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What are the pros and cons of marijuana?

Marijuana has been around for many years, stirring up numerous conversations about if

this substance is good or bad for us to consume. Through multiple different experiments and

trials, doctors and scientists have worked to try and give us an explanation into what using

cannabis does to our mind, body, the environment, and the economy. So, what are the pros and

cons of marijuana?

As long as cannabis has been around there have been debates over if the federal

government should make it legal or not. As far back as 1619 there have been legal tenders over

the use of cannabis. Between the late 1960s and early 2000s, those in favor of legalizing

marijuana went up from 12 percent to 27 percent, and from 1990 to 2019 it had gone up 1.5

percent each year. Cannabis was a part of the “Three Strikes” sentencing laws, which stated that

if a person was convicted of a serious drug offense they would be sentenced to life in prison

(Thomson Reuters). There have been many studies conducted considering the reasons of why

there has been such a spike in support of legalizing the substance. Through the studies, they

found that there was a numerous amount of reasons for this increased support. Some of those

reasons were a decrease in religion, an increase in news coverage, less fear of the side effects,

and less fear of the criminal justice system (Weedmaps).

Cannabis refers to a group of three plants with psychoactive properties, known as

Cannabis sativa, which is identified as the “upper” strain, Cannabis indicia, known as the

“downer” strain and Cannabis ruderalis, which is a CBD heavy strain causing a much more

uplifting “high”. Within these strains of cannabis there are more than 120 components known as

cannabinoids that make up this substance. Cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
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are the most common talked about ones. CBD is a psychoactive cannabinoid and is the part of

the plant that does not get you “high” but is intended to help things like nausea, migraine,

seizures, and anxiety. THC is the component in the plant responsible for the “high” you hear

people associate with cannabis. There are many ways to consume cannabis and cannabinoids,

such as, smoking, eating, vaporizing, ingestible oils, and topical creams, but smoking is the most

common way people decide to use it (Kimberly Holland).

Some very common short term side effects of consuming cannabis are relaxation,

giddiness, increased sense of sights and sounds, “munchies” or increased appetite, a feeling of

time slowing down, and increased focus and productivity. While those can all be viewed as

positive or fun side effects when using cannabis, there are also some long-term effects that have

been proven harmful to our bodies and minds. The most common of these are nausea,

drowsiness, anxiety, spiked heart rate, decreased blood pressure, and paranoia. How you react to

cannabis mainly relies on how much and how often you consume it.

Today, marijuana is one of the most used substances in the U.S., and a survey revealed

that 94 million people admitted to using cannabis at least once in their life. There are many

reasons why this substance is so popular medically and recreationally. Medically it gives you

relief from pain, anger, fear, and regret. Recreational use is more popular than medicinal use,

stemming from individuals believing it is a soft and natural drug and the ability to consume it

and still function in your day to day life. Recreational use has many benefits just like medicinal

use. It has been known to help people open up and have more intimate conversations, opens your

mind to new ideas and information, stimulates your senses of food and music, gives users more
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creativity, makes you laugh more, helps mask negativity so you have a more positive outlook on

life, and enables you to relax and be more stress free (Cynthia Barillas).

Even though there are many positive aspects of consuming cannabis there are also quite a

few negative effects for frequent users. The main concern is brain development. When people

start using marijuana at too young of an age it can hinder their thinking, memory, and learning

functions, and influences how the brain builds connections between the areas necessary for those

functions. Users have reported respiratory issues, increased heart rate, problems with child

development during and after pregnancy, digestive issues, temporary hallucinations, higher risk

for relationship problems, poorer physical and mental health, withdrawal symptoms after

quitting, and many believe it is a gateway drug for more intense substances (NIH).

Cannabis has more to it than just personal and physical effects. There is also a huge

debate about how marijuana dispensaries can help the economy. As of this year 34 states have

legalized marijuana medically, recreationally, or both. In 2019 in Colorado there was more than

$302 million in taxes and fees on medical and recreational marijuana, with $1.7 billion in total

revenue. In that same year, there was a $12.2 billion total revenue in the United States. Reports

show that by 2024 total sales will increase to $31.1 billion a year, resulting in a total of $105.6

billion in aggerate federal tax revenue by 2025. In California from 2018 to 2019, it was reported

that cannabis sales had increased 411.3 million in excise tax, $98.9 million in cultivation tax, and

$335.1 million in sales tax.

Not only does the legalization of marijuana create copious amount of revenue for the

U.S., it also creates more jobs and income opportunities. It is the fastest growing job market in

America. Leafly, a cannabis information hub, calculated that there are more than 300,000 full-
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time workers in the cannabis industry. In 2018 there was 64,000 jobs added across the United

States, with Florida adding the most. As of January this year we have added on 21,000 more

jobs. All in all, there is a projected growth of 32% year to year.

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Works Cited

Barillas, Cynthia. “Benefits of Using Marijuana for Recreational Purposes by Mercy Wellness

Center.” Mercy Wellness of Cotati, 15 Oct. 2019, mercywellness.com/positive-effects-

using-recreational-marijuana/.

Felson, Jacob, et al. “How and Why Have Attitudes about Cannabis Legalization Changed so

Much?” Social Science Research, vol. 78, 2019, pp. 12–27.,

doi:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2018.12.011.

Guercio, Danielle. “Study Analyzes Why U.S. Attitudes Moved in Marijuana's Favor.”

Weedmaps News, 7 Jan. 2019, weedmaps.com/news/2019/01/study-analyzes-why-u-s-

attitudes-moved-in-marijuanas-favor/.

Holland, K. (2020, July 23). What is Cannabis? Facts about its Components, effects, and

hazards. Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.healthline.com/health/what-is-

cannabis

Krishna, Mrinalini. “The Economic Benefits of Legalizing Weed.” Investopedia, Investopedia, 9

Apr. 2021, www.investopedia.com/articles/insights/110916/economic-benefits-legalizing-
weed.asp.

NIDA. "Marijuana DrugFacts." National Institute on Drug Abuse, 24 Dec. 2019,

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana Accessed 14 Apr. 2021.

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