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Introduction
Over the past decades, the world has experienced increased debate on the need for marijuana legalization. Marijuana is the realm’s most prevalent illegal drug, with an extensive base of regular users. It is the third most commonly used recreational drug in Western countries after alcohol and nicotine. Marijuana, which exists in dried leaves, seeds, stems, or flowers, comes from Cannabis Indica or Cannabis Sativa plant. People smoke the hard drug in blunts, hand-rolled cigarettes, vaporizers, mixing it in food, or eating and smoking different types of THC-rich resins. In the United States, the attitudes and laws towards the use and legalization of marijuana are rapidly changing. Despite federal prohibitions of cannabis use, thirty-three states, including the Columbia District, have legalized the use of medical marijuana, and eleven others have permitted its use for leisure. In comparison, fifteen others have decriminalized illicit drugs to some extent. Although many proponents of marijuana legalization associate the policy with numerous economic and medical benefits, easy accessibility and availability of the hard drug cause significant risks to consumers’ health, brain, and high prevalence of unintentional use.
Arguments Against Marijuana Legalization
Legalizing marijuana can cause increased and unintentional consumption of the related products leading to acute intoxication. Although different countries have shifted to authorizing marijuana for medical and recreational use, the move has led to increased use of this drug by the youths, later leading to addiction. According to Miller et al. (649), the legalization of marijuana makes it more accessible and increases people’s likelihood of consuming illicit drugs. Precisely, the legalization of the product reduces the costs of using it by eliminating the fear of punishment, enhanced availability, a lack of social acceptability, and an innate desire to abide by the law. The elimination of these fears increases the number of people unintentionally consuming the drug. For instance, a study at Washington State University found that recreational marijuana legalization enhanced the frequency of use and the proportion of undergraduate learners using the dope. Another survey among California youths found that the validation of marijuana in the district increased the frequency of use among the young adults who had used the drug before the legalization (Doran et al. 4). Besides, the increased advertising of the product also caused other people, especially the youths, to try the drug. In sum, recreational marijuana should remain illegal worldwide since its legalization increases the frequency of use and proportions among users due to easy access and elimination of costs.
Moreover, the adverse health benefits of marijuana use surpass the damaging effects of consuming the illicit drug on the brain and the user’s mental health. The dangerous drug has both short- and long-term impacts on the brain, affecting a person’s functionality. According to data by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (4), using marijuana for leisure and medical purposes causes mood alterations, impaired body movement, hallucinations, delusions, and psychosis. The user mainly experiences these short-term impacts on the brain due to the THC component in the drug that acts on the specific brain cell receptor and over-activates these parts of the brain that contain vital receptors. Cannabinoids like cannabidiol and D-9-tetra-hydro cannabinol (D-9-THC) act peripherally and centrally at the endogenous brain system’s essential receptors that take part in homeostasis and development known as the endocannabinoid system (Hammond et al. 1). The constant use of marijuana also affects brain development for teenage users since the drug impairs learning functions, thinking, memory, and the connection between the brain parts. For instance, a study carried out among twins found that the use of marijuana by some of the respondents caused a significant decline in verbal ability and general knowledge (As cited in National Institute of Drug Abuse 4). Hence, the legalization of marijuana may lead to the emergence of a community with impaired brain development and other psychological issues.
Other than its impacts on the brain, marijuana authorization in different countries may result in a poor state of overall health. The increased consumption of hard drugs due to easy access and reduced intake costs may increase the prevalence of some lifestyle illnesses linked to drug use. Peer-reviewed research by Memedovich et al. (344) found that the increased use of marijuana due to its availability led to an increased stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and respiratory complications among the users. The research also linked the use of marijuana products to arteritis, lung cancer, and an enhanced risk of fatal motor vehicle collisions. The National Institute on Drug Abuse also found out that the consumption of marijuana products could also lead to breathing issues, increased heart rate, problems with child development, intense nausea, and vomiting (6). The ratification of fun and medical use of the drug will make it more accessible and affordable to consumers, which will increase the number of drug abusers. 17% of young marijuana users develop cannabis use disorder, characterized by higher dependence, reduced appetite, irritability, physical discomfort, cravings, mood, and sleep challenges (Ladegard et al. 167). Hence, the legalization of marijuana products can cause a higher prevalence of lifestyle diseases and a weak society that cannot function without illicit drugs.
The Arguments of Proponents of Marijuana Legalizations
The supporters of marijuana legalization attach numerous medical and economic benefits to validating the use of the hard drug. According to Shah et al. (5), the authorization of medical marijuana reduces the probability of opioid use, chronic opioid consumption, and high-risk opioid use, a severe challenge in the US. Over the past years, illicit drugs have been effective in pain management, boosting immunity and improving quality of life. Economically, the legalization of marijuana can cause higher employment rates, generate more significant tax revenues, create a profitable industry, lower law enforcement costs, reduce overcrowding in prisons, and reduce the price of marijuana products (McGinty et al., 84). However, according to a statement by former US Attorney General Edwin Messe III, violent crimes in the US surge when marijuana is legitimately ample, and the economic costs of the validation outshines the benefits (Dills et al. 2). In sum, the proponents of legalizing marijuana support the authorization based on the use of marijuana for medical purposes and the subsequent economic benefits without considering its adverse impacts on the consumers.
Conclusion
Overall, despite the increased debate about marijuana legalization, countries should not pass laws that permit its medical and recreational use since the drug has detrimental impacts on the user’s health, safety, and overall drug use. Based on the review of the past studies regarding the legalization of the hard drug, the process causes adverse impacts such as increased and unintentional use of the illicit drug and severe impairments to the brain. The increased accessibility and availability due to the legalization may increase the use of more powerful drugs like heroin and cocaine and the higher prevalence of lifestyle diseases. Although the proponents of marijuana legalization argue that the laws may have a wide range of economic and medical benefits, it is evident that the risks and adverse impacts surpass the benefits. Hence, the use of marijuana for leisure and medical reasons should remain illegal under federal law.
Works Cited
Dills, Angela K., et al. “The Effect of State Marijuana Legalizations: 2021 Update.” Cato Institute, Policy Analysis, vol.908, 2021
Doran, Neal, et al. “Post-Legalization Changes in Marijuana Use in a Sample of Young California Adults.” Addictive Behaviors, vol.115, 2021, p: 106782.
Hammond, Christopher J., et al. “Cannabis Use Among US Adolescents in the Era of Marijuana Legalization: A Review of Changing Use Patterns, Comorbidity, and Health Correlate.” International Review Of Psychiatry, vol.32, no.3, 2020, pp: 221-234.
Ladegard, Kristie, Christian Thurstone, and Melanie Rylander. “Marijuana Legalization and Youth.” Pediatrics, vol.145, no.2, 2020, pp: S165-S174.
McGinty, Emma E., et al. “Public perceptions of arguments supporting and opposing recreational marijuana legalization.” Preventive medicine, vol.99, 2017, pp: 80-86.
Memedovich, K. Ally, et al. “The Adverse Health Effects and Harms Related to Marijuana Use: An Overview Review.” CMAJ open, vol.6, no.3, 2018, p: E339.s
Miller, Austin M., Robert Rosenman, and Benjamin W. Cowan. “Recreational Marijuana Legalization and College Student Use: Early Evidence.” SSM-Population Health, vol.3, 2017, pp: 649-657.
National Institute of Drug Abuse. Marijuana Drug Facts. National Institute of Health, 2019.
Shah, Anuj, et al. “Impact of medical marijuana legalization on opioid use, chronic opioid use, and high-risk opioid use.” Journal of general internal medicine, vol.34, no.8, 2019, pp: 1419-1426.
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