Legalize Marijuana
Legalize Marijuana
Introduction to Ethics & Social Responsibility
SOC 120
December 17, 2012
Legalize Marijuana
There are many opponents to the idea of legalizing marijuana though states such as California, Arizona and many other states have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes (Barnes, 2000). So if marijuana has medicinal attributes then how does it also fit the unsafe category? So it is a drug that is medicinal but also harmful, is this not the case with almost every approved pharmaceutical drug? There is a strong argument by many that legalizing marijuana will send the wrong message and increase its recreational use, consequently causing more harm than good. I wholeheartedly object that legalizing marijuana will send the wrong message. I believe that the good in legalizing marijuana by far outweighs the bad. I believe that legalization would have a positive impact on our economy but many people are blinded by their own perceived moral relativism. States have taken the unilaterally approach of legalizing marijuana based on utilitarianism morals and political theory, essentially civil disobedience due to the unilateral belief that legalization based on the weeds medicinal properties is greater good than harm (Barnes, 2000).
Most of the opposition on legalizing marijuana stems from the theory that legalizing marijuana would increase recreational use and lead to addiction which consequently causes more harm than good (Andre & Velasquez, 2010). By now, common knowledge is that the use of tobacco is highly addictive and is the cause of lung and esophagus cancer which all leads to death. If this is true, then why is tobacco not prohibited? If some can agree that marijuana is no worse than the use of tobacco in fact it has medicinal attributes but jet tobacco indeed is legal and has no medicinal value then why not legalize marijuana? Tobacco has become morally acceptable because it is profitable and generous with donations. For example, a couple
Introduction to Ethics & Social Responsibility
SOC 120
December 17, 2012
Legalize Marijuana
There are many opponents to the idea of legalizing marijuana though states such as California, Arizona and many other states have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes (Barnes, 2000). So if marijuana has medicinal attributes then how does it also fit the unsafe category? So it is a drug that is medicinal but also harmful, is this not the case with almost every approved pharmaceutical drug? There is a strong argument by many that legalizing marijuana will send the wrong message and increase its recreational use, consequently causing more harm than good. I wholeheartedly object that legalizing marijuana will send the wrong message. I believe that the good in legalizing marijuana by far outweighs the bad. I believe that legalization would have a positive impact on our economy but many people are blinded by their own perceived moral relativism. States have taken the unilaterally approach of legalizing marijuana based on utilitarianism morals and political theory, essentially civil disobedience due to the unilateral belief that legalization based on the weeds medicinal properties is greater good than harm (Barnes, 2000).
Most of the opposition on legalizing marijuana stems from the theory that legalizing marijuana would increase recreational use and lead to addiction which consequently causes more harm than good (Andre & Velasquez, 2010). By now, common knowledge is that the use of tobacco is highly addictive and is the cause of lung and esophagus cancer which all leads to death. If this is true, then why is tobacco not prohibited? If some can agree that marijuana is no worse than the use of tobacco in fact it has medicinal attributes but jet tobacco indeed is legal and has no medicinal value then why not legalize marijuana? Tobacco has become morally acceptable because it is profitable and generous with donations. For example, a couple
References: Abramsky, S. (2010, December 27). Altered State. The Nation, 291(26), 17-22. Andre, C., & Velasquez, M. (2010). Utilitarian Ethics: The Utilitarian Aproach. Retrieved December 17, 2012, from The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics: Block, W. (1996). Drug prohibition and individual virtue. Review Of Political Economy, 8(4), 433. Money from tobacco. (2010, November 19). China Daily , p. 8. Retrieved from http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2010-11/19/content_11579168.htm Nadelman, E 56(13), 28-33. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed December 4, 2012).