Legalizing Marijuana: A Summary of the Debate

The analgesic and euphoric properties of marijuana have been known for centuries (Read Then and Now: Past and Present Use of Marijuana). Although some countries like the Netherlands have lax law enforcement related to marijuana, most countries have laws that make possession a criminal offense. In the United States, marijuana use is restricted as a medical treatment for those suffering from AIDS wasting syndrome or nausea from chemotherapy, for example (Read Medical Marijuana).  In October 2010, California reduced possession of less than an ounce of marijuana from a misdemeanor to an infraction to lower the state’s court costs for prosecuting offenses.  Yet despite the drug’s popularity in the state, in the November 2010 election, Californians voted to keep marijuana use illegal (53.5% against, 46.5% for) on Proposition 19. Legalization of marijuana is a hot political topic that stirs up strong reactions. So what's the debate about?

What are the arguments for legalizing marijuana?

Proponents of legalizing marijuana argue that doing so could be a source of tax revenue. Additionally, quality could be regulated by the government to prevent distribution of tainted substances (Read What You Don’t Know Can Kill You).  Marijuana dealers—many of whom engage in other crimes and cause problems in neighborhoods—would no longer have a source of income. The overall cost would decrease, which means that users would be less likely to steal to obtain enough money for their habit.  The judicial system and law enforcement would have additional resources for more serious crimes that had previously been allocated to stopping pot possession and dealing. Finally, many point out that the effects of marijuana are no more serious than those associated with alcohol and tobacco, both of which are legal.

What do the opponents of legalized marijuana say?

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (Read Drug Scheduling and the DEA), Alaska reversed legislation from 1975 that allowed individuals to possess marijuana because the state’s youth had a rate of consumption more than double that of others in their age cohort.  Therefore, one argument is that legalizing marijuana would compel some individuals who would not have otherwise tried it to do so.  In fact, increased accessibility of weed means that it could become a bigger problem among minors. Some people believe that marijuana is a gateway drug and that making it legal could lead some new users to eventually begin using stronger, more addictive substances (Read Gateway Drugs: What They Are and Why They Matter). Additionally, research has linked prolonged marijuana use to a number of adverse medical conditions (Read Marijuana Use & Mental Health: A Path to Schizophrenia? and Marijuana Abuse and Testicular Cancer: Recent Findings). An increase in the number of individuals with these diseases or conditions could lead to a corresponding increase in personal and government expenditures for related health care as well as other social costs including lost productivity (Read The Cost of Abuse and Addiction).  Moreover, greater use of marijuana could lead to more incidents of drugged driving. Finally, legalization could produce an increase in the marijuana addiction rate, and more people would find themselves in need of treatment from a drug rehab facility.

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