Legalization of Cannabis

The Legalization of Cannabis

Saint Leo University

The Legalization of Cannabis

Recently, the legalization of Cannabis has become one of the most debated topics. Should it be legal? Should it not? Why? What will be considered an acceptable ingestion method? How would the government benefit from it? Would it help with drug related crimes? The list of questions goes on and on. There are articles that list the pros and cons about it being used strictly for medical use. Then there are articles which cover whether it should be legalized for purely recreational use. Everyone has a perspective on the subject from those who use it, have used it to those who have never used it, to those that don’t understand it. However there are only really two sides, those for it and those against it. So, why should cannabis aka marijuana, weed or pot be legalized? What are some of the health, justice and financial issues surrounding making this particular drug legal?

Should Cannabis be legal for medical and recreation use or just medical? Twenty-three states, as well as the District of Columbia currently have laws legalizing Cannabis in some form for medical use only, out of those states only two allow for recreational consumption of marijuana, Colorado and Washington State. Recently, New York approved the legalization of Cannabis for medical purposes only, however the law clearly states, “The new law will include strict restrictions, including a ban on smoking medicinal cannabis” (Hartmann, 2014). Those for the use of medical marijuana state it can be safe and effective treatment for symptoms of illnesses such as cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, and others. To support the medical use side of the argument studies have been conducted from peer-reviewed studies, prominent medical organizations, and major government reports, to the use of marijuana as medicine throughout world history. Dr. Tod H. Mikuriya, a California psychiatrist who was widely regarded as the...