Cannabis as a cure has been a long-held issue, constantly debated as to whether its medicinal and recreational uses are worth the potential harms. The shift towards legalization began as cultural ideology changed, pushing for the normalization of cannabis. Some advocate for its medical purposes, to help relieve certain symptoms, while others simply support it because it makes them feel good.
The Title of Legalization
Currently, for adults, cannabis is legalized for recreational use in 24 states, medical use in 15 states, and illegal in 12 states. The legal status of cannabis entails more than just its public use; supporters of cannabis argue that its legalization will redirect sales from underground sites to trackable venues. Allowing cannabis to be more easily traced can help reduce crime rates caused by illegal markets. This relieves drug-related crime cases from law enforcement, letting them relocate their time to more significant issues. Frequent victims of unfair marijuana-related prosecution include minority groups, deemed criminals from racist foundations.
Opponents of cannabis legalization claimed that its normalcy will cause a domino effect, leading to more detrimental drugs being smuggled into the U.S. borders. Furthermore, its legalization for adults will most definitely affect children under 18 as well—cannabis could be easily obtained and dealt with, just like alcohol.
In addition to its effect on crime, cannabis legalization would put it under economic consideration. Cannabis sales could be taxed by the state and greatly increase state tax revenue. Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and California all imposed heavy taxes on recreational cannabis in addition to baseline state taxes. For Colorado, this resulted in almost a $20 million increase per month for recreational cannabis.
Medicinal Use
Cannabis is heavily used as a pain-reliever, and is shown as a more effective treatment than traditional painkillers. For patients suffering from other illnesses and run-off symptoms, cannabis would help them withstand painful yet necessary treatment.
CBD, which is found in cannabis, is often prescribed in forms of oils, tablets, and other tinctures. CBD specifically has been found to relieve alcohol and opioid addiction. It can reduce the psychological effects caused by alcohol withdrawal, such as anxiety and stress. However, substituting CBD for alcohol must be a careful and gradual process, as alcohol abuse could turn into CBD addiction, which is equally harmful.
For more specific ailments, CBD is currently being studied to relieve or cure Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and more. Make note that cannabis as a whole is not seen as medically helpful—only CBD, the “mellow” component in cannabis, is used, as opposed to THC, which causes the “high” cannabis is most known for. THC specifically cannot be prescribed. Doctors may only recommend specific doses and quantities taken, but cannot supersede federal law, which makes THC illegal, even in states where it's legalized.
Cannabis as a whole has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for medical use. While components of it are legally offered as treatment, more studies must be done to determine the extent of cannabis’ medical use.
Cannabis for Health
This topic is still being researched by the top facilities and hospitals around the world. Determining whether cannabis should be legalized for its medical purposes also brings forth a flood of factors to consider regarding recreational use. Even just for health reasons, cannabis is too unknown to completely support or object to. Current research shows that cannabis can alleviate many symptoms and even act as a treatment in some cases, but there are many outlets still too unknown to fully determine whether reward overcomes risk.
If cannabis gets legalized for health purposes, recreational use will follow suit, a social issue that intertwines with broader issues like crime and the economy. For now, hospitals and the FDA will continue to research the impacts of cannabis medically and help determine whether federal legalization is the next step forward.