Marijuana Should Not Be Legalized

Drug abuse is an issue governments around the world are struggling with. People are increasingly using drugs for other purposes other than for medicinal values. Many of the drugs that people abuse have been found to far-reaching consequences on the health of those who abuse it. Moreover, drug abuse poses social problems such as crime. It is for this reason that many states in the United States have refused to legalize some drugs such as marijuana. Although marijuana remains illegal in majority of the states, the trend taken by the states of Colorado and Washington in the recent past may change the situation. These two states have legalized marijuana for personal use. Other states may follow the same path, which may be detrimental given the negative effects of marijuana to both individuals and society. His paper undertakes to expound the negative effects of marijuana in an attempt to persuade policy makers to avoid legalizing marijuana.

Marijuana use for recreational purposes will have very severe negative consequences on the health of users. The use of marijuana is associated with mental illness, respiratory problems, impaired cognitive, poor motor performance and poor immune systems (Caulkins et al., 44). These negative consequences are hard to treat because many of the marijuana users get addicted and find it hard to abandon the drug use. Therefore, instead of allowing people to use marijuana through legalizing it, and then struggling to rehabilitate them, it is recommended that legalization should be abolished. Indirectly, marijuana can lead to other ailments that the government has tried to fight for many years. Research has shown that smoke from marijuana is an irritant to the lungs and has about 50-70 percent more carcinogens than tobacco. Such high levels of carcinogens indicate that legalizing marijuana would increase the number of people suffering from cancer. The most frightening aspect is that secondary smoking has been found to be more lethal than primary smoking. Legalizing marijuana gives people the freedom to smoke anywhere including in places where non-smokers are. The non-smokers will be exposed to the risks of getting cancer due to the legalization of this drug. It is indeed very unethical for decision makers to legalize marijuana and risk the lives of innocent people who have put effort to avoid cancer. Therefore, even if not for any other reason, policy makers should be compelled to refrain from legalizing marijuana for the sake of non-smokers who are at risk of getting sick due to secondary smoking.

A report by RAND Corporation recently found that legalizing marijuana would lower its prices (Gerber, 94). Consequently, the low prices will enable more people to access the drug. This report clearly shows that the illegality of marijuana keeps prices higher, thereby reducing the number of people abusing the drug. The reduced number of marijuana users would be very beneficial to the economy of the country.

Marijuana use has been associated with violence and other crimes in the society. These crimes and violence are perpetrated by those using marijuana because they lose part of their control due the effects of the drug. When these crimes are committed, the law enforcement and judicial system must come into play to arrest and detain the offenders. In 2008, the number of people who were arrested for possessing marijuana amounted to 750, 000. This happened when the drug was still illegal. Legalizing the drug can increase this number massively, creating a strain in the criminal and justice system.

Those who support legalization of marijuana argue that people should be given the right to chose how they want live. The freedom of choice is a constitutional right, but when the right to use marijuana for pleasure is evaluated, it is clear that it leads to more harm than good to the general public. Using the case of alcohol and tobacco as benchmarks, it is clear that legalizing marijuana will place a heavy burden on the tax payer. The revenue generated from the sale of tobacco and alcohol is very minimal compared to the cost of treating people who suffer illnesses due to the usage of these substances. In the year 2007, the excise tax collected from alcohol totaled $ 9 billion (Morgan, 124)). On the other hand, the country used about $ 185 billion in healthcare to cover costs that were incurred due to alcohol abuse. The money to cover for these expenses had to come from the tax payers, including those who do not use alcohol. Using tax payers’ money to cover medical expenses due to drugs is not ethical because even those who do not use the drugs are forced to take care of the drug abusers who use the drugs for recreation. There is no evidence that has so far demonstrated that the excessive use of marijuana that would result from legalization, is less harmful that alcohol abuse. Therefore, it is justifiable to use the case of alcohol to argue that legalization of marijuana should not be allowed since it will burden tax payers in treating and rehabilitating those addicted to the drug.

Finally, legalizing marijuana will put the future generations at risk. When marijuana is illegal, minors still find it and abuse it. When children under the age of eighteen use marijuana, they have a very high chance of getting brain damage. This is because their brain s still developing. Marijuana can inhibit brain growth (Ruschmann, 76). If marijuana becomes legal, it may lead the young people to believe that using drugs is right. This is very detrimental because their indulgence in using drugs will ruin their lives in many ways. First, using marijuana will reduce their ability to learn. Secondly, they may lose control and commit crimes, which may lead to imprisonment. Even if these youths will be rehabilitated later, the cost of lost time and chances will haunt them for life. The minors have limited ability to make decisions on what is right and wrong. As such, that responsibility is left to the grownups, especially the policy makers to ensure that systems and laws safeguard the welfare of these young people. Maintaining the illegality of marijuana will assure the country that the future generations are safe from the negative effects of marijuana.

In conclusion, legalizing marijuana has dire consequences for the society as a whole and for individual smokers. Individuals who abuse marijuana are at risk of suffering from many ailments. The society suffers through the crime associated with the excessive use of marijuana. Moreover, the burden of treating the ailments and maintaining inmates in federal prisons strains the tax payers in a great way. Therefore, Policy makers should ensure that marijuana remains illegal.

Works Cited

Caulkins, P. Jonathan, et al. Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2012. Print.

Gerber, J. Rudolph. Legalizing Marijuana: Drug Policy Reform and Prohibition Politics. California: Greenwood Publishing Group.

Morgan, Kayla. Legalizing Marijuana. New York: ABDO. 2010. Print.

Ruschmann, Paul. Legalizing Marijuana. New York: Infobase Publishing. 2009. Print.