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Ashton Morgan

English 112 – Argument Essay

Nikki Bliss-Carroll

11, April 2019

Legalization of Marijuana

Marijuana legalization, and marijuana itself, is a very controversial issue in todays’ society. Many

claims and arguments have been made about the issue. Claimed “truths” about marijuana are criticized

every day due to how people stereotype others they view as “pot heads” and “pot smokers”. What they

don’t know is that marijuana really isn’t all that bad, and it should be legalized. Research shows that

legalizing it would be beneficial to the people and economy.

Most of the time, people that criticize marijuana do not even know what it really is. According

to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana is a greenish-grey mixture of the dried flowers of

Cannabis Sativa, which is a hemp plant (NIDA). Marijuana can be smoked, brewed in tea, or put into

foods for consumption. The plant contains over 500 chemicals. Of all the hundreds, delta-9-

tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as THC, is the chemical that changes how the brain works and gives

people the “high” they feel after smoking marijuana. THC is produced on the leaves of, mostly, the

female cannabis plant.

Medical marijuana isn’t a recent discovery or new term. “The term medical marijuana refers to

treating symptoms of illness and other conditions with the whole, unprocessed marijuana plant or its

basic extracts (NIDA).” Medical marijuana is already legal and being used in other countries/states. As

stated by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, there are already two legal medications in pill form that

contain the chemical in marijuana called cannabinoids. Marijuana has been tested and proven “to treat
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symptoms of illness and other conditions, such as diseases that affect the Immune system, including

HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, inflammation, pain, seizures, substance use disorders, and mental disorders

(NIDA).” Anyone who has medical knowledge knows that most of these conditions call for handfuls of

pills, shots, and/or multiple treatment options. If marijuana were to be legalized, there is a possibility

that it could be the only prescribed medicine a person would receive and need to take. Imagine going

from taking handfuls of pills to lessen pain, to only smoking a single joint or taking one marijuana pill.

According to research, studies have been tested to show that the extracts from marijuana could possibly

help kill cancer cells. Since there’s not very many cancer treatment options, medical marijuana should

be put on the list. There are tons of research that can be read about to see how marijuana could be used

in many ways to help ease pain and/or help with diseases. However, legalizing it would have to be the

first step to this.

It is very irrational to hear that such a beneficial drug isn’t legal when numbers of people are

dying and thousands of bodies are being harmed due to legal products, such as alcohol and tobacco

products. Many people claim that marijuana shouldn’t be legalized because people may become

addicted to it. This may be a fact, but there’s no difference in people being addicted to alcohol or

cigarettes, which are legal products for people of the age 18 and 21. “According to NIAAA estimates, 16

million people in the U.S. have what’s known as an alcohol use disorder (AUD), which is a chronic,

relapsing condition characterized by compulsive, uncontrollable, and debilitating alcohol use” (American

Addiction Centers). Like mentioned before, alcohol is a legal product. However, people are developing

these sorts of disorders and dying due to it. “Cigarette smoking causes 480,000 deaths per year. That’s

more than 130,000 deaths per day” (The Real Cost). Cigarettes are also legal products, but people are

dying due to t 7hem. So really, what is the difference with marijuana? There’s not one. Sure, people

could find some negative things about marijuana, but it’s not any different than products and drugs that

are already legal.

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Money is another controversial issue in todays’ society. “What can be done to save money?”,

some may say. Well one thing the Government could do to save money is legalize marijuana. According

to the State Board of Equalization, it is estimated that the state would see $1.4 billion in tax revenue and

reduced enforcement cost through the legalization of marijuana (The Collegian). 1.4 BILLION dollars;

that’s a lot! As many people may already know, California is one of the few states that have already

legalized marijuana. “The Marijuana Policy Project states that the simple decriminalization of medical

marijuana in California has already saved this state $100 million in enforcement costs (The Collegian).”

Like said, the “SIMPLE” legalization of marijuana could save so much money. Think of all the things that

that money being saved could be used for. Instead of it being used to place “criminals” that use it in jail,

it could be used for many other useful things. Another beneficial, money-saving, thing for the state that

could come out of legalizing marijuana is that it is considered a very profitable cash crop. The state is

spending money on incarcerating people when they could, otherwise, be profiting money from the

“cash crop”.

Needless to say, there are many reasons why marijuana should and shouldn’t be legalized.

However, that could go for any product and drug. It seems marijuana is here and here to stay; legal or

not. There could always be limitations and “rules” put on its’ legalization. Instead of keeping it illegal

when it is clearly going to be used anyways, it only seems right to make it legal, make limitations, and

use it for the useful things it can be used for. Things such as medicines/pain relievers and economic

benefits.
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Works Cited

NIDA. "Marijuana as Medicine." National Institute on Drug Abuse, 27 Jun. 2018,

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana-medicine. Accessed 18 Mar.

2019.

Thomas, Scot. “The Effects of Alcohol on the Body.” American Addiction Centers,

https://americanaddictioncenters.org/alcoholism-treatment/body-effects. Accessed 9 Mar.

2019

“Effects.” The Real Cost, therealcost.betobaccofree.hhs.gov/effects.html. Accessed 14 Apr. 2019

Gage, Skeye. “Legalize Pot to Save Economy.” The Collegian, 2 Dec. 2011,

collegian.csufresno.edu/2011/12/02/legalize-pot-to-save-economy/#.XLOCyFVKjIU. Accessed 14

Apr. 2019