Social Issues (Essay Sample)

Why Shouldn’t Marijuana Be Legalized
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Introduction
There has been a persistent debate in many countries across the globe especially in the United States on whether to Marijuana or not. Some are for the decision to legalize while others are against it with each group having its own reasons. Currently it is illegal to sell, buy or be in possession of marijuana under Federal law. Marijuana is a mixture of the dried and shredded leaves, seeds, stems and flowers of the hemp plant known by its scientific name Cannabis Sativa. These mixture according to research contains approximately 400 chemicals. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly referred as THC, is the chemical responsible the drug’s psychotropic (mind-altering) effects (NIDA, 2).
There are many drawbacks associated with legalizing marijuana. First, a policy to legalize marijuana would send a false message to young kids that using drugs is acceptable thereby increasing the chances of kids getting into drug abuse. In addition, any State is responsible for ensuring the welfare of its citizens for example promoting health. By legalizing marijuana, ethical issues would be compromised that reveals the State as exposing its citizens to risk of drug abuse (Fratello 17).
Secondly, legalizing marijuana would lead to an increase in the rate of crime. This would result into high financial spending by the government every year in its effort to solve the marijuana-related crimes. This is supported by research such as a report by Bureau of Justice Statistics which showed that over 850,000 people arrests in the United States in 2011 were due to Marijuana related crimes.
Finally but not least, according to Gateway drug theory, use of light drugs, such as marijuana, leads to the risk of using hard drugs and engaging in crime in future. Marijuana is often a stepping-stone drug to use of harder drugs such as heroin or cocaine. Marijuana use encourages its users to experiment with such hard drugs which are harmful and very addictive (Vanyukov 65).
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