Legalizing Marijuana Effects 1

Should Marijuana only be used for medical purposes?

Legalizing Marijuana Effects 2

The legalization of marijuana is becoming a widely discussed topic that is beginning to

be an issue here in the United States. For example, some may feel that the legalization of

marijuana should only be tolerated for medical purposes and not recreational use. Others on the

other hand, feel that marijuana should be allowed for both medical and recreational use. Both

sides have good points about how marijuana can affect social, economic and health issues. I

believe, that the use of marijuana when not used for medical purposes should be prohibited

because of the issues American’s are being faced by it daily.

Bloomquist, E. (n.d.). Marijuana: Social benefit or social detriment? California Medicine.,

106(5), 346-353.
This paper is addressing the fact of how influential people are accepting marijuana as a

harmless drug which in return is making it more socially acceptable. Bloomquist talks

about how the lower caste system are “poorly educated” and are just looking for the

“trip”, which will result in them being more likely to stay high all the time. On the other

hand, the upper caste system or intellectuals will attempt to find inner meaning within the

drug. They will play with the drug and smoke marijuana for the social benefit.

Bushan, A. (2015). An evaluation of the effects of the legalization of marijuana in Colorado and
Washington from an international law perspective. Canada-United States Law Journal, 39,
187.
In this article, Bushan explains how in Colorado and Washington, the legalization of

marijuana has increased the issues that the international community has not yet had to

consider. The United States is a party to many international conventions that govern

marijuana use. So, by the United States allowing the possession of marijuana, they have
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contravened several convention provisions. Now that these two states have legalized the

use of marijuana, the United States has to justify it’s actions internationally to be able to

remain party to the affected international agreements. In other words, the conflict

between the federal law and state has resulted in a divergence between the international

agreements and the United States it is committed to.

Davenport, S. (2014). Controlling underage access to legal cannabis. Case Western Reserve Law
Review., 65, 541.
Davenport addresses in this paper that adults in the United States are buying marijuana

from licensed stores and then in return are selling it to minors. It is said that the origin of

supply of marijuana is from black markets, and it is very easy for minors to get. So even

under legalization, adults will purchase under so called “white markets” and there will

still be underage buying from “grey markets” or adults illegally selling it to underage

users. This author also states that on the other hand, by reducing an illicit market can

minimize cannabis related arrests.

Hajizadeh, M. (2016). Legalizing and Regulating Marijuana in Canada: Review of Potential

Economic, Social, and Health Impacts. International Journal of Health Policy and
Management, 5(8), 453-456.
Hajizaden addresses in this paper that marijuana is the most widely used illicit substance

in Canada. He explains how after Canada introduces the legalization and regulation of

marijuana, it can be both good and bad. The legalization of marijuana could help allow

the government to save citizens’ tax dollars, which are currently being spent on

prohibition enforcement. It could also “…remove the criminal element of the marijuana

market and reduce the size of Canada’s black market and it’s consequences for the

society.” On the other hand, the legalization of marijuana can lead to health problems in
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the public, including the increase uptake of this drug, accidents and injuries, and the risk

of letting it in the hands of minors.

Homel, P., & Brown, R. (2017). Marijuana legalisation in the United States: An Australia
perspective. Trends & Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, (535), 1-20.
In this article, these authors focus on the two main economic arguments associated with

the benefits by legalizing marijuana. It’s said that the legalization of marijuana undercuts

the price of the illicit market, which reduces the involvement of criminal elements in the

sale, production and distribution of the drug. It can also generate significant tax revenues

after it is legalized. They also go on to talk about the negative impact of the legalization

of marijuana. For example, an increase in impaired driving due to marijuana use,

increased use of the drug from younger people, and health/ mental impact it could have.

Mikos, R. A. (2009). On the limits of supremacy: Medical marijuana and the states' overlooked
power to legalize federal crime. Vanderbilt Law Review 62(5), 1419-1482.
This article addresses the overlooked power that states have to legalize marijuana, even

after Congress has banned marijuana outright. Mikos states that medical marijuana has

“survived and indeed thrived in the shadow of the federal ban”, because of legalizing

marijuana under a state law. The author also discusses about the fact that the federal

government does not agree with the legalization of medical marijuana. By the states

legalizing medical marijuana, states have “removed the most significant barriers”

including state sanctions and social disapproval.

Millhorn, M., Monaghan, M., Montero, D., Reyes, M., Roman, T., Tollasken, R., & Walls, B.
(2009). North Americans' Attitudes Toward Illegal Drugs. Journal of Human Behavior in the
Social Environment, 19(2), 125-141.
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This paper talks about the issues America is facing related to illegal drugs, marijuana.

These authors talk about how we believe there is some control over illegal drugs, but

“Americans are also reporting more difficulty within their families related to marijuana.”

This paper also states that the uses of heroin and cocaine have decreased, and marijuana

has become the “drug of choice” for many Americans. It is also mentioned that along

with the many health benefits marijuana can bring, there is still some health risks that

people need to be aware of.

Volkow, N., Baler, R., Compton, W., & Weiss, S. (2014). Adverse Health Effects of Marijuana
Use. The New England Journal of Medicine., 370(23), 2219-2227.
This paper addresses the controversy of whether marijuana is addictive or not. These

authors state that “approximately 9% of those who experiment with marijuana will

become addicted.” It is also said that marijuana “is the most commonly used “illicit” drug

in the United States…” There is some recognition in this paper that addresses the fact of

withdrawal symptoms being associated with long term use of marijuana. These authors

also talk about the unknown effects on adolescents’ brain development.