Legalization of Medical Marijuana
The Cannabis plant, otherwise known as the marijuana plant, has been a topic of major discussion for decades. The one true question still remains: Should marijuana be legal? This question over the legalization of the marijuana plant has become a crucial issue. “Over the last 40 years, the legal status of marijuana has been debated vigorously.” (Joffe, Yancy, 2), as quoted by pediatrics Alain Joffe and W. Samuel Yancy of the Committee of Substance Abuse and the Committee on Adolescence. These debates are about whether the pros of marijuana outweigh the cons, or vice versa. One of the few states that are recently pending these debates is Ohio. This will influence whether or not marijuana should be legalized or illegalized. Currently, “as of August 21st, 2013, Ohio is one of four states with pending legislation to legalize medical marijuana, the three other states being Minnesota, New York, and Pennsylvania.” (ProCon, 1) “Proponents of policies that would permit individual possession of small amounts of marijuana argue that it is a safe drug and that criminal sanctions against personal use and possession represent at worst excessively harsh and at best unnecessary penalties.” (Joffe, Yancy, 2) On the other hand, pediatrics Joffe and Yancy also explain the supporters’ side of the illegalization of marijuana:
Those opposing liberalization of current laws counter that marijuana is not a benign drug, especially in light of new psychopharmacologic information demonstrating that marijuana shares many features with other illicit drugs. They also contend that legalization or decriminalization of personal use of marijuana likely would trigger a substantial increase in use, with foreseeable increases in the social, economic, and health costs. (2)
So, marijuana does have some benefits (pros), but it also has many faults (cons) as well. In retrospect, legalization would likely bring about a reduction in crimes, a relief of emotional...