Puff Puff, or Pass?: Choosing a Side in The Nation's Battle Over Legalizing Marijuana

The negative connotation of marijuana has long been agreed upon by mothers and politicians across America. Many view the mind-altering herb to be a viscous de-motivator of our youth and a dangerous gateway drug resting in the hands of hippies and burn-outs. However, due to recent medical discoveries, economical analysis, and a new generation's support, the stigma around marijuana has receded and legalization has been pushed into the forefront of American politics and onto the ballot. Many believe that despite previous controversy, the legalization of marijuana will benefit the average American citizen as well as medical patients with sever pain, by redirecting law enforcement, boosting economy, and providing innovative pain treatments. 

  The War on Drugs has long been battling the recreational use of marijuana, however law enforcement has never worked as fervently to abolish the drug as they currently are. In 1965 American law enforcement reportedly made two marijuana arrests per hour. Over the years that number has experienced a drastic increase and in 2007 a reported ninety-nine arrests per hour were made in the United States for marijuana possession. (NORML) The increased crack-down on marijuana is reflected by its price tag. In 2009 more than $14,100,000,000 was spent to reduce drug use and availability. That's $446.81 per second. (Miron) 

 The War on Drugs is one factor that has lead to jail over crowding. According  to the Justice Policy Institute, "The increases in drug imprisonment is… leading to significant overcrowding and contribute to the growing costs of prisons. Prisons are stretched beyond capacity, creating dangerous and unconstitutional conditions which often result in costly lawsuits."  More than half the federal prison population in 2008 was attributed those sentenced for drug possession. Startlingly, fifty-two percent of of all drug arrests in 2008 were for marijuana. Even more startling, is that eighty-nine percent of those arrests were for simple possession and not drug trafficking or distribution. This means law enforcement is devoting a great amount of time prosecuting individual users of marijuana, most of whom pose no threat to society. In 2009 a 95,205 people were imprisoned for drug related crimes, compared to the 14,773 imprisoned for violent crimes.  At an average cost of $18,000 to $31,000 (varies by state) to incarcerate a criminal for one year, the American government is spending an exorbitant amount of capita to house marijuana-related inmates. (West) 

 Despite the ever growing cost of the War on Drugs, many are content with where their tax dollars and law enforcement's attention is going. Mother of four, Susanna Kroll states, "…(I) feel safe knowing that my children won't be able to find marijuana, thanks to the hard work of the police officers in this town. I'm proud our government cares so much about protecting our children". 

 The cost of eliminating marijuana from the streets may be worth it for Mrs. Kroll, but is it fiscally logical for America? This is a question that lays heavily on the minds of many citizens. With a 14.2 trillion dollar national debt rising by the second, many Americans are questioning the nessecity of such vast spending. Dr Miron, a professor of economics at Harvard and author of "The Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition", states in his book that "Replacing marijuana prohibition with a system of legal regulation would save approximately $7.7 billion per year in government expenditures on prohibition enforcement -- $2.4 billion at the federal level and $5.3 billion at the state and local levels".  This astronomical savings opportunity has been at the forefront of many legalization debates and is what lobbyists hope to be a winning argument. 

 Not only could the United States government stand to save money with the legalization of marijuana, it has the possibility to generate tremendous tex revenue. Based on current marijuana consumption, California alone has the possibility to generate $105,400,000 in tax revenue in just one year.  If marijuana was sold and taxed as if it were a regular consumer product, it would generate $2.4 billion dollars nation-wide per year. If it were taxed like tobacco or alcohol, tax revenue jumps to $6.2 billion dollars per year. (Miron) Legalization of marijuana could potentially take America $14 billion out of debt every year. That money could also be put towards school systems, healthcare, or reducing the starvation rate. That fact alone has convinced many Americans to reevaluate their stance on legalization. 

 In addition to jumpstarting the American economy to benefit the average citizen, marijuana legalization will assist citizens battling medical ailments such as cancer and chronic pain.  Chemotherapy has proven to be an especially effective method of cancer eradication but often induces severe nausea and vomiting. Cannabinoids, the chemical compound found in the cannabis plant, has proven itself to be a powerful suppressant of nausea and vomiting. “The National Cancer Institute scientists believe that synthetic THC may be appropriate for some cancer patients who have chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting that cannot be controlled by other antiemetic agents” (NCI).  This belief is highly controversial and has been refuted by many other scientists.  However, that has not stopped the progression of inavative medical advances in the field. As well as traditional marijuana cigarettes, patients are now being administered a synthetic marijuana pill that is ingested by mouth.  “Dronabinol (Marinol®), a synthetic form of the active marijuana constituent delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is available by prescription for use as an antiemetic. In 1985, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its use for the treatment of nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy in patients who had not responded to the standard antiemetic drugs” (NCI).  In addition to quelling nausea, marijuana has proven to help increase appetite. Anorexia is the most common symptom in cancer patients and is harmful to the healing process. A patient who maintains proper body weight and nutrition will be able to tolerate therapy much more. The side effect of marijuana commonly referred to as ‘the munchies’ induces hunger in the user, thus delivering essential nutrients to the body. 

 Cancer patients have benefitted so much from the medicinal marijuana advances, that other fields of medicine have started to explore the plant's healing qualities as well. One such field is chronic pain. Bill McCarberg M.D. is currently the co-president of the Western Pain Society as well as a National Pain Foundation advisor. Despite current pain treatment options, McCarberg states, "…Patients are in desperate need of new pain management approaches. Cannabinoid medicines appear very promising".  Pain patients are most commonly prescribed oxycodone, a class of medications that work by altering the brain 

and nervous system and causing the body to respond differently to pain. Oxycodone is a highly addictive opiate and has some patients shying away from the treatment. Many patients are concerned with the chemical alteration of the brain that opiates induce and would prefer not to take the class A drug. Those patients are in luck, "Numerous studies have now established that cannabinoids help lessen pain and affect a wide range of symptoms and bodily functions. Such research has also demonstrated that cannabinoids may work together with opioids to enhance their effectiveness and reduce tolerance" (McCarberg). As the range of medical marijuana stretches, a larger spectrum of patients are benefiting from the plant's healing qualities. 

 While many are enthusiastic about the legalization of marijuana, others are unconvinced. Dr. Robert L. DuPont, ex-director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse states, "If the U.S. were to legalize marijuana, the number of marijuana users would increase. Today there are 15.2 million current marijuana users in comparison to 129 million alcohol users and 70.9 million tobacco users. Though the number of marijuana users might not quickly climb to the current numbers of alcohol and tobacco, if marijuana was legalized, the increase in users would be both large and rapid with subsequent increases in addiction". Dr. DuPont's opinion is shared by a large percent of Americans, however many citizens and politicians can see the potential benefits of legalization and are working towards that goal. If they succeed, our nation as a whole will have more money for communities, less debt, efficient law enforcement and pain-free citizens. With so many positive side effects, it can't be long before marijuana legalization sweeps the country.