Marijuana Legalization Policy

Marijuana laws and inconsistencies

Marijuana rules in many states are inconsistent in terms of its legality. For example, Pennsylvania is the most recent state to legalize medicinal marijuana use (“Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana law: A guide for doctors and patients”). It is in contrast to Texas, which forbids its ingestion. The observed discrepancies are attributable to different interpretations of the benefits that the chemical provides. States such as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and others, for example, regard marijuana as having therapeutic benefit. Recent research have revealed that some drug components have the ability to treat illnesses such as epilepsy and other chronic ailments (“State medicinal marijuana laws”). Based on this advantage, the listed states feel the need to legalize the use of marijuana as it is beneficial for the patients suffering from the mentioned conditions. Contrary to such perception, states like Texas view marijuana illegal due to the post effect of its consumption. In other words, it gets associated with increased criminal activities, hence a security threat.

Pennsylvania drug policy and reform

Regarding Pennsylvania drug policy, the possible reform that the state should introduce is the punishing of drug users. My argument to the proposal is that the punitive laws that the drug abusers are often subjected to have not reduced the availability of illegal substances in the streets. Instead, the research shows that the supply of these hard drugs has almost doubled since 1980’s to date (Brodzinsky). It indicated that despite imposing punishment such as serving prison terms for felony offenses, illicit drug prices have increased due to the growing demand. A friendlier approach towards dealing with marijuana users needs to be adopted to curb its abuse. Some of the measures may include posting of the offenders to rehabilitation centers where professional guidance is provided regarding various ways to minimize and later terminate the consumption of the substance. By doing this, both the user and the society will benefit.

Works Cited

Brodzinsky, Sibylla. “After 30 years on the frontline, Colombia looks beyond the failed war on drugs.” The Guardian, 18 Apr. 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/18/colombia-united-nations-assembly-war-on-drugs.

“Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana law: A guide for doctors and patients.” Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), 2017, https://www.mpp.org/states/pennsylvania/pennsylvanias-medical-marijuana-law-guide-doctors-patients/.

“State medical marijuana laws.” Ncsl.org, 2017, http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/state-medical-marijuana-laws.aspx.