LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA

The Impact of Legalization of Marijuana on the Society

Table of Content

Introduction3

Discussion4

1.Cannabis or Marijuana4

2.Forms of Cannabis or Marijuana5

a)Unprocessed5

b)Processed5

i.Kief5

ii.Hashish5

iii.Hash Oil5

3.Prohibition, decriminalization and legalization5

4.Potential Effect of Decriminalization or Legalization on Society6

a)Adolescents6

b)Advertising and branding6

c)Moral Development8

d)Parental influence on their offspring9

e)The Availability Factor9

f)The Price Factor9

g)Effects on Students10

h)Effects on Work Performance10

5.Impact of Marijuana on different societies and cultures10

a.Holland11

b.Netherlands11

c.Jamaica11

d.Russia12

6.Impact of Decriminalization on Marijuana Use12

7.Impact of Decriminalization on Crime13

Conclusion13

The Impact of Legalization of Marijuana on the Society

Introduction

Marijuana possession has been an extremely popular topic for debate over the last forty years. Supporters of legalizing policies state that the drug is safe. They are of the opinion that criminal sanctions against the possession and personal use of marijuana are penalties which are harsh and unnecessary. Pro-legalization advocates have highlighted the mortality, economic and morbidity costs linked with tobacco and alcohol usage in the United States are much higher than those associated with the use of marijuana.

People who are against the liberalization of current laws argue that marijuana cannot be categorized as a benign drug. Recent studies show that marijuana shares many common features with various other illegitimate drugs. Groups which are anti-legalization or decriminalization of personal use of the drug also point out that legalization or decriminalization will result into a significant increase in its usage which will consequently increase economic, social and health costs.

A recent new angle of the marijuana debate is the legalization of its usage for medical purposes i.e. treatment of various medical conditions through use of smoked marijuana. Eight states in the United States namely Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Maine, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington have passed ballot initiatives that allow medical usage of the drug under specific circumstances. A state legislation has been passed and enacted in Hawaii which permits the medical use of marijuana (Bates, 2004). The federal government has been forcefully opposing the prospect of allowing physicians to prescribe marijuana for medical purposes. The former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine defined this approach as “misguided, heavy-handed, and inhumane”.

Recently, various countries across the globe have been changing their approach and laws on marijuana. Switzerland, Canada and a few European countries (Miron, 2003) have been reconsidering their approach towards the drug whereas its usage has been decriminalized in some territories of Australia. Netherlands' approach of regulation however stands out as the most widely publicized approach where the Dutch law has outlawed possession but permitted personal usage of marijuana (Gettman, 2004).

Discussion

Cannabis or Marijuana

Preparations of the Cannabis plant which is grown to be used for medical purposes or sometimes as a psychoactive drug is also referred to as marijuana or marihuana amongst a variety of other names. The United Nations describes cannabis as “the most widely used illicit substance in the world”.

Usage of cannabis use has been documented as early as the third millennium BC (Gettman, 2004). Marijuana has been used for spiritual or religious, medicinal and even recreational purposes in modern times. According to an estimate by the United Nations, approximately 162 million adults or 4% of the world's ...