The Debate on the Legalization of Marijuana

Bryan Gorgei

Professor’s Name

Course

Date
 The Debate on the Legalization of Marijuana

The debate about the legalization of Marijuana in the United States is a long and

protracted political issue. While many people believe the use of Marijuana has more benefits

than demerits, the need to regulate Marijuana is a paramount public health concern because

recreational and medicinal use of the drug presents ambivalence than conformity in the

academic literature. Nonetheless, the very restrictions create an underworld of illicit trade and

consumption with unscrupulous businesses raking in on the benefits of restricted licensure to

produce medicines out of the drug as herbal remedies. While many states have legalized

recreational and medicinal marijuana, the United States is not fully prepared to deal with the

menace. 

            Through the Food and Drugs Administration, there is a concerted effort in the United

States to standardize and produce substances for food or recreational use that meet acceptable

standards of safety. The debate about the legalization of marijuana is mainly about its safe

production and use which has serious consequences for public health. The “Cannabis Sativa”,

also known as marijuana has some 426 active chemicals out of which 60 are known

cannabinoid compounds. Four, which have raised a great deal of interest are d-9-THC, d-8-

THC, CBD, and cannabinol (Crépault, Rehm & Room, 2021). Certainly, known

phytochemicals in the plant, like α-pinene, β-caryophyllene, CBD, linalool, anthocyanins,

and flavonoids have established scientific literature affirming their value in mental health

benefits.

            Regulations for the use of marijuana have many facets to it. The herbal medicines

industry in the United States has advanced in diverse products sold legally with components

derived from the plant. However, regulators are keen to restrict the commonplace penetration

of the drug for varied social and health reasons (Payan, Brown & Song, 2021). People that

use the drug are often inclined to abuse the drug because of the lack of a systematic method
of establishing dosages in recreational use of marijuana. The issue of safety has been a

serious concern drug abuse and misuse is related to adverse social and health repercussions to

the community.

            The progress through legislation has been consistent with many states recognizing the

validity of having a regulated but legal use of marijuana. After the Colorado Amendment,

monumental legislation that first allowed recreational use of marijuana in Colorado State,

many other states have made progress in their legislation (Rettew, 2021). Citizens have often

changed their state in accordance with the laws and diverse social considerations in the

United States. States with liberal freedoms like marijuana use have thus become more

preferable for country-loving regular households. Overall, marijuana legislations have a far-

reaching effect on the country’s struggle with the menace of drugs and substance abuse.

            In conclusion, the debate about the regulation of marijuana in the United States is part

of a containment procedure that seeks to balance the odds of rapid and reckless penetration of

the use of cannabis and its products and a regulated process in which there is effective

oversight in the whole business of marijuana. Government always seeks to have a rigorous

understanding of the discourses of marijuana consumption and the restrictions are often

directed at containment as opposed to the execution of a total ban. The politics of marijuana

have established a whole section of public health laws that have developed over time in

diverse discourses of race, ethnicity, and gender relations.  

 References

Crépault, J. F., Rehm, J., & Room, R. (2021). Legalization as more effective control?

Parallels between the end of alcohol prohibition (1927) and the legalization of

cannabis (2018) in Ontario, Canada. International Journal of Drug Policy, 97,

103367.

Payan, D. D., Brown, P., & Song, A. V. (2021). County‐Level Recreational Marijuana

Policies and Local Policy Changes in Colorado and Washington State (2012‐2019).

The Milbank Quarterly, 99(4), 1132-1161.

Rettew, D. C. (2021). Science Up in Smoke: One Psychiatrist’s Journey Through the Politics

of Cannabis Legalization. Adolescent Psychiatry, 11(2), 117-128.