Marijuana Should Be Legalized

Introduction

Marijuana is a narcotic drug, also called marijuana, produced from the herbaceous plants scientifically known as Cannabis Sativa. This drug is banned in most countries across f the world. However, there are countries that authorize its consumption, such as the Netherlands and Canada. It is known that in Holland there are cafes where its use is allowed, as long as the user does not drive after consuming the drug and is of legal age. In Canada, the consumption of the drug is authorized for medicinal purposes as an antiemetic agent, that is, to alleviate symptoms related to nausea, vomiting, and nausea, and also to help treat people with cancer, AIDS, and even glaucoma. In each case, the drug achieves a specific purpose. This paper focuses on the argument that marijuana should be legalized and the reasons to support that argument.

Marijuana should be legalized marches

In recent months, articles have been published that demonstrate the opportunity for demonstrations taking this front and that they are often being suppressed by the justification that it is an apology for crime, or in other words, the use of drugs. The right to speak out about the legalization of marijuana does not constitute, in any way, an apology for drug use, and the authority that understands it may be acting with abuse of power by constraining a citizen. We all have the right to express our opinions, which constitutes freedom of expression, as most do not shout: “Use marijuana”, but rather “Legalize marijuana” because asking for legalization does not give incentive to its consumption. Here are some of the reasons why marijuana should be legalized:

No more harmful than alcohol and other legal drugs

Indeed, unlike alcohol, the lethal dose of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the main active substance) is virtually impossible to achieve outside the laboratory. In addition, the risk of dependence is much lower than that of tobacco or heroin, and rather comparable to that of alcohol. Thus THC-based drugs already exist, such as Sativex. The text in question here, therefore, proposes to authorize the retail sale and (non-therapeutic) use of cannabis plants or derived products. Cannabinoids are substances that bind to the cannabinoid receptors in our body. The first discovered (in 1964), and the best known, is THC (Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol). The second is CBD (cannabidiol ).

For several years, the concentration of THC observed in cannabis resins has exploded, to the detriment of CBD. That is because THC has a very strong affinity for cannabinoid receptors, and is therefore very addicting. The major problem is that THC is a powerfully psychoactive substance, and its effects are normally counterbalanced by CBD. When THC is present at a much higher level than CBD, there is a major risk of a psychotic turn. In countries where medical cannabis exists, the ratio between THC and CBD is 1/1. While the legalization of cannabis and the availability of therapeutic cannabis have automatically led to a slight increase in the number of users, the number of psychiatric complications linked to consumption has, on the contrary, decreased at the same time. Legalization would thus make it possible to control the quality of products offered for sale, and at least partially avoid many complications linked to a poor quality product. (acute delusional flushes, entry into schizophrenia, etc.)

Significant revenue for the state

A key argument for the legalization of cannabis is the economic question: legalization controlled by the public authorities could, like tobacco, bring high tax revenue, and in particular to finance the development of a real effective prevention policy, in addition to draining the black market and depriving organized crime of its greatest source of income. In addition, major savings would be made in terms of money but also time concerning police activity around cannabis trafficking, which, once again, is unfortunately not efficient (around 20% of police activity), concerns this traffic. This would also ease the courts since in 2014 nearly 60,000 convictions were pronounced for drug-related offenses, 91% of which concerned cannabis.

Transparency in the cannabis industry

Although cannabis is a relatively safe stimulant, when buying black market drought, we cannot be sure about the purity of the raw material. The legalization of marijuana would have a positive effect on the quality of the inflorescences. Allowing Cannabis to be officially traded and regulated by the industry will set some standards. The consumer would be fully informed about the cultivation method, fertilizers used, and cannabinoid content. Cannabis growers would be legally responsible for the cleanliness of their products. Regulating the production and trade of marijuana will certainly increase the level of safety, and herbalists could consume it more responsibly.

Legalization is a real answer to the failed war on drugs

Evidence shows that the vast majority of those punished over cannabis prohibition are not criminals. These people are simply cannabis users. In the United States, for example, it is estimated that 92% of cannabis-related arrests are for the possession of small amounts of marijuana, and only 8% for its sale or production.

Statistics show that there are simply too many cannabis consumers in the world for law enforcement to enforce bans consistently. Not only is it unrealistic to try to enforce the law against such a widely used and accepted substance, but it also wastes law enforcement resources and causes unnecessary, unfair suffering.

Meanwhile, in legal cannabis markets, research shows that legalizing marijuana has little effect on crime rates. Instead, it can be an effective way to eliminate (or seriously reduce the size of) the black market and make the production and sale of cannabis properly regulated. Legalization has also been shown to reduce the number of marijuana-related arrests, freeing up huge amounts of resources and allowing law enforcement to focus on more important aspects of their work.

Conclusion

Most debates on whether Marijuana should be legalized or not have been in favor of its prohibition. The debate could have been wrong all along. What we do not see is that the drug has continuously been consumed despite being prohibited. Legalizing it will be the best way to control it. That is because the government can curb its consumption by charging high taxes to ensure its consumption does not go beyond a given level. Besides, legalization would put an end to the prejudices and stigmas surrounding cannabis.