A discussion of “The perils of legalized pot” by Ruth Marcus

The Legalization of Marijuana

One of the most controversial topics is the legalization of marijuana. This issue is a centerpiece for political debates with regard to decriminalized states such as Colorado. In the article “The perils of legalized pot” by Ruth Marcus, the author admits that she uses marijuana but opposes legalization because she believes that legalization will have a negative impact on states and the country.

The article draws on many different sources and opinions to provide evidence that legalization of marijuana will have an adverse impact on individuals and society. One point of agreement with this article is the fact that the author argues that comparing marijuana to tobacco and alcohol in terms of being dangerous. There is a great deal of evidence to back this argument considering that tobacco kills more people annually than marijuana and alcohol combined. This argument is perhaps the most influential and common with regard to marijuana.

A point of disagreement with the author is in the idea that cannabis is too dangerous for adolescents and therefore should not be legalized. This argument is weak because it has no basis for assuming that when marijuana is legalized that it will create more underage usage. The author cites the American Medical Association (AMA) stating, “It is the most common illicit drug involved in drugged driving, particularly in drivers under the age of 21. Early cannabis use is related to later substance use disorders.”(AMA 2014) The source is credible but this fact does not mean that more children will be using the drug. This is a fallacy because it assumes that legalization means easier access when in fact it may mean less access due to there being less black market marijuana. When one looks at alcohol this point is obvious. Prohibition actually increased black market of alcohol and any could buy it within this market. By legalizing alcohol the substance became easier to regulate because only specific populations had to be restricted such as those who are under eighteen.

References

Marcus, R. (2014, January 2). The perils of legalized pot. The Washington Post.

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