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THE EFFECTS OF LEGALIZING 1

The Effects of Legalizing Recreational Marijuana in the U.S.

Michael Morel

Arizona State University

Abstract
THE EFFECTS OF LEGALIZING 2

[Insert ~150 word project description, summarizing what you have researched, and the primary

challenge that your proposal will address]

Keywords: [Insert 2-3 search terms that others might use to search for your research]

Part I

Entry #1 : Marijuana Legalization Makes Black Market Better In Prohibition States


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APA Citation: Adams, M. (2018, November 13). Marijuana Legalization Makes Black Market

Better In Prohibition States. Retrieved from

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeadams/2018/11/13/marijuana-legalization-makes-black-

market-better-in-prohibition-states/#656e7e792633

Summary (~100 words): This article speaks on how the black market of drugs is coming into

contact with better marijuana due to the legalization of it in other states. Dealers can now get a

hand on good products and smuggle it out of states to resell to people. Adams speaks about how

keeping marijuana illegal throughout the states is only causing this to be more of a problem. In

states where marijuana is illegal people are still smoking it and getting a hand on it. This is only

causing trouble in those states where they are trying to keep a tight grip on the issue.

Evaluation (~100 words): Mike Adams is a contributor to Forbes, and he covers various areas

of cannabis. He speaks about how he has been dealing with marijuana for the past six years

looking into it. He also uses various studies and information to make claims throughout the

article. Mike is also in the works of writing a novel when he is not writing articles about

cannabis. He has written articles for the New York Times as well.

Reflection (~100 words): As a result this article will be great information for my essay. Mike

talks about how legalization in certain states causes more trouble for the states where it is illegal.

The previous articles talk about how it has affected the youth, taxation, etc. This is the only

article that shows how marijuana is causing an indirect trouble that other states are just making

worse for themselves. Most of the debt states experience is from police dealing with marijuana

related crimes. “Co-author Jill Manzo said in a press release. ‘By ending these prohibitions,

Illinois taxpayers could save $18.4 million per year’” (Adams, 2018).
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Significant Quotes:

“Just last month, Nebraska State Police seized 1,600 pounds of edible pot, including nearly 500

boxes of THC-infused chocolate bars” (Adams, 2018).

“The state is suffering an $8 billion budget deficit, and a recent study from the Illinois Economic

Policy Institute shows that it continues to spend exuberant amounts of money every year policing

pot-related crimes” (Adams, 2018).

Entry #2: Association of State Recreational Marijuana Laws With Adolescent Marijuana Use

APA Citation: Cerdá, M., Wall, M., Feng, T., Keyes, K. M., Sarvet, A., Schulenberg, J., …

Hasin, D. S. (2017). Association of State Recreational Marijuana Laws With Adolescent

Marijuana Use. JAMA pediatrics, 171(2), 142–149. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2016.3624

Summary (~100 words): This study focuses on the perceived harmfulness of marijuana use in

adolescents after states, such as Colorado and Washington legalized it. Perceived harmfulness is

moderate to severe risk of health associated with smoking marijuana. Data was collected from a

total of 253,902 students in eighth grade, tenth grade, and twelfth grade from 2010-2015. With

the eighth and 10th graders from Washington, perceived harmfulness of marijuana use decreased

and marijuana use increased after legalization of recreational marijuana use (2017).

Evaluation (~100 words): All of the authors have a graduate degree of some kind. All of their

degrees deal with a medical field or study. Every step of the study and surveys were explained

using detailed information and nothing was left out or omitted from the data. The data is from

surveys straight from students and is credible and gives an honest opinion of how the youth is
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reacting to marijuana. The only thing I think is that some students may not answer honestly, or

not complete the survey completely which may lead to a skew in results.

Reflection (~100 words): As a result this study will assist in writing my essay in many ways.

This varies from the other two sources because it deals with an actual experiment involving the

legitimate change some states have already done. Instead of basing data off other countries

legalization process this study allows the U.S. to get an insight into how some states may be

reacting to the legalization of marijuana.

Significant Quotes:

● “Historical shifts are occurring in attitudes toward marijuana and in state marijuana

policy in the United States. The proportion of adolescents who perceived great risk of

harm in using marijuana once or twice a week has decreased from 55% in 2007 to 44% in

2012, and 58% of adults now support legalization of recreational marijuana” (Cerdá,

Wall, Feng, et al.).

● “We tested whether adolescents in Washington and Colorado were less likely to perceive

marijuana as harmful and more likely to use marijuana in the 3 years following

legalization (2013–2015) compared with the 3 years prior to legalization (2010–2012)

and compared these findings with trends in states that did not legalize recreational

marijuana use” (Cerdá, Wall, Feng, et al.).

Entry #3: Marijuana Legalization and Regulation

APA Citation: Marijuana Legalization and Regulation. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.drugpolicy.org/issues/marijuana-legalization-and-regulation
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Summary (~100 words): This article talks about where marijuana is legal in the United States.

It also talks about different state initiatives that are for marijuana, such as, New Solutions

Marijuana Reform, Grow New Mexico, etc. They are all for legalizing marijuana in different

areas. New Solutions Marijuana Reform Campaign is to legalize and regulate marijuana for

adults in New Jersey, and Grow New Mexico is to advocate for the legalization of marijuana in

New Mexico. The article goes into the benefits of legalizing marijuana and why it would be a

great thing. The article also goes in the Marijuana Justice Act. MJA is the first bill in Congress to

focus on marijuana legalization in criminal justice reform, accountability, and community

reinvestment.

Evaluation (~100 words): The article involves a lot of information from a senator by the name

of Cory Booker from New Jersey. He is someone that represents his state and should be deemed

as a reputable person. He goes into depth about the Marijuana Justice Act, and talks on why it is

a great bill to pass. Booker also received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University, and

completed his education at Yale University where he received his J.D.

Reflection (~100 words): This is the first article that mentions the Marijuana Justice Act. The

MJA doesn’t just focus on legalizing the drug, but also on the legal process with people who

have been criminated due to the drug.

Significant Quotes: “Senator Cory Booker (NJ) introduced the Marijuana Justice Act in the

U.S. Senate and Representatives Barbara Lee (CA-13) and Ro Khanna (CA-17) introduced the

companion bill in the U.S. House to end federal marijuana prohibition, support racial justice, and

help repair communities most devastated by the war on drugs” (DPA, n.d).

Entry #4: The Pros and Cons of Marijuana


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APA Citation: Hendricks, L., Abassi, A., & Aslinia, D. (2013). The Pros and Cons of

Marijuana. Retrieved from

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/de44/60c652c4bacd4cab9dcb80906d7f074a32bf.pdf

Summary (~100 words): This article highlights the risks that marijuana may pose of youth, but

also highlights different beneficial aspects of the drug. Throughout the article many credible

people are asked to speak on the subject and explain different things about marijuana. “Denise

Walker, a researcher at the University of Washington, believes the public may not be aware of all

the health issues related to the use of marijuana. She states that marijuana “can be addictive, it

can diminish intelligence, it impairs driving and it can trigger anxiety and psychological

illnesses” (as cited in Sieczkowski, 2012, para. 12)” (Hendricks & Abassi & Aslinia, 2013).

Evaluation (~100 words): Abassi and Aslinia both have their PhD from Texas A&M

University. Hendricks has a EdD from Texas A&M University. All three authors focused

focused on the department of Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education College of

Education and Human Services. These three authors use many credible sources and people to

give this article a solid grounding.

Reflection (~100 words): As a result this article will provide good information for my essay.

This source varies from the first because it has multiple people speak on the subject rather than

just the one author. These three authors acknowledge both sides of the controversial argument

and it allows for a great contrast of information for my essay.

Significant Quotes:
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● “Concerning states that decriminalized marijuana, they indicate contradictory studies

relating to use by adolescents, one showing no difference in use after legalization and one

showing increased use among youths” (Hendricks & Abassi & Aslinia, 2013).

● “Third, because marijuana grows naturally throughout the United States, “purity and

potency of the drug cannot be adequately controlled” (Barnes, 2000, p. 24).

Entry #5: Dad Gives Toddler Battling Brain Cancer Medical Marijuana

APA Citation: [KXLY]. (2011, April 29). Dad Gives Toddler Battling Brain Cancer Medical

Marijuana. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmviQBB5DHs

Summary (~100 words): The Hyde Family’s son Cash was diagnosed with a stage four brain

tumor on June 21st, 2008. Cash nearly died many different times, and was very affected by the

chemotherapy associated with cancer. For six weeks straight, different doctors kept diagnosing

Cash with mono, but his father did not believe what they were saying. Cash was constantly tired,

and began throwing up. They brought him to the hospital where he got a CT scan and found a

gigantic tumor in his brain (4.5cm). Cash endured three rounds of chemo, then a stem cell rescue,

and then high dose chemo. Cash’s father went against doctors orders and got the authorization to

get cannabis oil and administer it to Cash through his feeding tube. The results were almost

instant and Cash was taken off all of his nausea medication. He began eating food and hadn’t

eaten for 40 days before that point. Shari Allen is talked to who is a nurse practitioner in Oregon

who evaluates medical marijuana patients. She truly believes it is a medicine, and a lot of people

speak about the benefits. A week after KXLY did this interview Cash was sent for another scan

and found out he is cancer free.


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Evaluation (~100 words): This news video is very important and credible because it is an actual

life experience from a family who has undergone sickness and marijuana has cured it. They also

spoke to Shari Allen during the news video and she spoke on the benefits of marijuana on sick

patients.

Reflection (~100 words): This primary source is a very great contribution to use towards my

essay. This video focuses on why marijuana is a great thing to legalize in the first place.

Marijuana has many more benefits than just getting rid of debt, or decriminalizing it. Marijuana

is something that can benefit many people with different illnesses or even healthy people who

wish to use the natural ailments it provides. I also think this video is interesting because during

this time in the healthcare world the doctors were very against administering this to Cash and

patients, but in modern day we see people starting to come around more with the use of

marijuana.

Significant Quotes:

“What I try to do here at this office is to create an atmosphere that is truly medical because I do

believe that cannabis is medicine, and we are trying to use it as medicine” (Allen, 2011).

Entry #6: The Benefits of Marijuana Legalization and Regulation

APA Citation : Todd, T. (2018). The Benefits of Marijuana Legalization and Regulation.

Retrieved from https://scholarship.law.berkeley.edu/bjcl/vol23/iss1/6/

Summary (~100 words): This article shows various reasons of why criminalizing marijuana is a

bad thing. The article focuses on the idea of no criminalization with use, but to regulate it and

control its use across the public. It causes many problems in many aspects of people’s everyday

lives. The workplace, environment, and public health are some examples of things that are
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negatively affected by the criminalization of marijuana. The article brings up the many beneficial

uses, and the history of the drug. Not only does the article touch on the different aspects of the

physical aspects of the drug, but also touches on data and statistics of how Americans feel on the

subject, and what they believe should be done.

Evaluation (~100 words): Tamar Todd is an attorney who focuses in many areas, such as,

policy advocacy, cannabis law and policy, etc. Todd received her B.A. from the University of

Vermont and her J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center. She has an expertise in

marijuana decriminalization, legalization, and regulation. She serves as Vice-Chair of the

California Cannabis Advisory Committee, is the former legal director of the Drug Policy

Alliance. and has even co-authored ballots and statutes, such as, in Colorado and California. She

uses reliable sources, and provides sufficient evidence to support her claims.

Reflection (~100 words):

As a result this source will be helpful in my essay as it shows not only the history of American

people and the use of marijuana, but also statistics and data. The use of many reliable sources

will allow my essay to credible.

Significant Quotes:

● “Approximately one out of every seven American adults (14.1%) has used marijuana in

the past year.2 Over half of all American adults (51.1%) have used marijuana during their

lives.3 All of these people have committed a federal drug crime” (Tamar, 2018).

● “Existing law makes tens of millions of hardworking and productive Americans illicit

drug users by definition” (Tamar, 2018).


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● “Based on the most recent Gallup poll in October 2017, sixty-four percent of

Americans—two-thirds of people—believe that marijuana use should be legal.4 A

majority of Republicans think marijuana use should be legal.5 The vast majority

(seventy-five percent) of United States voters—across all demographics and party

affiliations—oppose federal government enforcement of federal marijuana laws in states

that have legalized marijuana for medical or adult use.6 And ninety-four percent of

Americans think medical marijuana—which is still completely illegal under federal

law— should be legal” (Tamar, 2018).

Entry #7: More Reasons States Should Not Legalize Marijuana: Medical and Recreational

Marijuana: Commentary and Review of the Literature

APA Citation : Wilkinson S. T. (2013). Medical and recreational marijuana: commentary and

review of the literature. Missouri medicine, 110(6), 524–528.

Summary (~100 words): The study shows that legalizing marijuana poses a negative health

effect on the public. Wilkinson speaks on how many health benefits are lacking evidence and not

strong enough to have it be legal yet. He also talks about how marijuana can be contaminated or

laced with substances because it is grown in different areas and dispensaries throughout the

country. Many different regions of the negatives of marijuana are discussed by Wilinson.

Evaluation (~100 words): Samuel Wilkinson is in the department of psychiatry at Yale. All of

the sources he uses throughout the article are found on scholarly websites, and backed up with

data and statistics. Wilkinson has been awarded a big number of different awards all the way

from 2012 till now. He has not just been awarded, but his name is found on many different
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studies and research. He focuses on depression, PTSD, and other mental health problems and is

interested in how cannabis affects people who suffer from these illnesses.

Reflection (~100 words):

As a result this source will be helpful in my essay as it shows a majorly opposing side to all of

the other articles and data entries. It is interesting on how he talks about it not having many

health benefits while another source of mine completely contradicts that point.

Significant Quotes:

● “It is associated with symptoms of obstructive and inflammatory lung disease, an

increased risk of lung cancer, and it is suspected to be associated with reduced pulmonary

function in heavy users” (Wilkinson, 2013).

● “Unlike any other prescription drug used for medical purposes, marijuana is not subject

to central regulatory oversight. It is grown in dispensaries, which, depending on the state,

have regulatory standards ranging from strict to almost non-existent” (Wilkinson, 2013).

● “A growing myth among the public is that marijuana is not an addictive substance. Data

clearly show that about 10% of those who use cannabis become addicted; this number is

higher among adolescents” (Wilkinson, 2013).

Part III

The legalization of marijuana is a very controversial topic in modern day culture. The

studies and information analyzed show a wide variety of some advantages and disadvantages to

the legalization of marijuana. Through the different entries, many aspects are taken into account,

such as, the age group affected, states that have legalized the drug and how it has affected them,

and as a nation what the effects are for better or worse. Marijuana is something that may affect
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certain communities, or even the economy. Some people believe taxing marijuana and legalizing

it is a great way to boost the economy, and others believe that it is corrupting children throughout

the U.S.

There are certain groups of people that believe legalizing marijuana on a federal level is

detrimental to the country. “Denise Walker, a researcher at the University of Washington,

believes the public may not be aware of all the health issues related to the use of marijuana. She

states that marijuana “can be addictive, it can diminish intelligence, it impairs driving and it can

trigger anxiety and psychological illnesses” (as cited in Sieczkowski, 2012, para. 12). Denise

focuses on the aspects that affect the health of people who are exposed to marijuana, rather than

an economic game piece to fix the country’s debt. On the other side they’re people who feel that

health issues are not a problem with marijuana and that the benefits of the drug far outweigh the

problems with it. “Siezkowski (2012) points out that within the past 25 years over 241,000

people were arrested for possession of marijuana in the state of Washington at a cost to taxpayers

of over $300 million with most of those arrests coming within the past 10 years” (Hendricks &

Abassi & Aslinia, 2013). In summary, the article by Hendricks, Abassi, and Aslinia shows that

while Denise speaks on how the drug deters the country’s health, while Siezkowski shows that

the criminalization of the drug is deterring to not just a person’s health but their way of living.

An article called Marijuana Legalization Makes Black Market Better In Prohibition States from

Forbes touches on states that do not allow the use of recreational marijuana. Adams talks about

how the legalization of the drug in some states is allowing for it to be smuggled into prohibition

states to be resold to people. “Just last month, Nebraska State Police seized 1,600 pounds of

edible pot, including nearly 500 boxes of THC-infused chocolate bars” (Adams, 2018). Using

these statistics Adams shows that it is more work to regulate and control the illegal use of the
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drug, rather than just legalizing it. Many lawmakers oppose this view and are frightened that

with the legalization of marijuana will come intoxicated driving as people do with alcohol. This

to lawmakers is viewed as an added danger to the people throughout the country. A case study

titled Association of State Recreational Marijuana Laws With Adolescent Marijuana Use from

JAMA Pediatrics differs from the other sources in the sense that it focuses on the distinct group

of adolescent kids. Data was gathered from nearly 300,000 eighth, tenth, and twelfth graders in

Washington and Colorado. The objective of this experiment was “To examine the association

between the legalization of recreational marijuana use in Washington and Colorado in 2012 and

the subsequent perceived harmfulness and use of marijuana by adolescents” (Cerdá, M., Wall,

M., Feng, T., Keyes, K. M., Sarvet, A., Schulenberg, J., … Hasin, D. S., 2017). “Of the 253 902

participants, 120 590 of 245 065 (49.2%) were male, and the mean (SD) age was 15.6 (1.7)

years. In Washington, perceived harmfulness declined 14.2% and 16.1% among eighth and 10th

graders, respectively, while marijuana use increased 2.0% and 4.1% from 2010-2012 to 2013-

2015. In contrast, among states that did not legalize recreational marijuana use, perceived

harmfulness decreased by 4.9% and 7.2% among eighth and 10th graders, respectively, and

marijuana use decreased by 1.3% and 0.9% over the same period” (Cerdá, M., Wall, M., Feng,

T., Keyes, K. M., Sarvet, A., Schulenberg, J., … Hasin, D. S., 2017). This information shows a

contrast between Colorado and Washington. In Washington, the perceived harmfulness

decreased while the use of the drug increase, but in Colorado there was no identifiable change

between perceived harmfulness and marijuana use. The Benefits of Marijuana Legalization and

Regulation is a study from Berkeley done by Todd Tamar. Todd talks on why Marijuana has

been looked down upon and why it is perceived by people in many different ways. “These new

fears were seized on by Harry Anslinger—the first real drug czar—who was a racist. He
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zealously defended criminalizing people who used marijuana, using racist language and making

racist claims to do so. He maintained that marijuana was primarily being used by Mexicans and

African Americans who were bringing it into white communities. He falsely claimed that

marijuana would turn people into psychopaths, murderers, and rapists” (Tamar, 2018). Tamar

speaks on Harry falsely claiming that marijuana affects the mental health of people, but some

people believe that. “Marijuana for recreational use will have many adverse health effects. The

drug is addictive, with mounting evidence for the existence of a withdrawal syndrome.

Furthermore, it has been shown to have adverse effects on mental health, intelligence (including

irreversible declines in cognition), and the respiratory system” (Wilkinson, 2013). Wilkinson

doesn’t just touch on mental health but also physical health. “It is associated with symptoms of

obstructive and inflammatory lung disease, an increased risk of lung cancer, and it is suspected

to be associated with reduced pulmonary function in heavy users” (Wilkinson, 2013). Lastly, a

family has experienced the benefits of marijuana and all it has to offer. The Hyde Family’s son

Cash was diagnosed with a stage four brain tumor on June 21st, 2008. Cash went through many

different procedures and treatments that made him far sicker than ever. His father looked into

alternative medicine and his son was not only feeling better while going through things like

chemo, but years later in now cancer free. Throughout the newscast, the father talks on how

medical professionals are very against the use of marijuana especially in a child. They tell the

family that they do not support such a thing in the hospital. KXLY spoke to Shari Allen, a nurse

practitioner that deals with the use of medical marijuana. “What I try to do here at this office is to

create an atmosphere that is truly medical because I do believe that cannabis is medicine, and we

are trying to use it as medicine” (Allen, 2011).


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All in all, there are many differences on the topic of legalizing the recreational use of

marijuana. One of the many topics discussed throughout the articles is the fact that it affects your

health. One side claimed it can cause diseases and lung problems, while the other showed how

cannabis oil has changed their young sons life forever. Another big thing looked at was the

perceived harmfulness and one side spoke about how many teenagers viewed the drug as less

harmful and the drug use was increased, but the other study showed that in Colorado there

wasn’t a correlation to show the differences between use and perceived risk. Many of the articles

were written years ago and we are already seeing a push for the legalization of marijuana, but

there are still people who believe it is not a good idea. The legalization of marijuana is a topic

still debated and middle ground is being found with state legislatures, and lawmakers. The drug

still does not have enough studies done to solidly say one side is better than the other. It is

important to understand the effects of the drug both good and bad.

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