The Marijuana Legalization (Essay Sample)

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Legalization of marijuana
Marijuana is a greenish-gray powdered drug that is commonly used for recreational purposes to intoxicate the body for leisure purposes, but its use is considered illegal in many parts of the world, because of the medical dangers that it poses to the user’s health. Many people smoke it in the same way as cigarettes, while others mix it in edibles like candies and cookies. At other times, the drug is brewed in tea, especially when people consume it for medicinal purposes. When consumed in large doses over an extended period, marijuana can lead to mental disorders, and individuals who start using it before the age of 18 are seven times more likely to develop the disease than people who start using it in their adult life. Legalizing marijuana can have adverse effects, two of which will be discussed in this paper. One effect is that the legalization will make it difficult to impose the law in instances of impaired driving. Legalizing marijuana will also expose more children to drug abuse at a very tender age. However, there are those who think that legalizing marijuana will create legitimate business opportunities for many people. However, this will lead to a decay of morals, since many people will establish businesses to sell a product that is obviously a health hazard to fellow human beings (Wikler 25).
Legalization of marijuana will make it very difficult for law enforcers to do their work properly. The evidence available on the dangers of driving under the influence of marijuana is conflicting. In Colorado, for example, figures show that since the legalization of the drug, there has been a dramatic reduction of fatal highway accidents. The data also show a twofold increase in the number of drivers who have been involved in fatal car crashes and have tested positive for marijuana. What makes it more complicated is the fact that traces of marijuana can remain in the body for many days after use, hence making it difficult to tell if the driver was intoxicated by the drug at the time of the accident. Besides, there are no sobriety tests that can be done for marijuana like there are for alcohol. Much of what the police do in many instances is a sniff test to determine whether there was marijuana smoke in the car at the time of the accident. Legalizing the use of marijuana will hence make many drivers go scot free (Wikler 32).
By legalizing marijuana, more children will also be at risk of using the drug, while they are still underage and not in a position to make informed decisions about its use. The earlier an individual starts using the substances, the more likely they are to experience the onset of psychotic illnesses faster. Use of the drug by children also comes with the risk of exposure to slacker behavior, diminished IQ, lower achievement, higher danger of dropping out of school, and less satisfaction with life. Besides, the addiction that comes with the drug leads to physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms that most children may not be able to cope with physiologically and psychologically. By the time they reach thirty years, such children are more likely to suffer respiratory problems and periodontal diseases than their counterparts who do not use the drug. Children do not have the same reasoning and responsibility capacities as adults and giving them legal access to the product adversely affect their developing bodies and minds (Wikler 35).
It is said that marijuana should be legalized, so as to create fair business opportunities for people who wish to do the business. The argument is that even those that sell it illegally will come out and pay taxes from their proceeds, increasing government revenue. The money collected by the government will go into boosting the economy and improving infrastructure. In a different twist, increasing revenue through the legal sale will reduce the stream of income for illegal drug dealers. Once the substance becomes less profitable for criminals, there will also be less violence associated with the business. While this could be true, it would also be long before it gets off the minds of people that the government and the public are benefiting from drug money. The countries that will not legalize the use of marijuana will keep off from trading with those that do, and eventually, th