Introduction: In this research , I will be discussing the illegalization of marijuana and

legalization of marijuana in states. The reasoning of legalizing marijuana and the reasoning of

illegalization of it. Hypothesis: Marijuana use should be legalized due to the benefits it has.

Literature Review:

According to Peter Grinspoon (2020) marijuana has been legal on a state level but not federal.

About 85% of Americans support legalizing medical marijuana and it is estimated that at least

several millions use it. This shows many people use marijuana for medicinal purposes and

people that also agree to it being legal for medicinal use. There is marijuana that has little to no

THC which is called CBD, this stands for cannabidiol and it comes from the hemp plant. On the

other hand, marijuana itself has more than 100 active components. THC stands for

tetrahydrocannabinol is the chemical that causes the high that goes along with marijuana

consumption. This shows that CBD is less likely to get you high or produce a euphoric

intoxication. It has been reported that CBD does help with relieving insomnia, anxiety,

spasticity, and pain to treating potentially life-threatening conditions such as epilepsy. This

shows that CBD Can help with certain illnesses people face that involve sleeping, intense,

excessive and persistent worry in fear based on situations, muscle stiffness and disorder that

affects the nerve activity in the brain which causes seizures. CBD does not help with broken

bones, but it definitely helps with chronic pain, it is also safer and less likely to be addictive

compared to pills or other drugs.

As of January 1, 2016, 21 states have decriminalized certain marijuana possession offenses, 26

states have legalized marijuana use and 16 states have adopted cannabidiol (CBD) only laws
that protect only certain strains of marijuana to be used for medicinal purposes. Though there are

some states that have implemented a combination of each of these laws, we also have five states

that have legalized marijuana for recreational use which are Alaska, Colorado, Oregon,

Washington and the District of Colombia, they all at first decriminalized marijuana and then

passed medical marijuana allowances before passing their legalization policies. This shows that

states have been split on the decision of their reasoning of legalizing marijuana. According to

the effects of state marijuana legalization (2021) say’s advocates suggest that legalization

reduces crime, raises tax revenue and lowers criminal justice expenditures. An example of this is

founder and executive director of the drug policy alliance Ethan Nadelmann asserted in 2010

that legalization would help end mass incarceration and undermine illicit criminal organizations.

Former New Mexico governor and libertarian party presidential Gary Johnson also agrees with

the legalization of marijuana, predicts it would lead to less overall substance abuse because

individuals addicted to alcohol or other substances would find marijuana as a safer alternative.