Advantages and Disadvantages of Legalizing Cannabis

Cannabis is decriminalized and even made legal in some states of the US, in Netherlands, Denmark, Australia, and in a number of other countries. In October 2018 Canada legalized recreational marijuana. Now, New Zealand decided to hold a referendum on whether to legalize cannabis for recreational use. In our society, this drug is seen as something undisputedly harmful, so why more and more countries are decriminalizing marijuana? Legalizing cannabis has some obvious disadvantages, but, apparently, it has quite a few advantages. 

The main reason why people are against cannabis is that it can damage one’s physical and mental health. It is addictive and its frequent use may damage your lungs and heart and affect your memory and cognitive ability. Secondly, people believe the use of marijuana is immoral.  If the government profits of cannabis, it subsequently promotes the use of it, which leads to the moral debasement of the government. Thirdly, people are against decriminalization of cannabis because they believe it will not stop drug suppliers from selling it illegally. They would still make more profit by selling it to underaged people and by selling more potent marijuana outside of the legal channels that are taxed and regulated.  

On the other hand, marijuana has certain medical benefits. It has been proven to treat such illnesses as Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, Multiple Sclerosis, and PTSD, and it’s an effective pain reliever. There is a common misconception that marijuana is a gateway drug, but the studies show that the majority of people who use marijuana don't go on to use "harder" drugs. In fact, the real gateway drugs are cigarettes and alcohol, and they are more harmful and addictive than marijuana. Besides, people use drugs regardless of their legality. The prohibition of drugs doesn’t reduce the number of people using them, and recent surveys show that legalization of marijuana doesn’t increase the number of users. Moreover, some medical drawbacks of using marijuana exist precisely because it is illegal. Illegal drug suppliers have cultivated marijuana that is too potent, so legalization will make marijuana safer because it will be regulated by government. Finally, legalizing cannabis benefits economy. The cultivation and distribution would be taxed, bringing more money to government, and cannabis is cheaper than its medical alternatives which would decrease the expenses on the health care system.

All in all, cannabis has medical benefits and can be profitable for society. However, it is a drug, and like any other drug, it has negative consequences for people who use it, but it seems that the best way to protect our society from these consequences is legalization and regulation of cannabis. Some countries have realized this and legalized marijuana.  And judging by the current tendency, cannabis will be decriminalized in other countries.

Sources:

Roy, Eleanor Ainge. “New Zealand to Hold Referendum on Legalising Recreational Cannabis .” The Guardian,18 Dec. 2018, www.theguardian.com.  https://bit.ly/2Sc7LCS

Unknown Author. “Why We Should Not Legalize Marijuana” CNBC, 19 Apr. 2010, https://www.cnbc.com/world/.  https://cnb.cx/2OP44oo

Morrow, Angela. “Pros and Cons of Medical Marijuana” Very Well Health, 2 Nov. 2018, https://www.verywellhealth.com.  https://bit.ly/2C986mn

Unknown Author. “Marijuana” National Institue ob Drug Abuse, June 2018, https://www.drugabuse.gov.  https://bit.ly/1QbDwb4

Wyrick, Randy. “Legalizing marijuana doesn’t appear to have created a Colorado crime wave, according to state report” Sky-High News, 3 Nov. 2018, https://www.skyhinews.com.  https://bit.ly/2Rfo44B

Hits, Philip J. “Relative Addictiveness of Drugs” New York Times, August 2, 1994. https://bit.ly/2EL0QNl