Cannabis Sativa, the illegal strain of hemp known as marijuana, provides numerous benefits that greatly outweigh the harmful effects of the drug. The perceivable physical and social problems of excessive use of marijuana are severe, yet unproven. These problems are easily related to those posed by excessive alcohol consumption on a regular basis. There are a variety of advantages of the legalization of marijuana that can be categorized as medical, social, and economical improvements.
Although the harmful side effects such as brain damage caused by the use of marijuana have not been proven, as the only government licensed testing for this effect was unmercifully biased, the advantages of the drug in a medical context have been repeatedly proven. Marijuana is known to slow the influences of diseases including AIDS, glaucoma, epilepsy, certain forms of cancer, and many more fatal and incurable ailments.
Currently, approximately 150,000 citizens of Ontario alone suffer from diseases that marijuana would help to lessen, but due to the stringency of federal and provincial laws only 50 of these people are granted exemption. The war on drugs endangers us all. Police react towards the age groups who are commonly rumoured to use these drugs severely. The sad fact is that crime is induced by the actions of law officials. People are forced to very dangerously smuggle marijuana in and out of the country.
Sales of the drug have seeped into every tiny crevice of our communities. This could be stopped almost instantly with the licensing of sales in stores and specialized cafs. Also, it is rumoured that marijuana is a gateway drug to harder, more dangerous substances like cocaine and heroin. The reasoning behind this is that a large portion of hard drug users smoked marijuana before advancing to harder drugs. The flaw in this reasoning is that the majority of marijuana users have never before used hard drugs.
The nation’s economy would undoubtedly be one of the largest beneficiaries of the legalization of marijuana. By adding steep tariffs on import, export, and sales of marijuana, Canadas revenue would be increased greatly, adding money that could go towards lowering taxes, lowering the national debt, and increasing healthcare and national security. The prices of marijuana, despite the high taxes, would be significantly lowered due to the decrease of danger from prosecution. The current street prices of marijuana range from $150 to $250 per ounce of low-grade bud.
These prices could be lowered anywhere from 50% to 95% depending on the sharpness of the government implemented taxes. The medical, social, and economical benefits of the legalization of marijuana are strongly evident and should be taken into consideration by anyone condemning the drug. The current drug laws are unjust and must be abolished or amended before more people suffer for need of medicinal marijuana. For the good of our country, the legalization of marijuana should be supported by anyone who cares for its citizens.
