Marijuana Legalization pros

#5 Safer recreational drug

Proponents of marijuana legalization frequently point out that

alcohol and tobacco products are far more dangerous than
marijuana – yet these more dangerous drugs are legal for
recreational use (though usually regulated) in all 50 states and
most countries around the world.

For example, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention attribute over 80,000 deaths to alcohol every year
in the United States. Yet they don’t even have a category for
marijuana attributable deaths – and no one has ever heard of
someone dying from acute marijuana poisoning.

#4 Increased tax revenue

By legalizing, regulating and taxing sales of marijuana similar

to alcohol and tobacco, proponents suggest cash-strapped
governments can raise significant new revenue through excise
taxes.

Based on an estimated average cost of $5 per illegal marijuana

cigarette, Dr. Stephen Easton, Senior Fellow at the Fraser
Institute, estimates anywhere from $40 to $100 Billion dollars
in new tax revenue could be generated each year by legalizing
marijuana and selling it at the same price through legal
channels.

#3 Less crime
Don’t laugh… experts aren’t talking about the “mellowing”
effect of smoking a joint, though some evidence suggests
those who use marijuana are much less likely to become
violent than those who drink alcohol.

Instead, proponents are talking about less crime for two other
reasons: the elimination of “victimless crimes” and countering
the violent side effects of an underground illegal drug trade.

According to FBI crime statistics from 2010, marijuana

possession alone accounted for over 750,000 arrests in 2010.
That’s more than the number of arrests for of all violent
crimes combined. The associated legal and incarceration costs
to the public are estimated at $10 billion dollars. Not to
mention the lifelong effect on marijuana users branded as a
criminal for using a drug deemed safer than alcohol.

Proponents say decriminalizing marijuana would end this

injustice for marijuana users and free up scarce law
enforcement resources to focus on more violent crime. And
eliminate some violent crime just by legalizing the substance.

Making marijuana legal would effectively end the illegal trade

in the drug similar to how most bootleggers were put out of
the moonshine business with the end of Prohibition. And,
advocates say, less violent crime from drug dealers fighting
over turf and profits from America’s third most commonly
used recreational drug (behind alcohol and tobacco).

#2 Personal liberty
“It’s a free country, man…”

Well, it isn’t for pot smokers, complain advocates.

Why should government be involved at all in regulating, much

less banning, the growing and use of a natural plant?
Proponents of marijuana legalization point to the clearly
unsuccessful “war on drugs” campaign as just one more
example of the failed policies of big nanny-state government.

#1 Medical marijuana use

Even many opponents of marijuana legalization admit there

are potential medical benefits from the plant.

One of the first widely accepted and FDA-approved medical

uses of marijuana is the use of THC, one of the plant’s unique
active compounds, in the drug Marinol (dronabinol). This drug
is approved for use by cancer patients to control nausea and
vomiting from chemotherapy treatments and the loss of
appetite in AIDS patients.

However, THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) is only one of

the dozens of known unique compounds in marijuana plants
that advocates insist bears further study – and easier access
for patients. According to the Institute of Medicine, marijuana
appears to have therapeutic value in treating:

 Appetite loss
 Nausea
 Nerve-related pain
  Chemotherapy-related pain
 Insomnia
 Depression
 Multiple sclerosis
 Glaucoma
 Seizures

Some advocates say the potential health rewards far outweigh

the potential risks of legalizing marijuana for medical use. For
many users, marijuana is simply another natural health option
with far less risk than conventional drugs.
Stay marijuana illegal cons
#5 DUI hazard

Marijuana has a sedative effect on some users which may last

for hours. Opponents of marijuana ask why should marijuana
be legalized when it promotes a potentially serious driving
hazard that may be harder to recognize and test for than
other impairing drugs like alcohol.

Achieving a DUI conviction for drivers who actually are driving

under the influence of marijuana can be more difficult to
achieve than a DUI for alcohol as a driver can test positive for
marijuana use up to a month after use while a simple breath
or blood test can give a quick and accurate blood alcohol
reading.

While there are behavior-based roadside sobriety tests

designed to indicate impairment from marijuana, these are
considered too subjective by some compared to a
physiological test.

Opponents suggest keeping marijuana illegal helps eliminate

the argument on impairment altogether since physiological
tests are not an adequate indicator of current impairment in
marijuana users.

#4 Increased risk of persistent psychotic episodes

“That joint just blew my mind…”

Many who are opposed to making marijuana legal aren’t
surprised. They point to a 10-year study recently published in
the British Medical Journal that followed 1,923 Germans from
age 14 to 24. Those who used marijuana showed a
significantly higher risk of persistent psychotic symptoms. And
the risk continued to grow the longer marijuana was used.

#3 Lowers IQ

The common Hollywood-promoted image of the unintelligent

teenage stoner is practically a stereotype. Only it isn’t.

According to a brand new study which followed 1,037 New

Zealanders from birth to 38 years of age, those who started
using marijuana before age 18 lost an average of eight IQ
points. Permanently.

The study’s lead author, Madeline Meier, told FoxNews.com

that this is a significant drop. “Take an average person – an IQ
of 100 puts them in the 50th percentile of intelligence,” Meier
said. “If this person loses eight IQ points, it drops them to the
29th percentile.”

All the more reason to keep marijuana illegal and away from
kids say legalization opponents.

#2 Health risks

While marijuana may be considered a relatively harmless drug

by many, research suggests about 9% of all users become
addicted to marijuana – nearly double that among younger
users.
While most marijuana users do not become addicted like
cocaine or heroin users, opponents of marijuana legalization
point to numerous health risks from long-term use of this
“harmless” drug:

 Anxiety
 Depression
 Schizophrenia
 Increased heart rate and risk of heart attack
 Lung infections and respiratory issues (possible lung
cancer)
#1 Gateway drug

Hotly contested by marijuana legalization advocates, but

perhaps the most commonly used argument from opponents,
is the use of marijuana as a “gateway drug” – opening the door
to more dangerous drugs like ecstasy, cocaine and heroin.

Some long-term studies show an association between early

marijuana use and later use of harder drugs, but the jury is
still out on exactly why this association exists.