Just Say No to Legalization of Marijuana
Running head: JUST SAY NO TO LEGALIZATION
Just Say No to Legalization of Marijuana
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Legalization of illicit drugs is a controversial topic. Proponents approach the issue from many vantage points. This paper will address two main arguments proponents of drug legalization put forth. First, they claim illicit drugs such as marijuana should be legalized due to medical value this drug is alleged to possess. They also claim that legalization would reduce crime. The arguments and reasoning proponents use can sound alluring at first glance, but it proves to be flawed under closer scrutiny. I will refute the argument that marijuana has legitimate medical use, and the claim that legalizing marijuana or other illicit drugs would reduce crime.
First, I will discuss the claim that marijuana has medical use. "In 1994, a U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that marijuana should remain a Schedule I drug: highly addictive with no medical usefulness. The court noted that the pro-marijuana physicians had relied on non-scientific evidence" (DEA, 2000). The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) is an association which advocates the legalization and decriminalization of drugs such as marijuana. Under the guise of persons concerned about alleviating the pain of the terminally ill, NORML claims that making marijuana legal for medical purposes is a legitimate reason to legalize marijuana. Ironically, the book titled Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base which NORML refers to on their web page (2000) in support of their claim that smoking marijuana is beneficial, indeed more beneficial than any currently legal pain remedy, does not support their view under closer inspection. The authors (Joy et al, 1999) at the Institute of Medicine warn of the dangers of smoking marijuana:
The chronic effects of marijuana are of greater concern for medical use and fall into two categories: the effects of chronic smoking and
Just Say No to Legalization of Marijuana
Your Name
Your University
Legalization of illicit drugs is a controversial topic. Proponents approach the issue from many vantage points. This paper will address two main arguments proponents of drug legalization put forth. First, they claim illicit drugs such as marijuana should be legalized due to medical value this drug is alleged to possess. They also claim that legalization would reduce crime. The arguments and reasoning proponents use can sound alluring at first glance, but it proves to be flawed under closer scrutiny. I will refute the argument that marijuana has legitimate medical use, and the claim that legalizing marijuana or other illicit drugs would reduce crime.
First, I will discuss the claim that marijuana has medical use. "In 1994, a U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that marijuana should remain a Schedule I drug: highly addictive with no medical usefulness. The court noted that the pro-marijuana physicians had relied on non-scientific evidence" (DEA, 2000). The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) is an association which advocates the legalization and decriminalization of drugs such as marijuana. Under the guise of persons concerned about alleviating the pain of the terminally ill, NORML claims that making marijuana legal for medical purposes is a legitimate reason to legalize marijuana. Ironically, the book titled Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base which NORML refers to on their web page (2000) in support of their claim that smoking marijuana is beneficial, indeed more beneficial than any currently legal pain remedy, does not support their view under closer inspection. The authors (Joy et al, 1999) at the Institute of Medicine warn of the dangers of smoking marijuana:
The chronic effects of marijuana are of greater concern for medical use and fall into two categories: the effects of chronic smoking and
References: Bureau of Justice Statistics. (1994). Fact Sheet: Drug Related Crime. [On-line]. Available: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/drrc.pdf Drug Enforcement Agency. (1999). DEA Congressional Testimony. [On-line]. Available: http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/cngrtest/ct061699.htm Drug Enforcement Agency. (2000). Say it Straight: Medical Myths of Marijuana. [On-line]. Available: http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/sayit/myths.htm Joy, J. E., Watson, Jr., S. J., & Benson, Jr., J. A. (Eds.), (1999). Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base, Washington, DC: National Academy Press. NORML. (2000). [On-line]. Available: http://www.norml.org/