other substances that are already legalized.
Legalizing marijuana is also believed to reduce the crime rate and free up
resources. About 1/6 of the population in prisons were incarcerated due directly to
marijuana charges. You take away the federal law that states marijuana is illegal and
you have less crime. Instead of having many crimes due to drug possession and
smuggling people will be able to simply purchase it legally. This would keep more
space in prisons for real crimes and prisoners. In the case of the economy, it would save
the taxpayers some money. That is the direct effect of legalization but theres much
more. It would also relieve stress on the police and courts that deal with marijuana
cases. When it comes to the police, officers dont have to worry about marijuana
possession, they will give more time and focus to enforce other and more serious laws
Marijuana is an easily accessed drug thus being more abundant and commonly used
first. By legalizing marijuana it would not change the fact that people who want to go
much more serious and dangerous drugs can but it will still be illegal so nothing has
really changed.
In conclusion, it is indisputably vivid that there are various arguments for the
legalization of marijuana. The legalization of marijuana leads to a lot of immorality and
increased crime rates. The arguments in favor of marijuana compare marijuanas effects
with the effects of other drugs, and imply that the effects of cannabis are not bad to the
human body. It can this be summed up that if most governments across the world were
to legalize cannabis, there will definitely be a notable change in the stability and wellbeing of people around the world.