The Debate Concerning the Legalization of Marijuana :: Legalization Marijuana Drugs essays papers

The Debate Concerning the Legalization of Marijuana The debate over the legalization of marijuana is long standing and will continue indefinitely for years to come. Both sides of this issue are passionate in their positions and provide strong arguments to support their stands. After reviewing all the information, I understand each argument but I feel strongly that it would do our country more good than harm to decriminalize marijuana. Aside from what the government would like you to think, there are actually positive effects that come from the use of marijuana. Perhaps the most popular current controversy dealing with the ongoing war on drugs is legalizing marijuana for medical purposes. As of August 1999, five western states - Alaska, Arizona, California, Oregon and Washington - passed laws legalizing the medical use of marijuana. Over the past two decades, more than 20 states and the District of Colombia have passed measures recognizing marijuana’s therapeutic value, but those did not authorize cultivation as the new measures do. Some states have made progress towards helping the chronically ill, but those in other states who are experiencing the same symptoms and dying from the same diseases deserve the same treatments. It may be a slow process, but we can only hope that every other state cares enough about their people to give them the best therapy for their illness as well. Jeff Jones, executive director and co-founder of the Oakland Cannabis Buyer’s Cooperative, remembers being 14 years old and watching his father die an agonizing death from kidney cancer. â€Å"Exactly four months after my dad passed away, I heard on CNN about Judge Young’s recommendation that marijuana should be made available for treating things like chemotherapy-induced nausea. I’ll tell you the message I got: that the federal government had been withholding valuable medicine and was indifferent to the suffering of its citizens.