For Legalization: Four Reasons: An Overview

A Case for Legalizing Marijuana

Cannabis is a plant. Indigenous to central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent, its uses vary from being used for hemp fibers for paper and textiles, and for medicinal purposes, such as for chronic pain, muscle spasms, and improving appetite and sleep.

The history of Cannabis in America begins on a positive note. King James I decreed that the American colonists plant hemp in the new world to spur growth and expansion. George Washington’s grew Cannabis at Mount Vernon. American pharmacies carried cannabis throughout the 1800s.

And then the Mexican Revolution happened. At the turn of the century, an influx in Mexican immigrants poured across the border, bringing with them what they called “Marihuana”. This rise of Mexican immigrants caused anxiety in the American people, and along with that, an anxiety about the plant they smoked. In a 1994 Atlantic article titled “Reefer Madness”, Eric Schlosser wrote, “[t]he prejudices and fears that greeted these peasant immigrants also extended to their traditional means of intoxication: smoking marijuana.” Police officers in Texas claimed that marijuana incited violent crimes, aroused a “lust for blood,” and gave its users “superhuman strength.” Rumors spread that Mexicans were distributing this “killer weed” to unsuspecting American schoolchildren.”¹

And here we are.

But what happens if we put hyperbole and fear aside? Let’s take a look at the facts.

1. Marijuana is safer than alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, and even sugar.

Nobody has ever died from a marijuana overdose. According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “[a]n estimated 88,000 people die from alcohol-related causes annually, making alcohol the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States. The first is tobacco, and the second is poor diet and physical inactivity.”²

Marijuana is approximately 114 times safer than alcohol, according to a study conducted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information.³ It’s safer than the nicotine in cigarettes, and far less addictive. A study comparing addiction between marijuana, alcohol, and nicotine concluded that only 9% of Marijuana smokers became addicted, compared to a 15% rate of addiction for alcohol and 32% for nicotine.⁴

All things considered, marijuana is significantly safer than sugar. First of all, sugary drinks alone account for 25,000 deaths each year, as sugar is directly and positively correlated with cardiovascular disease, fatty liver disease, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and kidney disease.⁵ It doesn’t help that sugar is more addictive than cocaine.⁶

Even caffeine has made the news recently for the death of a South Carolina teen. Although it’s hard to consume enough caffeine for it to be lethal, it has happened. According to Popular Science, “[c]affeine causes short-term increases in blood pressure and nervous system activity that can trigger a heart attack, which is what killed (the teen)—and his death isn’t the first.”⁷

And yet our society celebrates and encourages sugar, alcohol, and caffeine use, while demonizing cannabis and those that use it for both recreational and medicinal purposes.

2. States that have legalized marijuana have fewer opioid deaths. 

Marijuana has been used as a painkiller for centuries, and today, it’s the first line of defense against opioid addiction. Wide-spread opioid abuse, from oxycodone (Percocet) to hydrocodone (Vicodin), often begins in the doctor’s office with a prescription for acute and chronic pain. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, there is a direct and positive correlation between the use of these opioid-based medications and the transition to heroin use.⁸

States that have legalized marijuana have fewer opioid deaths. A study conducted by the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California reports that in states with legal medicinal marijuana, hospitalizations for opioid abuse and dependence dropped by 23%. Opioid overdoses dropped by 13%.⁹

The science is encouraging: by prescribing patients safer, less-addictive medications such as cannabis, we reduce opioid addiction and overdoses.

3. Taxes from recreational marijuana contributes millions to Colorado’s state revenue every year. 

In 2016, Colorado made $200 million off recreational weed. Most of that goes to schools, but lesser portions go to the Department of Public Health and the Environment.¹⁰ The money also goes toward drug treatment and prevention programs. It makes good sense to legalize this safe medicine and recreational drug to promote healthy state economies.

This makes an excellent argument for why recreational marijuana should be legalized, taxed, and regulated in the same manner as alcohol. We should promote responsible marijuana use in those 21-years-old and older. Instead of keeping marijuana illegal, where people are going to buy it from the black market, we should incentivize those millions of dollars to go to good use.

4. Legalization will reduce overcrowded prison populations and enable non-violent citizens to participate and give back to society. 

There are far more marijuana arrests each year than those for violent crimes. And most marijuana arrests are not for large black market sellers, but for individuals with small amounts in their possession. In 2016, 587,700 people were arrested for possessing marijuana, according to the FBI.¹¹ All these arrests overwhelm American prisons and put a burden on tax payers. Virginia alone charges tax payers $10,000 a day to keep these non-violent marijuana offenders in prison. ¹²

To make matters worse, African Americans are far more likely to be sent to prison for having marijuana in their possession than are whites. Studies show that blacks and whites use cannabis at similar rates, but prisons are overwhelmed with non-violent minorities who had marijuana in their possession. States spend about $3 billion annually enforcing marijuana laws. This is money that can be better spent.¹³

Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. Nearly half (49%) have at least tried it.¹⁴ According to a Gallup Poll, 1 in 8 Americans smoke weed on a regular basis.¹⁵ Americans in states where marijuana is illegal buy their weed from the black market. Typically smokers purchase their weed from a friend down the street. By making marijuana legal across all 50 states, we would be funneling millions of dollars back into the country’s schools, wellness programs, infrastructure, and more. So before drawing a conclusion about the effects of marijuana, how dangerous it is, and how it compares to other, illegal intoxicants, it pays (literally) to do the research.

Our founding American values include “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” To make effective medicine illegal, to prevent Americans from enjoying a safe and enjoyable intoxicant responsibly, is an unnecessary infringement on our personal freedoms.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Schlosser, Eric. “Reefer Madness.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 1 Aug. 1994, www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1994/08/reefer-madness/303476/.
2. “Alcohol Facts and Statistics.” National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics.
3. Lachenmeier, Dirk W., and Jürgen Rehm. “Comparative Risk Assessment of Alcohol, Tobacco, Cannabis and Other Illicit Drugs Using the Margin of Exposure Approach.” Scientific Reports, Nature Publishing Group, 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4311234/.
4. Lilienfeld, Hal Arkowitz Scott O. “Experts Tell the Truth about Pot.” Scientific American, 1 Mar. 2012, www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-truth-about-pot/.
5. Dinicolantonio, James J., and Sean C. Lucan. “Sugar Season. It’s Everywhere, and Addictive.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 22 Dec. 2014, www.nytimes.com/2014/12/23/opinion/sugar-season-its-everywhere-and-addictive.html.
6. PubMed – NCBI.” National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed
7. Pierre-Louis, Kendra. “It’s Easier than Ever to Die of a Caffeine Overdose.” Popular Science, 16 May 2017, www.popsci.com/caffeine-overdose.
8. National Institute on Drug Abuse. “America’s Addiction to Opioids: Heroin and Prescription Drug Abuse.” NIDA, 14 May 2014, www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/legislative-activities/testimony-to-congress/2016/americas-addiction-to-opioids-heroin-prescription-drug-abuse.
9. Shi, Yuyan. “Medical Marijuana Policies and Hospitalizations Related to Marijuana and Opioid Pain Reliever.” http://Www.drugandalcoholdependence.com, 1 Apr. 2017, www.drugandalcoholdependence.com/article/S0376-8716(17)30076-5/abstract.
10. Strategies, VS. “Colorado Passes a Milestone for Pot Revenue.” CNNMoney, Cable News Network, money.cnn.com/2017/07/19/news/colorado-marijuana-tax-revenue/index.html.
11. Ingraham, Christopher. “Analysis | More People Were Arrested Last Year over Pot than for Murder, Rape, Aggravated Assault and Robbery – Combined.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 26 Sept. 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/09/26/more-people-were-arrested-last-year-over-pot-than-for-murder-rape-aggravated-assault-and-robbery-combined/?utm_term=.95e8d59acb82.
12. Decriminalization of Marijuana. Virginia State Crime Commission , 30 Oct. 2017, vscc.virginia.gov/VSCC_FINAL_Decrim%20Marj%20Present.pdf+.
13. “Marijuana Arrests by the Numbers.” American Civil Liberties Union, www.aclu.org/gallery/marijuana-arrests-numbers.
14. Motel, Seth. “6 Facts about Marijuana.” Pew Research Center, 14 Apr. 2015, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/04/14/6-facts-about-marijuana/.
15. Gallup, Inc. “One in Eight U.S. Adults Say They Smoke Marijuana.” Gallup.com, 8 Aug. 2016, news.gallup.com/poll/194195/adults-say-smoke-marijuana.aspx?g_source=Well-Being&g_medium=lead&g_campaign=tiles.

Please don’t take anything you read here as medical or legal advice. If you need medical or legal advice, consult a doctor or lawyer. The articles and content that appear on this website have been written by different people and do not necessarily reflect the views of our organization.

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