Marijuana Legalization: Pros and Cons

Dispensary in California offers a wide variety of recreational marijuana for medical use. A well-known plant from Central Asia is now used in textile production, medicine, and recreation, that is, to relieve stress. The talk of whether it is legitimate to consider cannabis as a light drug has not subsided for a long time. In many countries around the world, in particular, in the USA, Canada, South Africa, Spain and the Netherlands, laws allow the use of cannabis for recreational or medical purposes.

In recent years, there have been a growing amount of movements that advocate the legalization of marijuana use. In a number of countries, it has long been allowed to use weed for medical purposes. The public opinion is that should be legal, but most are concerned about the health damage and other effects.

Why Cannabis Should Be Legalized?

Here are a few reasons why weed needs to be decriminalized:

1. Weed is generally no more harmful than alcohol or tobacco when used in moderation. Many studies aimed at studying the harmfulness of marijuana have shown that it is tantamount to using alcohol or tobacco. Most doctors tend to think that moderate consumption does not cause problems and addiction.
2. So far, not a single lethal outcome has been recorded worldwide from smoking cannabis. This is not surprising, since the lethal dose should be 40,000 times higher than the usual single dose of marijuana consumption. Moreover, even if a person sets a goal to poison themselves with cannabinoids, he or she will not die from their effects, but from carbon monoxide poisoning.
3. Marijuana contains over 200 active ingredients. The main psychotropic active substance is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). When smoking marijuana, together with the smoke, it first enters the lungs of a person, and then reaches the brain receptors through the bloodstream, causing a slight euphoria. Thus, under the influence of THC, the nervous system relaxes and the mood improves. At the same time, colors are notable more vividly, life seems more attractive, and even sounding music is more pleasant.
4. In the case of older people, the use of marijuana alleviates the course of many complex and chronic diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. Studies conducted in 2014 clearly demonstrated that THC inhibits the formation of new amyloid plaques in patients with Alzheimer’s.
5. It is believed that marijuana legalization will reduce crime. It is proven that people using cannabis can be socialized, and work, and they do not show aggression.
6. Marijuana has been proven to help people with epilepsy. In addition, its use stimulates appetite in cancer patients. That is, in addition to the economic benefits, it is useful to use hemp for medical purposes.

Cons of cannabis legal

Scientists have long noticed that people who actively use weed have an underestimated ability to absorb new information and may have problems with memory. The ability to learn is also observed, faces are hard to remember and recognize. But with the complete cessation of smoking, these negative effects completely disappear already on the third day.

Also, long-term marijuana use has a negative effect on brain activity and negatively affects the level of intelligence. This is especially noticeable among teenagers, whose IQ levels can drop by several points as a result of constant cannabis smoking.

Society’s Attitude towards Cannabis Legalization

Despite the risks that can be encountered when smoking marijuana, it is still one of the favorite drugs among young people. Meanwhile, the discussion about the legalization of cannabis use does not subside in many countries, and the level of adoption of this drug by society is growing. In countries where weed is legal, there are dedicated coffee shops that are an integral part of modern culture. Especially this movement is common in Amsterdam.

The new government of Germany, amid the birth of the movement, is considering the legalization of cannabis. Above all, the aim is to protect the health of consumers, keep children and young people away from drug use, and destroy the black market. At the same time, the topic of rapid legalization and cultivation of cannabis is very complicated and this is not a law that can be passed quickly.

Cannabis use is on the rise

Cannabis use is on the rise around the world, but in countries where cannabis is legal, weed is consumed only in designated areas. For example, in Canada, when it became legal in all provinces, there were 22% more people using the weed for recreational purposes.

According to the latest research, 27% of participants reported using cannabis in the past year. This is a 22% increase from the first cannabis survey in 2017. So, the number of criminal convictions for cannabis-related offenses among young people has fallen sharply. This suggests that the effect of cannabis legalization in this area is considerable.

Scientists’ verdict

There is still a lot of controversy around marijuana, but the answer of scientists to weed legalization is unequivocal: any drug is addictive, and marijuana, including it. However, addiction is only possible with the regular use of weed over a long period of time. Numerous medical studies have shown that only 10% of people who use cannabis on a daily basis tempt by addiction. But the younger the body, the greater the chance of getting addicted.

Despite this, marijuana is much safer than opioids, which have a structural similarity to morphine and are traditionally used in chronic pain medicine. They cause physical dependence much faster, which is not so pronounced with marijuana use.