Cannabis, as of now, is legal as a medicine in 33 states of the US. And out of these, 11 are recreational too. But at the federal level, the herb is still illegal. The MORE act was recently introduced in the US House of Representatives to decriminalize cannabis. And on December 4th, it was voted passed with a count of 228-164. Still, though, there are roadblocks to legal weed at the federal level. The act needs to be passed through Senate too. And here, the majority leader Mitch McConnell is completely anti-cannabis. Hence, “if legal cannabis will become reality?” is still tricky to answer.
But should cannabis actually be legalized? Are there any real benefits of it? Well, weed doctors Riverside definitely think so. Doctors say that legal cannabis can help us in many ways.
Lets have a look at some of the arguments supporting legalization of cannabis.
Cannabis is Medicinal
Sure, the research on the herb is minimal still. But marijuana has been credited to help people with several different ailments. The current research shows that cannabis has many medicinal and therapeutic properties. And it may help people in conditions like pain, anxiety, paranoia, inflammation, and even chemotherapy side effects very efficiently. There are many scientific and anecdotal evidence to support it. And for this very reason, today, the herb has become so popular.
But why people choose cannabis over other, traditional medicines?
Well, there are two main reasons for it. Firstly, cannabis, as per the weed doctors Riverside, forms a lot less addiction than a regular pharmaceutical drug. And secondly, the side effects of it are minimal. Both these reasons are more than enough to press the fact that cannabis is better than pharmaceutical drugs.
Cannabis Legalization Will Save Resources
Do you know the US government spent $47+ billion on the war against drugs in the year 2018 alone? And out of a total of 1,654,282 drug-related arrests in the year, 663,367 were because of marijuana law violations. This means the government is spending way too much money on something that isn’t actually that problematic, even if it is. Think of how actually we can spend this money on something useful.
Additionally, cannabis prohibition has given way to various illicit markets. In the 1930s, marijuana prohibition was to discourage the use of the substance. But in reality, the opposite happened. And we are wasting a huge sum of money on stopping it.
Legal Cannabis Creates Jobs And Makes Money
Yes, legal cannabis can make money. On the contrary, cannabis prohibition burns it. As per the reports, the state-legalized cannabis market is already worth close to $10 billion. And this industry employs not less than 243,700 people in the country.
In California, during its second year of recreational legalization only, the state made $305.3 million in excise tax only. In Colorado, marijuana helps students pay for their college by offering them scholarships. And thanks to this state-level legalization, now, job seekers don’t have to worry much about their after-work marijuana use.
Marijuana is Safer Than Alcohol
As per the research, cannabis is a lot safer than alcohol in general. You perhaps have heard of death instances due to alcohol abuse. However, during the whole history of cannabis, there hasn’t been even a single death report. In fact, weed doctors Riverside tell us that it’s impossible to overdose on cannabis, as it would require a person to consume a huge amount in a very short span.
But hey, it doesn’t mean cannabis is totally safe to consume excessively. Consuming too much of it can still induce several uncomfortable side effects, which include anxiety, paranoia, and even hallucinations.
With more and more research on cannabis surfacing lately, a lot of people have started changing their perception toward it. However, the herb has still a way to go. The weather is surely changing. But we are still not any nearer to full cannabis legalization. We have already started the journey. Let’s see how soon we reach our destination.