The Legalization of Marijuana
The supports of the legalization of marijuana also have their own points of view of argument. First, their argument is a comparison of the effects of marijuana to the effects of consuming tobacco and alcohol. They argue that when someone consumes marijuana in moderation, its effects are almost equal to those of consuming alcohol and tobacco. Since the government has legalized alcohol and tobacco consumption, it should also legalize marijuana by extension (Messerli).
The proponents of legalizing marijuana argue that marijuana has several medicinal benefits. They argue that marijuana is an effective way of killing pain during surgical operations. However, the opponents of this argument argue that there are other pain relievers that are more effective in reducing pain during surgical operations than marijuana. The supporters of legalization of marijuana also argue that marijuana is important for cancer patients. It helps in slowing down the rate of growth of the cancerous infection (Burnham 64).
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Economists argue for the legalization of marijuana from a monetary point of view. According to them, marijuana could act as a reliable source of additional tax revenues. Currently, the black money that comes from the sales of marijuana is massive. Economists argue that legalizing trade in marijuana will contribute to the national economy through tax revenue increase.
The other argument for the legalization of marijuana is that restricting the consumption of the drug is like an intrusion in the personal freedom of an individual. Every individual has the potential to tell what can harm him or her. Thus, the government should legalize marijuana, and give people an opportunity to choose whether or not to consume the drug (Rosenthal, Kubby and Newhart 47).
Another argument for legalizing marijuana is that legalizing it would make the prices of acquiring it to reduce. The costs of purchasing marijuana are high because the transactions are illegal. This increases the rate of criminal activities such as robbery and carjacking in order to afford the drug. Unless an individual is wealthy, he may have to indulge in illegal activities such as robbery to generate money for the addictive drug. Thus, legalizing marijuana will reduce the rate of criminal activities by reducing the cost of accessing the drug (Messerli).
The fact that Marijuana may have some benefits does not guarantee the legalization of the drug. The fact is that marijuana causes massive damages to the health conditions of its consumers. There are individuals who have had mental problems because of excessive consumption of marijuana. Excess consumption of marijuana has also led to break ups in marriages. There are other effective ways of reducing crime in society other than legalizing marijuana. Consumption of marijuana is a violation of the freedom that the constitution has given to people. Similarly, governments can create efficient sources of tax collection other than sales from marijuana. Thus, governments should be in the pole position in the fight against marijuana and any other drug that may affect the health of individuals.
