This is an often debated topic that draws heavy arguments from both sides of the fence, right or wrong both sides have an argument for why cannabis should or should not be legalised. In this article we will focus on some of the arguments for the legalisation of the drug.
Anecdotal evidence
Recently marijuana was legalised in the Czech Republic, with many pharmacies now able to dispense medical cannabis in Prague and other cities. We will need to wait to see how the Czech people will respond to this.
The Netherlands is a really interesting example of a place that has not only legalised medical marijuana, but marijuana in general. Despite this the country does not have an abundance of people walking around high all the time and it is an interesting case because the government has put in a strict set of controls to make sure that it is confined to certain places. This has been incredibly successful for them, but the controls must be strict and designed to protect the people from harm.
A number of states in America have also begun to decriminalise small amounts of marijuana, most recently this was done by Delaware. It will be interesting to see how these states do react compared to countries in Europe
Attitudes
A lot of the time substance abuse relates to the danger factor of taking that substance. The best way to think of this is to remember drinking alcohol when you were underage and not allowed to actually do so, in a way you probably felt cool and probably a little bit on edge for doing so. Compare that to now, as an adult, your attitude to drinking is probably one of less enjoyment and it doesn’t give you the same rush it did as a teenager, this is not to say that is not enjoyable, but it is enjoyable in a different context.
When you take this danger factor away it becomes normal and is therefore not so fun and it is sometimes the act of rebellion that makes people feel good, by taking this factor away it totally normalises taking the drug and it is treated in a much different way.
Legitimate use
One of the strongest cases for the legalisation of cannabis, particularly in a medical sense, is that it is a drug that can be used to benefit people with severe illnesses and chronic conditions. It is used as a painkiller in a way and also as a form of treatment for things like multiple sclerosis (MS).
For further reading, here is an interesting article about the debate about legalisation of medical marijuana.
