Legalization of Marijuana

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Legalization of Marijuana
The debate on the legalization of marijuana (cannabis) has been rife among different scholars. According to Caulkins (869), countries with high incidences of marijuana consumption such as Mexico, Brazil, Jamaica and the United States of America have shown high frequencies of retarded working memory. However, the memory retardation as presented in the study is not evidence-based, and there is still need for a comprehensive review to ascertain the claim noting that the research solely depended on case samples from a few regions.
The research was also concerned with the consumption of marijuana in different countries giving case studies of countries mentioned above. According to the statistics the analysis provides, marijuana in countries such as the United States of America is the third most popular drug with the first and second being tobacco and alcohol respectively. On the same note, the research relies on the assumption that if tobacco and alcohol have been legalized, policymakers should rely on the same scope of reasoning to legalize marijuana. The research’s case study used to support the need for the legalization dispute previous stance that continued consumption of the drug affects the working memory. That is, the research uses cross sample data to suggest to readers on the negative implication of marijuana and later on the analysis, provide reasons for its legalization.

Just like tobacco and alcohol abuse, marijuana has far worse medical effects. The article established that alcohol and tobacco that have been legalized cause far more deaths than cannabis. Statistically, about 50,000 people die each year from alcohol poisoning, and more than 400,000 deaths are attributed to tobacco smoking (Caulkins 871). In as much, the research acknowledges that marijuana is equally addictive and the addiction has a psychological challenge to its consumers.
Work CitedCaulkins, Jonathan P., et al. “Design considerations for legalizing cannabis: lessons inspired by the analysis of California’s Proposition 19.” Addiction 107.5 (2012): 865-871.