Baker 1

Hannah Baker

Prof. Thomas

English 110

1 May 2021

Research Argument

Should The U.S. Legalize Marijuana?

More than forty-three million people use marijuana a year. That is the same amount of

people who use nicotine, which is a legal drug. Marijuana is still illegal recreationally and

medically in many states. Only thirty-six states have legalized medical marijuana, with a mere

fifteen fully legalizing the drug. In recent years these numbers have been increasing, but many

are still questioning whether or not legalizing marijuana is what the United States needs.

Legalizing a substance known as a “drug” stirs up these concerns politically and medically. Even

though legalizing both medical and recreational marijuana has both positive and negative effects,

the positive aspects would outweigh the negatives in medical advancements and government

prosperity.

Ways to Legalize

When legalizing marijuana there are a few ways the legalization could proceed.

Legalizing medical marijuana allows for certain amounts and types of marijuana to be used to

treat patients. Medical Marijuana consists of both THC and CBD. Doctors such as Peter

Grinspoon, MD, explain that THC is the chemical that causes the high, while CBD is what

creates more mental relaxation. Medical Marijuana would include mostly CBD with small

amounts of THC to allow little to no adaptation to their consciousness. In most states that have
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legalized medical marijuana, citizens that are eighteen and older can qualify for what is known as

a “medical marijuana card”. When you have this card you bring it to what is known as a

dispensary to get the marijuana.

Another type of legalization is being fully legalized. This means that marijuana can be

purchased for both recreational and medical use. Recreational marijuana is similar to how

nicotine is sold recreationally in gas stations, stores, and shops. With this. There is a legal age

limit for the purchase and use of it; this is over twenty-one. Similar to how medical marijuana is

sold, recreational is sold in certain stores or dispensaries, specifically for the distribution of

marijuana.

Benefits of Medical Marijuana with Mental Health

Fully legalizing medical marijuana brings many benefits to the medical community. One

of the more obvious ways to you marijuana is in treating mental health. The relaxing properties

in it can be used to successfully treat “insomnia, anxiety, spasticity, and pain to treat potentially

life-threatening conditions such as epilepsy”, says Grinspoon, in his Harvard Health Blog, called

Medical Marijuana. Marijuana is a plant, and is technically natural sourced; therefore it can

bring natural elements to relax the body, instead of having to rely on anti-depressants. Paul

Nestadt, M.D, a board-certified psychiatrist with Johns Hopkins Hospital mentions how, “It's

common for a medication that once worked wonders to become ineffective, especially if you've

been taking it for a long time. Symptoms return for up to 33% of people using antidepressants —

it's called breakthrough depression”(Nestadt, M.D.). Thirty-three percent may not seem like a lot,

but in 2020, about thirty-seven million people were on antidepressants. Thirty-three percent of

this is over twelve million people who are having failed and unsuccessful treatments. Marijuana
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is a new approach that won’t leave people dedicating themselves to a drug that has many side

effects and is most likely not even going to work for them.

Benefits of Medical Marijuana with Other Medical Issues

The uses of medical marijuana are not limited to assisting with mental health; it is also

commonly used as pain relievers. Doctors show how chronic pain is better solved with cannabis

than a normal placebo. Sara Zaske explained a study done by Ziva Cooper, Ph.D., an associate

professor of clinical neurobiology at Columbia University Medical Center. She explained how

Cooper,

“Noted that chronic pain is the most common reason people cite for seeking medical marijuana

—94 percent of Colorado medical marijuana ID card holders said they had "severe pain." At the

same time, the review identified 27 randomized trials involving a total of nearly 2,500

participants with chronic pain, mostly related to neuropathy, that showed cannabis and

cannabinoids provided significant pain relief over that of a placebo.” (Zaske)

This means that they could become a replacement for many opioids, which would be a

less addictive drug that is extremely less likely to overdose on and cause irreversible changes to

the body.

Doctors today are prescribing many opioids that feed into overdoses and deaths. The

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explained how since 2019, over 70% of death caused

by drugs are opioid-related deaths. These are sold and given out easily at many pharmacies and

are legal. Marijuana, if produced ethically and cleaning, while being used as prescribed, would
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not have an addictive and deadly outcome. Many people think that this is bound to happen,

which is why marijuana is named a “schedule I drug”. According to the DEA,

“Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently

accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Some examples of Schedule I drugs are:

heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana (cannabis), 3,4-

methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy), methaqualone, and peyote.”

The main purpose of creating these Schedule I labels was to try and win the war on drugs.

The end goal of this was to make the U.S drug-free, but that is not the case and realistically will

never be the case. Due to this, marijuana should not be held back from legalization when other

drugs on this list can be legally obtained.

Other doctors, such as Alexander Salerno, MD, have seen marijuana kill cancer cells and

improve lung function when smoked. The American Cancer Society agrees with this stating that,

“More recently, scientists reported that THC and other cannabinoids such as CBD slow growth

and/or cause death in certain types of cancer cells growing in lab dishes. Some animal studies

also suggest certain cannabinoids may slow growth and reduce the spread of some forms of

cancer.” Though these are recent discoveries, that is not to be seen as a bad thing. Marijuana has

always been known as a drug that “isn’t good” or “shouldn’t be used”. Recently though, our

society is becoming more accepting of it by legalizing it in certain states over time. With these

recent legalizations, scientists and doctors get to start looking into it and are now finding all of

these possibilities for the drug. This is only the start, and so far, cancer, depression, and epilepsy

are just a few medical areas that would find extreme amounts of improvement with this drug.
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Marijuana has been used many times to provide significant improvement and even

instances where it saved the users’ life. Margaret J. Goldstein explains a specific case where

medical marijuana saved a child’s life. A five-year-old named Charlotte Figi was diagnosed with

a very severe and very dangerous form of epilepsy around the age of two. Trying to treat this,

doctors put her on high doses of pharmaceuticals and changed her diet. All of this was to try and

reduce the severity and amount of seizures, but they persisted, not showing any improvement.

Charlotte could not walk, talk, or eat on her own and was wheelchair-ridden with a feeding tube.

She was living a life without really living. After seeing his daughter come near death many times

and having up to three hundred seizures a week, Matt Figi was willing to do his research and find

a solution. His answer was a specifically grown strand of marijuana, one high was very high in

CBD and low in THC. When using this, the form of epilepsy went away. The strain now can

treat the specific syndrome in many children and Charlotte was saved.

Benefits of Full Legalization

Legalizing marijuana would economically benefit many areas of the government. States

such as New Jersey are counting on this as The New York Times just put out that, “The potential

for extra tax revenue and new jobs may serve as a powerful motivator to move quickly in New

Jersey, which is struggling to plug budget gaps left by a pandemic now stretching into its ninth

month. The measure is expected to generate about $126 million a year once the market is

established” (Tully). Generating this amount of revenue in a year could give plenty back

economically to the areas struggling; especially those who took a hit with COVID-19. Those

who work with marijuana frequently with patients have seen how many people it takes to fully

run this type of business. Legalizing marijuana would increase job opportunities in many areas,

lowering the unemployment rate (Salerno, MD).

One of the easiest ways the government could make money off of the legalization of

marijuana is taxation. Just like done with all tobacco products, marijuana could be directly taxed.

The amount of revenue produced is shown by Gerald D. Coleman, who is a priest and author. He

is vice president of corporate ethics for the Daughters of Charity Health System in Los Altos

Hills, California. In Is America Going to Pot? he explains how Colorado made $67 million just

in taxes. He explains how it was safe because it was government regulated and therefore they

knew exactly what was in the marijuana they were selling. Coleman also mentions how they put

$40 million of this into building schools. This is a realistic example of how not only would the

government, and the users of marijuana be benefiting from its legalization, the people and

children of the community would be as well.

A drastic, positive change to law enforcement is another benefit of legalizing marijuana.

Discriminatory arrests are real and especially high for marijuana-related charges. There are

significantly more arrests on these types of charges of those of color, than those that are white

(Tyrkus). More specifically, Goldstein in Legalizing Marijuana: Promises and Pitfalls, explains

how around 750,000 people are arrested on marijuana charges every single year. Legalizing this

“drug” would eliminate future obscene arrests that ruin the lives of many young men and

women.

This would also allow law enforcement to focus on new, more important areas at issue.

They would even have more funding due to the increased revenue marijuana sales would bring

in, and more time after eliminating the number of arrests made in regards to marijuana. George

Gruia did a study based on similar information. He found that regulating marijuana sales not only

decreased crime rates by 7.25% in Denver. Gruia used this information to further study how the

government would be affected by legalizing and regulating sales of marijuana. This led to
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finding that in three years following legalization, crime rates should decrease by 10%, and 5%

the years after that.

Misconceptions

Some may argue that marijuana is commonly used as a gateway drug. A gateway drug

leads to trying other harmful substances such as opioids, LSD, and heroin. This however is not

the case. Kurzgesagt explains how his study found cigarettes to be the real threat. In this study,

they found that children fifteen and younger who smoke are eighty percent more likely to use

harsher, more serious drugs. In another study of theirs, children between the ages of twelve and

seventeen who smoke cigarettes, are seven more times likely to start doing hardcore drugs; more

specifically cocaine. Also, three times more likely to binge drink. Marijuana can be told to be the

gateway drug, but the real gateway drug is cigarettes, which are already legal.

Another argument that is commonly made against legalizing marijuana, is the fear of it

being too strong and intense for daily use. Though in some circumstances this may be true, with

alteration to the product ruled by government regulations, this problem is easily solved.

Kurzgesagt also touches on this topic by comparing it to alcohol. In the video, they tell the

viewer to imagine the only kind of substance available was hard liquor. Some people would be

satisfied, while others would be left in a drunken state that is too much for them. Due to these

differences in citizens' tolerances and goals when drinking, producers make all different types of

strengths of alcohol. This same technique could be used for marijuana. If it were to be legalized,

the government could have their hand overproductions, making sure the product safely fits the

demand. Whether or not it is legalized, marijuana will always be grown and sold, so why not

only make it safer with government regulation but use it to increase our prophet as well.
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Nowadays, getting your hands on marijuana is just as easy as going to the store to buy a

pack of cigarettes. People of all ages use it for different reasons in their lives. Some use it to

medically assist themselves, while others use it for hardships they face in their life. There is no

question that certain drugs should be illegal, but marijuana is not one of them. Users of

marijuana have no direct psychological effects and cause no physical pain. Logically, allowing

cigarettes and alcohol to be legal when they take lives and leave people addicted, all while

keeping marijuana illegal when there are no negative effects directly from the drug does not

make sense.

Legalizing marijuana would benefit nearly everyone in the U.S. Patients suffering from

extreme pain could be relieved without the risk of becoming addicted to highly addictive pain

medication. Also, those with extreme stress and anxiety would have a natural way to cope with

feeling overwhelmed and overall stressed-out, especially relevant to the recent and ongoing

epidemic. Lastly, those in our government would have a new business that would increase

revenue and job opportunities, boosting our economy.

Works Cited

Coleman, Gerald D. “Is America Going to Pot? | U.S. Catholic Magazine.” U.S. Catholic.

“Data Overview.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, 25 Mar. 2021.

"Drugs and Narcotics." American Law Yearbook 2019: A Guide to the Year’s Major Legal Cases

and Developments, edited by Michael J. Tyrkus, Gale, 2020, pp. 63-69. Gale In Context:

Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX7970800028/OVIC?

u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=47c78bd8. Accessed 7 Mar. 2021.

Goldstein, Margaret J. “A New Leaf.” Legalizing Marijuana: Promises and Pitfalls,

Twenty-First Century Books, 2017, pp. 4-13.

Gruia, George. "REGULATION OF THE CULTIVATION, MANUFACTURE AND

SALE OF MARIJUANA AS A SOLUTION TO DECREASE VIOLENT CRIMES AND

INCREASE GOVERNMENTAL INCOMES." Contemporary Readings in Law and

Social Justice, vol. 9, no. 2, 2017, p. 366+. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A519075095/OVIC?

u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=86f0d5e2. Accessed 7 Mar. 2021.

Nestadt, Paul. “Why Aren't My Antidepressants Working?” Why Aren't My Antidepressants

Working? | Johns Hopkins Medicine, www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-

prevention/why-arent-my-antidepressants-working?scrlybrkr=48ed4ea3.

Peter Grinspoon, MD. “Medical Marijuana.” Harvard Health Blog, 15 Apr. 2020,

www.health.harvard.edu/blog/medical-marijuana-2018011513085.

Salerno, Author: Alexander, et al. “The Economic Benefits of Legalizing Cannabis Usage.”
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Urban Healthcare Initiative Program of New Jersey, 23 Dec. 2019,

www.uhipnj.org/economic-benefits-legalizing/.

Taylor, Steve. “3 Reasons Why Marijuana Should Stay Illegal Reviewed.” Uploaded by

Kurzgesagt - In A Nutshell, 10 June 2018.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP15q815Saw

Tully, Tracey. “Recreational Marijuana Legalized by New Jersey Voters.” The New York Times,

The New York Times, 4 Nov. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/11/03/nyregion/nj-

marijuana-legalization.html.

Zaske, Sara. “Can Marijuana Ease Mental Health Conditions?” Monitor on Psychology,

American Psychological Association, Dec. 2018,

www.apa.org/monitor/2018/12/marijuana.