Pros and Cons of Legalizing Marijuana

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Pros and Cons of Legalizing Marijuana
Introduction
Marijuana is classified as one of the hard drugs in America and the world over. Despite government regulations to outlaw the use of the drug, marijuana whose street name is cannabis sativa has still found its way into the market. This is mainly through drug cartels and rackets that smuggle it through the black market. Due to the influx of the drug and easy accessibility despite the fact that it is outlawed, there has been a raging debate on the legalization. In recent times, there has been an increase on calls to legalize the drug and make it available. Those for the argument of legalization have provided different reasons that they believe form the basis of the proposed legalization. On the other hand, there are those who are heavily opposed to legalization and they too have provided reasons why they believe that such a move would be detrimental. The focus of this paper is the both sides of the coin. Reasons for and against legalization of marijuana will be discussed herein below.
Literature Review
Before engaging fully in the debate of whether to legalize marijuana it may be crucial to first consider why it is not legal in the first place Numerous drugs available are legal and the public is free to consume. Such drugs include alcohol, cigarettes, tobacco, and khat among others. This means that drugs are not declared illegal unilaterally. There must be a specific reason and certain parameters that are employed which lead to the illegalization of a drug. In the early 1920s in America, marijuana was legal. People could freely buy it in the streets and consume without fear of apprehension. However, owing to the negative effects that users of the drug were exhibiting, a research was conducted into the substance. The conclusion of the research was that marijuana has no value as far as medicinal importance is concerned. In addition, it was found that long term consumption of the substance have the effect of causing permanent brain damage. It is after this research that the sale and consumption of the cannabis sativa was outlawed in America and has been since. Narconon (p.3) notes that besides the fact marijuana is not a medical drug, its very nature makes it highly susceptible to abuse. The very component that makes up the drug makes it highly addictive. As such even if the drug had some level of medicinal value, it still would not be allowed because of the likely side effects it would cause.
Andrew (p.29) admits that despite the obvious dangers that are known by many on the effects of the drug, there has been laxity even on the side of government to fully implement the laws. The market or what is known as the street value of the drug is very high. Due to the many cartels and those who benefit directly or indirectly, implementing the laws on marijuana has proven a daunting task. Those given the mandate and authority to ensure that the drug is kept off the streets are often compromised.
Saieva (p. 36) is of the view that it is not enough to make the drug illegal. Instead, it is even more imperative that the society is educated on the dangers of consuming the drug. It is for the wellbeing of the public that marijuana remains illegal as classified in Schedule One of the American laws on drugs.
Pedersen (p. 25) seems to be of a contrary opinion as he argues that marijuana should be legalized for purposes of use in a medical setup. In his argument, the author notes that there are some instances where marijuana has been seen to have high value and contribute to the medicine field. For example, patients suffering from cancer experience a lot of pain. This is especially during the chemotherapy sessions. Taking some marijuana helps to come the nerves and takes away the feeling of sickness that most patients experience. For this reason, (Pedersen p. 17) says that it is wrong to make the drug illegal thereby locking out cancer patients who are in dire need of it. The author does not propose full legalization of the drug. Rather he argues that marijuana should be legalized only for purposes of use in hospital.
While the argument fronted herein is valid, one must also recognize the loopholes that exist therein. Firstly having a law that partially legalizes marijuana is a slippery slope. This is because with a partial legalization, it will be easy to justify even further legalization Saieva (p. 36). Eventually, marijuana will be fully legalized and readily available in the market. Secondly, the fact that the drug is available in some sections of the market will mean that it can easily be made available or smuggled into the rest of the market. This means that perhaps this may not be a viable option for consideration after all...