Should Recreational Drugs Be Legalized?

Should Recreational Drugs be Legalized?

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Should Recreational Drugs be Legalized?

Introduction

There are certain things that need to be kept in mind when recreational drugs are being discussed. For starters, there are different kinds of recreational drugs and some of them are also under the pharmaceutical industry. One of the most talked about and common recreational drug is marijuana. In recent days, there are around eleven states in the United States where recreational marijuana is legal. That is unfortunate as scientific research and theory has made clear that marijuana has more disadvantages to health than advantages. It is being made legal based on the doubtful claim that it is safe and non-addictive (Hall & Lynskey, 2016). This paper will discuss in depth the reason behind why recreational drugs should not be made illegal in the light of marijuana legalization.

Discussion

There is no doubt in the fact that deeming a recreational drug like marijuana as safe is nothing less than dubious. How is this possible that a drug which temporarily makes an individual delusional will not have any long-term side effects? In fact, science has proven that constant use of marijuana can cause serious health issues like impairing of mental and physical functions, heart diseases, weakness in the immune system, cancer and birth related issues. Further other disadvantages of marijuana trafficking also include violent crimes, murders, gang culture and social disintegration.

The Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 (RCTCA) is doing striving hard to legalize recreational marijuana. The main purpose of the act is to regulate marijuana in the United States like alcohol. The act has instigated that anyone who is over the age of 21 can use, process and possess marijuana. The act has also stated that people can move up to one ounce of marijuana with them. Where there is legalization of the usage of the drug, it also allows people to grow the drug on their private property. There are certain restrictions to how the drug can be moved and grown but nonetheless, it is made legal to be used by the general public. The people who are pro marijuana mostly compare it to alcohol and believe that it might be similar to it. In a way, they might be correct that marijuana is as soft as alcohol. It is less potent than other drugs like heroin or coke but that does not mean that it is safe. when it comes to alcohol there are certain traditions being followed and people have been consuming and producing it for centuries. Alcohol is made by the fermentation of products that everyone is already familiar with (Ezell, Norwood, Stewart, Greenwood, Waight, Bishop & Hutchins, 2017). Further, to majority of the consumers alcohol is not addictive and it is done mostly occasionally. Lastly, there are researches and studies that prove that the use of alcohol can prove to be beneficial.

On the contrary, marijuana is different from alcohol. It is proven that the consumption of marijuana can cause addiction and serious health issues. The National institute of drug abuse has made it evident with their research and investigation that long-term consumption of marijuana can lead to serious health concerns and the deterioration of the body. Further, it is also a proven fact that the people who use marijuana cannot excel academically due to the damaging of brain cells. Subsequently, one of the worst disadvantages of the drug is the increase in crime rate. The legalization of the drug will cause an increase in its demand, which will lead to unlawful activities in order to meet the needs pf the consumer. Additionally, there is also presence of uncertainty as to how a state law legalizing the consumption of marijuana will fit with the Federal law. The Congress has done quite some work in restricting the use of drugs over the course of time and trying to regulate marijuana will call for a reconstruction of certain laws. Then there is also the involvement of FDA when it comes to any drug, which will be causing obvious issues in trying to regulate the drug. Further, the legalization of marijuana will also cause tax issues and a significant economy fluctuation proving to the fact why it should not be made legal. In fact, under the Obama rule it was claimed by the people of California that the tax fluctuation does not over rule the medical expenses that the people will have.

Conclusion

All and all, there is no doubt in the fact that the legalization of recreational drug should not be prohibited. Drugs should stay restricted to medical use alone. It is evident with research that these recreational drugs can cause pronounced harm to the health and worsen it over the course of time. The pro marijuana users need to understand that even if the drug gets legalized there are issues regarding the regulation and not to mention the obvious increase in the crime rate.

References

Ezell, S., Norwood, M., Stewart, B., Greenwood, K., Waight, C., Bishop, P., & Hutchins, H. (2017). Human Ecosystems and Technological Change. McGraw-Hill.

Hall, W., & Lynskey, M. (2016). Evaluating the public health impacts of legalizing recreational cannabis use in the United States. Addiction, 111(10), 1764-1773.