Marijuana Should Be Legalized In the US

Legalization of Marijuana
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Legalization of Marijuana
Marijuana, also known as Cannabis, is a regularly abused drug in most countries, including the US, Australia, and Amsterdam. The cannabis plant consists of 484 compounds, of which tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is popular for the psychoactive effects (Arnone et al., 2008). Doctors originally used marijuana for medical treatments attributed to the fact that it helped patients relax and increased their appetites. However, people have begun to abuse the drug and thus the reason for the numerous debates to decide whether to legalize the drug. The paper below will support the reasons against the legalization of the drug under some circumstances, exempting some medical instances such as cancer and HIV/AIDS. Legalization of marijuana will make no difference to reducing the issue of drug abuse in the society.
The Drug Policy Alliance is at the forefront of promoting the use of medical marijuana in numerous countries. However, some research counteracts its initiatives. In 2011, there was a study done in the US to determine the relationship between increases in marijuana laws and the rate of drug dependence and abuse. With the help of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), researchers studied a sample of 68,000 individuals over the age of 18, who were using medical marijuana in 50 states. The results established that the states that legalized marijuana had characteristics of increased drug use and dependence (Cerdá et al., 2012). After a close study of the above research and others, there are three main reasons why marijuana should remain banned.
First, making the drug legal increases its usage in the country. Over the years, parents continuously teach their children that drug abuse is socially and morally wrong. Legalizing it diminishes the parent’s authority over the children, who now have a new belief that drug abuse is acceptable (Harper et al., 2012). As such, they start using drugs at a very young age with no high authority to prevent them from doing so and the number of adolescents abusing the drug increases in the schools and at home. It is critical to note that there is a positive relationship between drug abuse and delinquent behaviour. Delinquent behavior can include selling the drug to other users and to minors as well to increase its market size. It can also entail smuggling the drug to other countries where the drug is still illegal and looking for a larger market in those areas, where the dealers sell at a high price. In the process of increasing its usage, the drug opens the way to the usage of drugs such as cocaine and heroin (Hathaway, et al., 2010).
Second, marijuana has damaging health effects and for that, it should remain prohibited. Its health effects are mostly mental and physical. The short-term effects of the drug include heightened senses and dry mouth. After a few years of smoking the drug, the individual experiences a decrease in short-term memory and a general loss of concentration, especially for students and those at work (Haney, 2005). A study also reveals that those who did not smoke cannabis ...