The Pros and Cons of the U.S. Government Policy on Marijuana Legalization

Introduction

 Marijuana legalization has sparked many debates in the US and globally.
 Nationally, many states have recently legalized marijuana, sparking reactions on its
true benefits or impacts to society and the federal government
 The reactions to marijuana legalization stem from the health concerns that associate
Marijuana with crimes.
 The reactions that are in support of marijuana legalization present arguments that
marijuana is not harmful and that it has clinical and medicinal values.
 On all fronts, marijuana legalization by the US government has both disadvantages
and advantages (thesis)

Advantages

1. One benefit of legalizing marijuana stems from its alleged medicinal and clinical values.
    Marijuana is being used by physicians to manage stroke and depression patients
   (Hammond et al., 2020).
    Marijuana is used as a pain reliever by physicians and in the treatment of post-
   traumatic stress disorder.
2. Marijuana legalization will aid in reducing drug abuse and drug-related crimes.
    Tobacco and alcohol are more harmful than marijuana, considering the statistics
   on mortalities caused by tobacco and alcohol, as marijuana causes zero deaths
   (Magleby et al., 2018).
    Legalizing marijuana will significantly reduce the deaths and crimes that arise
   from tobacco and alcohol use.
3. Legalizing marijuana will generate income for the federal government and investors.
    Marijuana will be exported to countries that have equally legalized its use
   (Simkins & Geiger‐Oneto, 2020).

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4. It will reduce prison overcrowding for petty crimes like marijuana production,
   transportation, and use.
    US correctional facilities are overcrowded today because of the country’s harsh
   punitive justice system. Legalizing marijuana will reduce incarceration rates
   (Haffajee et al., 2018).

Disadvantages

1. Apparent reasons against marijuana legalization are based on religious, social, and ethical
   beliefs (Rojas, 1999).
    Marijuana will act as an intermediary in using other drugs.

Conclusion

 The advantages of marijuana legalization supersede the disadvantages.
 Those opposing the legalization and those who are for the legalization have
reasons that stem from individual levels.

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References

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and state marijuana policy. The New England Journal of Medicine, 379(6), 501–504.
Hammond, C. J., Chaney, A., Hendrickson, B., & Sharma, P. (2020). Cannabis use among
US adolescents in the era of marijuana legalization: a review of changing use patterns,
comorbidity, and health correlates. International review of psychiatry, 32(3), 221-234.
Legalization Pros & Cons – Federal Legalization Of Marijuana. (2014). Oakland University.
https://sites.google.com/a/oakland.edu/federal-legalization-of-marijuana/home/pros-
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Simkins, & Geiger‐Oneto, S. (2020). The dual legality of marijuana in the United States:
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