Legalization of marijuana

Marijuana is a brown mixture of dried, shredded hemp plant Cannabis sativa leaves, buds, stalks, and bulbs. It may also be green, and it is used to treat some illnesses, as a recreational medicine, and for spiritual and religious reasons. Marijuana is also known as marijuana, dope, ganja, bud, boom, gangster, grass, 420, reefer, Mary Jane, and pot. The drug has an effect on the development of various regions of the brain, including the cerebellum, hippocampus, cerebral cortex, and basal ganglia. Memory, balance, pleasure, concentration, sensory perception, and time perception are all influenced by these regions. They are adversely affected because they have a higher number of cannabinoid receptors bound by the chemical constituent of marijuana called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which is a psychoactive compound (Anderson).

In Portland, Oregon, the bud-tenders persistently keep mixing equal parts of fruity and musky with an exciting Sichuan dish. Despite, the place being where kingdoms fought once over the global trade of beaver furs, it is now getting into its second year of legal recreational ganja (Egan).

With the increasing legalization of dope in California, the rest of the West Coast from Alaska to San Diego will fall into a union of state-synchronized weed use. However, an entirely different view can be observed across the Pacific as seen in the Philippines. The country leader and strongman, Rodrigo Duterte, has maintained the prosecution of drug dealers and its users. Currently, more than three thousand and five hundred suspects have been killed. State Department has termed these killings as extrajudicial (Egan).

When it comes to addiction, the world has always treated it in two ways. One way encompasses locking up the suspects following increased ‘outbreaks’ as in the case of the US and several executions observed in countries like the Philippines and Iran. The other means involves wedging war on drug use practiced mainly by states in the American West. In spite of all these steps, little has changed. Therefore, as long as there is no way to balance dopamine levels perpetually, a substantial proportion of the people will remain predisposed to addiction. This situation reveals that addiction is not restricted only to countries of economic despair (Egan).

The opioid crisis remains a hard-hitting problem. A striking variety of people are struggling with the earliest affliction in the dens in urban America, and most of them cannot get into treatment. However, most Americans now favor pot legalization, although this contradicts the federal government’s classification of marijuana as Schedule 1 drug, together with heroin (Egan).

Advocates like the Drug Policy Alliance approve the legalization for health purposes while the Marijuana Policy Project maintains it as harmless and even “healthy.” In conjunction with popular culture, the views present dope as risk-free, hence, refuting or underestimating its risks. Large companies have backed this legalization, aiming to cash in and spread the assertions (Berman).

On the contrary, medical literature disapproves the views. A scientific agreement confirms that marijuana has grave health complications for every user. An example is its effects on users’ IQ and motivation. Long-term use contributes an average 8-point drop in IQ in young adults. As big as this percentage is, even those who quit using the drug are unable to recover these IQ points. It interferes with the cognitive ability of the user (Berman).

The addicts are also bound to develop the motivational syndrome. This syndrome involves plummeted determination and ambition. Abuse even allied to high welfare dependence, joblessness, criminal behavior, low self-esteem, and decreased earnings (Berman).

The possibilities of students losing concentration in learning and the tendency of drivers high on marijuana causing accidents are because effects disrupt brain areas leading to loss of balance, posture, and coordination (Berman).

A clear difference between the popular opinion and the medical reality is that the present marijuana is much stronger as compared to that for earlier generations. The average THC level in the current grass is as active as three times the level recorded in the nineties. The potency could go up to even six times as some experts put it (Berman).

The point that marijuana has some medicinal advantages is indisputable. In fact, we can identify its pain-relief and anti-inflammatory effects. The drug also has anti-cancerous importance, but we should remember other medicinal benefits from opium, however, we have still not made it qualify for the legalization of the heroine. Hence, it is essential to critically look into marijuana past vested interests’ view on how the drug is safe and making scientific-based decisions (Berman).

While referring to its use, a recent CBS News study indicates the backing for legalizing pot has risen more than ever. The poll shows that 61% of Americans propose it be made legal, a sharp rise from 56% from last year. This figure also remains the highest percentage ever noted in the surveys (De Pinto et al.).

More than 70% oppose efforts by the federal government to stop cannabis use in states that have legalized it and put an end to its sales. Another 65% consider it as safer than other commonly abused drugs. In fact, they think it is even more reliable in particular as equated to alcohol. As much as almost seventy percent treat its abuse as a result of addiction and mental health problems, only about 23% consider authorizing of marijuana will cause a surge of dangerous offenses (De Pinto et al.).

This sentiment on support has increased each year. Majority of those in favor fall below the age of sixty-five. For all other Americans who do not want marijuana to be legalized, only half support the contribution of the federal government. These sentiments cut across all the political lines from Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, with a small variation in their opposition to the legalization while a majority in favor (De Pinto et al.).

A whopping 88% Americans suggest marijuana be allowed for doctors to recommend a small quantity for patients during severe illness. Their counterparts who oppose the drug authorization entirely also share the same view. For those who have tried using it, which is half of the population, a lot of them feel it is not as much as dangerous as most other drugs. The support is also observed to have increased among women whose number of using the drug has raised in the recent past (De Pinto et al.).

Refuting to legalize marijuana both by the federal government and some other states will only serve to generate conflicts between the law enforcement and those people abusing it. The fact that there are increasing numbers of Americans supporting the use of the drug and those who have had access to it over the years means the federal government cannot avoid the reality. Not even the education sector or religious persuasion has helped curb the problem. In the end, each one will have their way into pot use. Therefore, authorizing weed use should be the best way out. After all, alcohol has its gains and drawbacks, and not everyone uses it. Besides, people will always keep being educated about it while some laws applied where situations demand.

Works Cited

Anderson, L. “Marijuana: Effects, Medical Uses and Legalization.” Drugs.com, 13 November 2016, www.drugs.com/illicit/marijuana.html.

Berman, Richard. “Voting Down Pot.” The Washington Times, 1 August 2016, www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/aug/1/a-case-against-legalizing-marijuana.

De Pinto, Jennifer, Fred Backus, KabirKhanna and Anthony Salvanto. “Marijuana Legalization Support at All-Tome High.” CBS NEWS, 20 April 2017, www.cbsnews.com/news/support-for-marijuana-legalization-at-all-time-high/.

Egan, Timothy. “Reefer Republic.” The New York Times, 7 October 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/10/07/opinion/reefer-republic.html.