Opinion: Recreational Marijuana Should be Allowed to a Certain Extent

The use of recreational marijuana has been one of the biggest debates for about as long as I have been alive. One side calls it “The Devil’s Lettuce” and emphasizes how it “kills you.” The other side calls it a natural right and claims it does not affect you. With the times changing and states beginning to allow the use of medical marijuana and some even decimalizing it entirely, the question looms, should recreational marijuana be permitted to a certain degree? Well, the answer is simple, it should be but to a certain extent.

To truly understand how much progress we’ve made toward marijuana legalization, we must look at its growth throughout America. Out of the 50 states, 39 states allow the use of medical marijuana, and 19 out of 50 states give their citizens the right to smoke recreationally. With the most recent state New York passing its bill, lawmakers from every state have decided to look over their opinion on marijuana. Recently, Ron Hicks, a Republican Missouri lawmaker, introduced a bill that would tax the use of marijuana and allow adults to use recreational marijuana. Hicks also passed a memo where his goal was to create a “free but tightly regulated market for legal marijuana.” This proves how much people are willing to listen no matter the political party if the study and case itself are done ethically.

Now we have to look at the addiction claims that some people have said. People say marijuana is the most addictive thing in the world. However, a survey with NBC news and the Wall Street Journal says otherwise. In the survey, when asked, “Which of the following substances is the most harmful to a person’s overall health?” 49% of the participants said tobacco, 24% said alcohol, 15% said sugar, 8% said marijuana, 3% said they all are addictive at the same level, and 1% were not sure. When we look at the number, people say that there are more addictive substances than marijuana, even legal ones.

Further, another study says that marijuana is 114 times less deadly than alcohol and tobacco. So why hasn’t alcohol or tobacco been banned yet? Wait, it was. Everyone remembers the prohibition era and how that was a disaster.

Furthermore, we have to think about personal responsibility and how cannabis affects your decision-making. We all know when you’re under the influence of weed, you’re a bit slow in your decision making and in some instances, some people aren’t affected by it at all. To that, I say isn’t it the same case for alcohol, and if not more, when you’re under the influence of alcohol, you’re more likely to damage yourself or cause a severe accident than weed. A Washington Post article is stated that drivers who are under the influence of weed are less likely to cause a traffic accident. At what point, we must ask whether personal responsibility plays a role? For example, if you’re intoxicated on a substance and you know right between wrong, you should know either to stay where you are or have someone take care of your ride home. I find it funny when people fail to accept responsibility.