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Clay Burgh
Reading, Writing, and Inquiry
Be interesting

The Benefits of Marijuana and it’s Legalization

Marijuana has been a controversial topic since it became a crime to possess or use it in

the year 1937. Some view it as a gateway drug, while the others may look at it as a medicine or a

stress reliever. Recently many states have either began the process to try and legalize marijuana

or have already legalized it. The list of benefits of marijuana goes much further than just viewing

it as a medicine. It can also be viewed as a cash crop such as tobacco is. The legalization of

marijuana would help our economy tremendously, and with the way the economy is right now,

this may be the best way to help us recover from the stock market crashes as of recent. Not only

would this help people’s health and our countries economy, but it would also promote safer use

of the drug. Many of the random dealers on the street have no clue what they are selling, while

dispensaries give u a detailed description of exactly what you are putting in your body. It would

also decrease the use of opioids or other drugs that do more harm than marijuana could ever do.

With the opioid epidemic being as bad as it is, and with our economy headed downward, we

need marijuana to be legalized more than ever. The concept of legalizing marijuana as a nation

seems impossible to people who only see the negatives, in fact, many states have already

legalized marijuana for recreational, or medical use, and the states who have legalized it, such as

California and Colorado, have experienced significant economical boosts as well as a drop in

other cases of drug abuse.

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There are many reasons why the legalization of marijuana is an urgently needed thing,

and even some of our newest presidential candidates such as Bernie Sanders, are trying to make

the final push to legalize the drug as an entire country. With major people such as our

presidential candidates campaigning for this it has allowed people to investigate the drug again,

and possibly form a new more positive opinion on it. A lot of people who don’t plan to consume

marijuana still are for the legalization of it, because of its economical possibilities. An article

named” Legalizing Marijuana” on www.drugpolicy.com states that, “Legalizing and regulating

marijuana will bring one of the nation's largest cash crops under the rule of law. This will create

jobs and economic opportunities in the formal economy instead of the illicit market” (Marijuana

Legalization and Regulation). Introducing the marijuana industry in places will provide more

jobs and will bring more income to areas. If companies such as Big Tobacco can grow tobacco

and profit off something that only has a track record of hindering health and addicting users, I

believe the argument to allow states to profit off marijuana is strong. Marijuana, unlike tobacco,

has many health benefits so not only will it strengthen our economy, but it will help people with

conditions such as Veterans, who have served in the war and have PTSD, and that is just one

example of the many benefits marijuana has on a person’s health. Marijuana is being used as a

medicine and has evidence of it shown, yet people still doubt it.

Marijuana has been a huge debate recently over whether it is just a recreational drug or

whether it is a useful medicine. It is both. The fact of the matter is that there are countless studies

that have been done where it shows marijuana helping treat many different disorders. An article

called “Is Marijuana a Medicine?” done by expert Doug Brown on Drugrehab.com states that,

“Some people from inside and outside the medical community argue that the drug is an effective

treatment for a range of conditions, including epilepsy, Crohn’s disease, posttraumatic stress
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disorder (PTSD), and multiple sclerosis (MS).” (Legalizing Recreational Marijuana) These are

just a few of the disorders that the article talks about, the list goes on. Marijuana has been proven

to treat disorders and even a lot of diseases. An article titled “The Medical Benefits of

Marijuana” on www.thoughtco.com done by scientist Deborah White says, “Marijuana has

proven medical benefits for patients suffering from a host of ailments and diseases, including

cancer, AIDS, and glaucoma.”(White)

Many of these diseases are taking loved ones from us everyday which is why the

legalization process needs to start making bigger steps towards the total legalization of the

medicine. With proven research behind the health benefits of marijuana it should be an obvious

choice to legalize it at least for medical use. Scientists from cbsnews.com say in an article titled

“The simplicity of Marijuana” over the benefits of cannabis that, “Scientists want to understand

or be able to replicate what patients are using in the real world because patients are claiming to

have these transformative experiences with cannabis."(Marijuana Legalization, Medical) People

are using marijuana to transform their lives everyday and I think it is time for more people to be

able to experience the same positives as others are allowed to. With the legalization of its

scientists will be able to do more research to focus on the medicinal powers of marijuana and

figure out just what else it can do. Not only is this going to benefit people’s health, but it will

also provide a safer way to enjoy marijuana.

A point that isn’t brought up enough is the safety factor of legalizing marijuana. Most

times when somebody buys illegally from someone off the street, they have no clue what they

are buying or what they’re about to put into their body. Street dealers often will lace what they

sell to you with addictive chemicals to try and get you to come back. An article done by

www.drugpolic.org titled “Marijuana Legalization and the Benefits” says, “Marijuana product
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testing is becoming a standard requirement for legalized marijuana markets. This means

consumers are better informed about the marijuana they use.” (Marijuana Legalization and)

Places like California, who have already legalized it, have been able to determine what strains

will help with what health problems. The legalization of marijuana will allow for safer use of the

drug as well as give the consumer a more educated prediction of what they will feel. Many first-

time users often overdose by smoking too much. With regulations and descriptions on strains it

will allow consumers to feel what they want to and have more control.

The concept of legalizing marijuana may seem like a very far out concept to many

people, but there are things being done right now in our country to move towards this goal, and

people need to realize change may be coming. Change isn’t always bad, and, in this case, I

believe people should be open to the change. The positives of marijuana outweigh the negatives

by a landslide. The health benefits and the cash crop capabilities would benefit us as a country

tremendously. It will promote safer use of something that people already are doing illegally

anyways. The government is becoming softer and softer on these rules and the fact of the matter

is that change is coming, and in my opinion, and many others, it is just a matter of time before

we can use cannabis to its full capability. People are beginning to change their opinions after

seeing all the positives and eventually it’ll be too obvious to try and stop.
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Work Cited
Brown, Doug “Legalizing Recreational Marijuana – Pros and Cons.” Drug Rehab, 6 July 2015,
www.drugrehab.us/news/pros-cons-legalizing-recreational-marijuana/.

“Marijuana Legalization and Regulation.” Drug Policy Alliance,

www.drugpolicy.org/issues/marijuana-
legalization-and-regulation.

“Marijuana Legalization, Medical Marijuana, and Marijuana Facts News.” CBS News, CBS
Interactive,
www.cbsnews.com/marijuana-nation/.

White, Deborah. “What Are the Pros and Cons of Legalizing Marijuana in the
U.S.?” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 25 Feb. 2020, www.thoughtco.com/pros-and-cons-
legalizing-marijuana-3325521.