Differences and Similarities in the Arguments for Legalizing Marijuana
Lorena Burgess
RHE 309S
October 28th, 2011
Differences and Similarities in the Arguments for Legalizing Marijuana
The legalization of marijuana has become a mainstream issue that the nation has become highly concerned about in recent years. Lately more and more conservative opposers have begun to change their minds, realizing the benefits of marijuana. Debate followers go as far as saying that it is no longer a question of if marijuana will be legalized, but when. The shift in viewpoints is due to the increasing awareness of some of the positive effects legalizing marijuana could have on the country. Pro-legalization advocates argue that the benefits of legalizing marijuana greatly outnumber the benefits of keeping it illegal.
There are several, very different arguments for the pro-pot stance advocates have taken. They claim legalization would be beneficial by causing a significant reduction in crime (which would empty prisons and save millions of dollars in tax money), creating a new industry that can be taxed and regulated, boosting the economy, and a new, effective, and low-dependency medicine.
These benefits seem to be universally desired by the pro-pot party and are often mentioned in literature advocating marijuana legalization. Another similarity in arguments usually revolves around the issue of medical marijuana. Some advocates call for marijuana to be completely legalized, including use for recreational purposes, but this is opposed in most cases. Some advocates only want marijuana legalization if there will be strict regulations and restrictions on who can use it.
In the article “Weed All About It,” Gary Cartwright gives ample evidence and quotations from experts that form his pro legalization argument: “In 1988 the Drug Enforcement
Administration 's chief law judge declared that ‘marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest
therapeutically active substances known to man’" (87). Cartwright goes into specific ways
that
RHE 309S
October 28th, 2011
Differences and Similarities in the Arguments for Legalizing Marijuana
The legalization of marijuana has become a mainstream issue that the nation has become highly concerned about in recent years. Lately more and more conservative opposers have begun to change their minds, realizing the benefits of marijuana. Debate followers go as far as saying that it is no longer a question of if marijuana will be legalized, but when. The shift in viewpoints is due to the increasing awareness of some of the positive effects legalizing marijuana could have on the country. Pro-legalization advocates argue that the benefits of legalizing marijuana greatly outnumber the benefits of keeping it illegal.
There are several, very different arguments for the pro-pot stance advocates have taken. They claim legalization would be beneficial by causing a significant reduction in crime (which would empty prisons and save millions of dollars in tax money), creating a new industry that can be taxed and regulated, boosting the economy, and a new, effective, and low-dependency medicine.
These benefits seem to be universally desired by the pro-pot party and are often mentioned in literature advocating marijuana legalization. Another similarity in arguments usually revolves around the issue of medical marijuana. Some advocates call for marijuana to be completely legalized, including use for recreational purposes, but this is opposed in most cases. Some advocates only want marijuana legalization if there will be strict regulations and restrictions on who can use it.
In the article “Weed All About It,” Gary Cartwright gives ample evidence and quotations from experts that form his pro legalization argument: “In 1988 the Drug Enforcement
Administration 's chief law judge declared that ‘marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest
therapeutically active substances known to man’" (87). Cartwright goes into specific ways
that