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Grant Smith

Professor Kretzer

English Composition II

17 March 2019

How would our nation benefit from the legalization of marijuana?

It was an average Sunday afternoon in the small town of Miamisburg Ohio. Everyone

went about their day not knowing a tragedy was going to occur later that night. Around 10 pm on

Sunday, December 30th, 2018 there was a targeted home invasion ​off the 100 block of North

First Street​. Two armed individuals entered the apartment with the intent to rob the home. The

perpetrators then proceed to open fire upon those inside the apartment, sending one to the

hospital with serious injuries and killing my childhood friend, 18 year old Noah Kinser.

Noah was a former childhood friend of mine as well as classmate in my graduating class

this year. Noah smoked and sold marijuana throughout his highschool years. He acquired so

much of it, sold it in large quantities and brought in large sums of money. Until recently,

someone saw what he was doing and attempted to rob him of his money and large amounts of

marijuana he had obtained with a street value into the thousands. Because of this greedy

individual, Noah Kinser was shot and killed inside his home.

This paper provides further research on the question, “How would our nation benefit

from the legalization of marijuana?” because if marijuana was legal my childhood friend, 18 year

old Noah Kinser, would still be alive today and not die in the manner that he did. Legalizing

marijuana the amount of violence in legalized areas decreases. Purchasing marijuana comes with

its own rules and guidelines in legalized regions, but people will have the ability to follow them
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and safely purchase it without it being an illegal narcotic on the black market. Legalization of

marijuana can make our country a safer place, provide health benefits if dosed properly, and

provide a new market that will benefit both entrepreneurs as well as our government.

Marijuana is currently listed as an illegal narcotic and is regulated by our federal

government. The government accountability office states in their report to congressional

requesters that, “​ ​Marijuana is a controlled substance under federal law and is classified in the

most restrictive of categories of controlled substances by the federal government. Marijuana is

classified under Schedule I,13 the classification reserved for drugs that have been found by the

federal government to have a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in

treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use under medical

supervision”(7). Marijuana’s strict regulation by our government has allowed its black market

value to increase immensely. Although marijuana is a highly controlled substance by our

government, many still partake in it and use it frequently. Marijuana’s uncompromising

regulation and the vast amount of people who decide to use it regardless of the law, has created

an enormous, highly profitable and violent black market for itself.

In areas where marijuana has become less regulated and taken steps toward legalization,

it has been found to have a decrease in crime. In a study between two bordering cities with one in

Washington with recreational marijuana legal and one in Oregon where recreational marijuana

was illegal researchers from the ​Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization​ discovered, “ ​It

reduced rapes by between 15 and 30 percent (between two and four occurrences per 100,000

inhabitants), and thefts by between 10 and 20 percent (between 60 and 100 per 100,000

inhabitants”(7).
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Since marijuana is ruled an illegal substance across the U.S, it is not out of the normal to

see it linked with other types of crime. Due to marijuana's growing popularity and high black

market value, people will do anything it takes to get their hands on it. One of the biggest threats

to the American people are Mexican cartels who’s job is to smuggle drugs like cocaine, heroin,

meth as long as marijuana across the border. Mexican cartels make the majority of their profits

off of their marijuana sales due to its popularity in the U.S., Jamie Doward from ​The Guardian

News & Media​ discusses the large profits that Mexican Cartels have the ability to produce, “ the

market for marijuana is the largest drug market in the US and the one from which the cartels can

make the fattest profit. It costs around $75 to produce a pound of marijuana in Mexico, which

can then be sold on for $6,000 depending on the quality” (6).

When cartels bring their product across the border and into the U.S, other violent crimes

come along with it. ​The Guardian News & Media ​interviewed economist Eveline Gavrilova

where she explained the business side of Mexican cartels and their motives behind their violent

crimes, “They compete for territory, but it’s also easy to steal product from the other cartels and

sell it themselves, so they fight for the product. They also have to defend their territory and

ensure there are no bystanders, no witnesses to the activities of the cartel” (4). The “territory”

Gavrilova talks about is areas along and within U.S bordering states that cartels call their own

where they do a majority of their sales. When other competing cartels or any people disrupting

their business in their territory cartels tend to “ ensure there are no bystanders, no witnesses to

the activities of the cartel” by murdering anyone who stands as a threat in their way.

Since the recent legalization in a few U.S states bordering Mexico, the number of violent

crimes dropped in surprisingly large amounts. Researchers Takuma Kamada and Floris Zoutman
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analyzed FBI Crime reports in bordering states from 1994-2012 found out that, “found that

among the border states the effect of the change in law was largest in California, where there was

a reduction of 15% in violent crime, and weakest in Arizona, where there was a fall of 7%. The

crimes most strongly affected were robbery, which fell by 19%, and murder, which dropped by

10%. Homicides specifically related to the drug trade fell by an astonishing 41%.”(7).

These astounding statistics of the decrease in crime rates in places where marijuana is

legal goes to show just how much we can make our country a safer place for American citizens

and families to live. If we made the already popular and medicinal benefitting substance of

marijuana legal across our country, not only would our people benefit in many ways, but our

government would as well.

The current regulation of marijuana causes our jails and prisons across the U.S to become

completely filled with people trying to sell or simply use a substance that has been found to be

healthier on the body than alcohol, which has been a legal substance for decades. With our

nation’s jails and prisons filling up with these insignificant charges, it causes more stress on top

of an already stressful job for our government officials. Glenn Kessler from the Washington post

shares an interesting statistic received by the Justice Department about the substantial amount of

marijuana-related arrests across our country, “​Nearly 600,000 people a year are arrested for

marijuana possession, or more than one marijuana possession arrest every minute”(4). With this

many marijuana possession arrests, it causes a significant increase in work for all of our already

busy government officials such as police officers, parole officer, judges, court workers, the DEA

and even FBI in areas where marijuana is not legal.

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Along with the shocking amounts of marijuana possession arrests across the U.S, causes

us to wonder what types of people are exactly serving time in jails and penitentiaries across the

country. John Boehner, Former Republican House Speaker from Ohio, in an interview with

Bloomberg News, he addresses our nation’s problem with marijuana possession charges, “When

you look at the number of people in our state and federal penitentiaries, who are there for

possession of small amounts of cannabis, you begin to really scratch your head. We have literally

filled up our jails with people who are nonviolent and frankly do not belong there” (1). As a

result of this, our government officials are focusing more on nonviolent citizens due to

marijuana’s strict regulation and taking time away from getting the true violent and harsh

criminals off the streets of America.

Legalizing marijuana does not only put the true criminals in our nation's jails and

penitentiaries and create a less stressful workload for our nation’s hardworking government

officials but legalizing marijuana also has the ability bring financial benefits for our government.
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Taxing marijuana sales within legal marijuana dispensaries can bring in a new taxation

revenue for our country to take in and use in order to try to climb out of our nation's debt.

Canada is the second country in the world to legalize marijuana across their entire nation with

the first being Uruguay. Canada has created a plan to make taxation of marijuana beneficial in

many ways that I believe our country should take note of. In a CNN article written by European

writer Tom Chivers, he goes over Canada’s marijuana taxation plans created by Finance Minister

Bill Morneau, “​Canada also plans to tax cannabis, in a way that keeps it competitive. Consistent

with the goal of keeping cannabis out of the hands of kids and out of the black market. That

means keeping the taxes low so we can actually get rid of the criminals in the system” (11).

Keeping the taxes competitive in order to beat the black market is a very well thought out tactic

by Canada because not only will buying marijuana in Canada be safer for consumers, but also

cheaper. In order for the U.S black market of marijuana sales to die out, we need to adopt this

strategy of taxation when we legalize marijuana to effectively get rid of it. Minors receive a

majority of their marijuana from the black market and if the government creates a competitive

tax on marijuana to make the marijuana black market to diminish, marijuana will appear less in

minors hands making them have to wait until they are mature adults.

Another planned taxation strategy Canada is trying to introduce is taxation amounts

depending on the amount of THC in the product. In the CNN article by Tom Chivers he explains

this concept, “More interestingly, though, they want to tax the low-THC products less than

high-THC ones, in order to incentivize the production and sale of less harmful products, just as

most countries tax spirits more than they do beer” (12). This taxation policy encourages

marijuana users to purchase the lower THC products in an attempt to encourage them to use a
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healthier and cheaper form of marijuana. High THC strains of marijuana produce an extremely

large high for the user, which may cause users to seek an even larger high and begin

experimenting with other drugs that are dangerous and harmful.

After looking at Canada’s procedures for taxing marijuana sales, they appeared to look

extremely beneficial for not only the Canadian government but the consumers as well.

Purchasing marijuana legally from dispensaries within Canada is not only safer for the consumer

because they don't have to go through the black market, but also cheaper as well. Dispensaries

selling marijuana for a lower price will cause the dangerous and illegal black market of

marijuana to die out. In return, with the absence of a black market for marijuana kids are less

likely to get their hands on it.

Our country needs to examine the legalization and taxation of marijuana in Canada

because after analyzing it I think the way they regulate marijuana has the potential to be effective

and helpful for our country too. Marijuana is commonly used in the U.S already and if we

legalize and tax it’s sales competitively with the black market, it will make marijuana consumers,

as well as all citizens, have a safer place to call home.

Marijuana has been configured into thousands of strains for consumers to use. All strains

of marijuana have two things in common, they all contain different levels of extracts of CBD and

THC. Peter Grinspoon, MD from Harvard University explains the differences between CBD and

THC, “​CBD (which stands for cannabidiol) because this component of marijuana has little, if

any, intoxicating properties. Marijuana itself has more than 100 active components. THC (which

stands for tetrahydrocannabinol) is the chemical that causes the “high” that goes along with

marijuana consumption” (4).

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Strains of marijuana with higher CBD levels than THC have been found to have more

medicinal benefits when consumed. Doctor Grinspoon explains some of the specific illnesses

that benefit from medicinal marijuana, “Patients do, however, report many benefits of CBD,

from relieving insomnia, anxiety, spasticity, and pain to treating potentially life-threatening

conditions such as epilepsy” (5). Medicinal marijuana’s primary purpose is pain control.

Marijuana can’t treat severe pain felt in situations like post-surgery or a broken bone, but has

been found to help chronic pain that millions of Americans face as they age. Marijuana has also

been found to help manage nausea, weight loss, glaucoma and PTSD. People consuming

medicinal marijuana with these illnesses have reported beneficial effects. Medicinally, marijuana

acts as a relaxer and lowers anxiety levels.

With many states now legalizing the use of marijuana, the Federal Drug Administration

(FDA) has only approved the use of marijuana for only two conditions of epilepsy called Dravet

syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome according to ​WebMD.com. ​What hinders further

research and steps toward legalization of marijuana across our country is how it’s strictly

classified by our government. Marcel Bonn-Miller, PhD, a substance abuse specialist at the

University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine​ ​explains in detail, “ The U.S. Drug

Enforcement Administration (DEA) considers marijuana a Schedule I drug, the same as heroin,

LSD, and ecstacy, and likely to be abused and lacking in medical value. Because of that,

researchers need a special license to study it” (2).

While paying close attention the FDA and DEA regulations researchers have been able to

only take baby steps of research for all of the possible research cannabis has to offer. However,

Bonn-Miller discusses one of the biggest discoveries for medicinal marijuana, “ The greatest
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amount of evidence for the therapeutic effects of cannabis relate to its ability to reduce chronic

pain, nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy, and spasticity [tight or stiff muscles] from

multiple sclerosis” (9). This statement was brought to conclusion by being tested as a remedy in

a wide variety of illnesses such as,

● Alzheimer’s disease

● Appetite loss

● Cancer

● Crohn’s disease

● Anorexia

● Schizophrenia,

● Nausea

● Pain,

● Cachexia

● Multiple Sclerosis

● PTSD

The name cannabis originated from the contents within it called cannabinoids.

Cannabinoids are an active chemicals within medical marijuana that have been found to be

similar to chemicals in the body that are involved in memory, movement, pain and appetite.

Specifically, cannabinoids have found to,

● Reduce anxiety

● Reduce inflammation and relieve pain

● Control nausea and vomiting caused by cancer chemotherapy

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● Kill cancer cells and slow tumor growth

● Relax tight muscles in people with multiple sclerosis

● Stimulate appetite and improve weight gain in people with cancer and AIDS

Due to the violence of the black market of marijuana, people are suffering from cancer

treatment side effects, epilepsy and other illnesses that could their pain eased by using cannabis,

thousands if not millions of people are suffering on all levels due to the current regulation of

marijuana. Patients within our nation's hospitals are enduring brutal pain and suffering symptoms

of illnesses that have been found to be tamed by medicinal marijuana. Families are burying their

once known innocent children that have been labeled as outlaws by our government for using a

substance that has been proven to be safe by scientists. My childhood friend Noah Kinser was

supposed walk at graduation this May, but because of how our government regulates marijuana

he won’t be able to, his mother will be sitting alone in the stands remembering what could have

been an amazing occasion for her son. Our current regulation of marijuana is not only dangerous

for our country, but it has become detrimental. ​Legalization of marijuana can make our country a

safer place, provide health benefits if dosed properly, and provide a new market that will benefit

both entrepreneurs as well as our government.

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Works Cited

Chivers, Tom. “Legalizing Cannabis Is the Best Way to Protect Kids.” ​CNN,​ Cable News

Network, 17 Oct. 2018,

www.cnn.com/2018/10/17/opinions/canadian-cannabis-legalization-chivers-opinion-intl/i

ndex.html​. Accessed 27 February 2019

Doward, Jamie. “Legal Marijuana Cuts Violence Says US Study, as Medical-Use Laws See

Crime Fall.” ​The Guardian​, Guardian News and Media, 14 Jan. 2018,

www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/14/legal-marijuana-medical-use-crime-rate-plum

mets-us-study​. A
​ ccessed 19 March 2019

Government Accountability Office, United States. “State Marijuana Legalization, DOJ Should

Document Its Approach to Monitoring the Effects of Legalization.” ​Sinclair Library,​ Dec

2015,​https://eds-a-ebscohost-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/eds/detail/detail?vid=6&sid

=244067ec-f85d-4589-9cf2-1766fa9ded9f%40pdc-v-sessmgr06&bdata=JnNpdG

U9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=edsgpr.000992947&db=edsgpr

​https://www.gao.gov/assets/680/674464.pdf​ ​Accessed 25 February 2019

Grinspoon, Peter. “Medical Marijuana.” ​Harvard Health Blog,​ 9 Jan. 2018,

www.health.harvard.edu/blog/medical-marijuana-2018011513085​ Accessed 20 March

2019

Jacobs, Tom. “Legal Pot Is Linked to Less Crime.” ​Pacific Standard,​ 9 Apr. 2018,

https://psmag.com/news/it-is-high-time-we-reduced-crime​ Accessed 19 March 2019

Kessler, Glenn. “John Boehner's Claim That 'We Have Literally Filled up Our Jails' with People

for Minor Marijuana Possession.” ​The Washington Post​, WP Company, 16 Apr. 2018,
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www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2018/04/16/john-boehners-claim-that-w

e-have-literally-filled-up-our-jails-with-people-for-minor-marijuana-possession/?noredire

ct=on&utm_term=.667d7a85bdbb​ Accessed 19 March 2019

Kingston, Dan. “2016 Arizona Marijuana Legalization Efforts Begin.” ​Arizona Marijuana | Info​,

7 Mar. 2015,

https://azmarijuana.com/arizona-medical-marijuana-news/groups-prepare-2016-arizona-

marijuana-legalization/​ Accessed 23 March 2019

Lava, Neil. “Medical Marijuana FAQ.” ​WebMD,​ WebMD, 2018,

www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/medical-marijuana-faq​ Accessed 20 March 2019