Earlier this October, President Biden pardoned about 6,500 US citizens who had been federally convicted for possessing a small quantity of marijuana. The event re-ignited the debate here in the UK on legalising marijuana. This is a complicated issue but we do know quite a few facts that make legalising marijuana clearly the better option:
Safer than cigarettes and alcohol (legal drugs):
Many young people are frustrated that marijuana has not yet been legalised despite being less harmful than cigarettes and alcohol.
Three Bournemouth students were asked to comment on the issue of legalisation and safety. Their names have been changed to preserve their anonymity.
Thomas, a student who had experience with both alcohol and marijuana claims “alcohol addiction is far more dangerous than marijuana addiction. The withdrawal symptoms from alcohol are worse”. Harry, another student noted that “dealers sometimes mix marijuana with other drugs. Regulation would put an end to that”. A third student called Sarah said she “wouldn’t support marijuana being legalised for recreational use, it could increase cases of psychosis. I do have an open mind on the subject though”.
Christopher Ingraham writing in the Washington Post observed from a research article published in Scientific Reports measuring the risk of various drugs that alcohol was far deadlier than cannabis, although this accounts for the average amount of a drug an individual uses.
The University of California San Francisco did a study comparing the effect of cannabis and tobacco on smokers’ lungs. The pot smokers won out with less damaged lungs over time. However, over several years, constant or heavy use of marijuana can still harm the lungs and isn’t good for the brain.
Like sugar and any other thing we are advised to consume in moderation, people should smoke marijuana in moderation. Legalising the drug doesn’t negate an individual’s responsibility over what they put in their bodies.
Legalisation has popular support:
There is good evidence that shows a slim majority do support the legalisation of marijuana. Ben Hayward writing for Totum observed from a YouGov poll of over 3000 people that 52% supported either slightly or strongly the legalisation of marijuana in the UK.
Younger people are also much more supportive of marijuana. Zamira Rahim from The Independent commented on a poll done by Populus that 68% of people aged 18-24 support the legalisation of marijuana. She also found that 65% of all people from the poll believe the law around marijuana should be reformed, 40% want to outright legalise it while 25% would rather have the drug decriminalised, making it a minor crime.
Legalising marijuana has public support and protects the rights of the people rather than violating them. It is in fact the criminalisation of the drug that violates our rights. It should be individuals, not the government, that decide what they can put in their bodies.
Legalisation would impede crime:
Despite popular support, Andrew Woodcock from The Independent wrote that the government have no intention to change the laws on cannabis according to Liz Truss’ spokesperson. Former Home secretary Suella Braverman was even “receptive” to demands from people who wanted the drug to be raised from Class B to Class A. Their justification for not loosening laws around cannabis is that the substance and other illegal drugs drive crime. However, Braverman’s spokesperson did admit cannabis is essentially legal due to it “not being policed properly”.
This echoes the Prohibition era in the US, where the government banned alcohol and incompetently dedicated 1500 federal agents to enforce that law. The law fueled the rise of criminals like Al Capone, who made $100 million a year from selling alcohol and other illegal activity. When the US lifted Prohibition, the criminals declined in their wealth as there were legal sources of alcohol again.
According to the Institute of Economic Affairs, the illegal cannabis market in the UK is worth around £2.5 billion a year. If our government truly wishes to impede the criminals, legalising marijuana would cut at one of their greatest sources of income.
Cannabis has medicinal properties:
Peter Grinspoon, a medical doctor(MD), cannabis specialist and contributor for Harvard Health Publishing, wrote that cannabidiol, a hemp plant extract, can help with insomnia and anxiety. According to his findings, we can also utilise the miracle of medical marijuana to deal with: nerve and bowel pain, PTSD recovery, weight loss and nausea.
However, there may be some downsides to mental health from cannabis use. Kristeen Cherney, who specialises in mental health and writes for Healthline, found that marijuana use can “cause depressive effects” in some people. People should then figure out through experience whether or not their bodies and minds respond well to cannabis.
The Takeaway:
Legalising marijuana is the right thing to do. It is safer than currently legal drugs, it is popular amongst a large section of the public, it would impede crime and it has medical benefits. It is time for lawmakers to end this self-righteous crusade against a relatively harmless drug in the name of fighting crime.
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