Ethical Issues with Legalization of Marijuana free essay sample

Donna Lowe SOC 120 Introduction to Ethics Social Responsibility Prof. Donna Falloon May 16, 2011 Marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America behind only alcohol and tobacco, and is estimated that nearly 80 million Americans use it at least one occasion. According to government surveys, some 20 million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year, and more than 11 million do so regularly despite harsh laws against its use.Being used for medicinal purposes or simply for recreational, there are not only laws to consider when the topic of legalization comes up but also ethical concerns as well. For this paper I will outline some of the uses for this drug and some of the benefits of its use. I will apply the classical theory of utilitarianism to resolve the issue of legalization while also using the perspective of ethical egoism that this issue brings up and include my own view of these theories concerning the legalization of marijuana. We will write a custom essay sample on Ethical Issues with Legalization of Marijuana or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Many people believe that marijuana is a gateway drug with extremely harmful side effects. On the contrary, this is a severe misconception, as Marijuana research over nearly half a century has proven that there are no harmful side effects, nor is there any possibility of health problems or death related to recreational or medicinal marijuana use. The technical term to use would be cannabis; however the word marijuana has been used since the 1920’s. While its use is most widely known as a recreational drug, its use for medicinal purpose has been used as far back as the 1970’s.In an article from the The Palm Beach Post, (1972) scientists even then stated that the use of marijuana could be beneficial to patients who suffered from high blood pressure, depression and glaucoma. Marijuana has been used for recreation. Dronabinol, which contains cannabis, is used to treat anorexia in appetite loss associated with AIDS and for cancer chemotherapy induced nausea. It is also helpful to reduce intraocular pressure in glaucoma. (Mosby)Using marijuana for medical purposes or just for personal use still raises a big issue in the United States because in almost every state its illegal and the punishment can be severe. â€Å" A particular drug—for example, marijuana (also called hashish and bhang)—may be accepted as an appropriate adjunct to sociability in one society, used as an invaluable ingredient in religious contemp lation in another, and banned by law as dangerous in a third†(Sills,1968). Since the use is illegal I bring the point of ethics to the matter.Utilitarianism is a classical theory that argues that, given a set of choices, the act we should choose is that which produces the best results for the greatest number affected by that choice. The theory also suggests that there is an obvious solution that is fair, and it may be one that appeals to common sense as well (Moser, 2010). Jeremy Bentham is considered the founder of utilitarian thought and stated that that human beings resolve their ethical questions in light of maximizing the amount of pleasure they experience while minimizing the amount of pain.He considered ethically good conduct as that which expands an individuals as well as a communitys liberty by adding to the sum total of its pleasure (what later was termed maximizing the Greatest Happiness Factor [GHF]). Conduct is unethical, then, because it limits an individuals as well as a communitys liberty and general welfare by subtracting from the GHF. So if we are to use the utilitarianism theory in regards to the legalization of marijuana, then one could argue that those who are opposed are not being ethical since they are not taking into consideration the greatest happiness factor for those who like to use the drug. While the debate on the damage that use of marijuana may cause, it would medically be useful to those in need so we are still being unethical from a utilitarian standpoint regardless of the fact that the drug is currently considered illegal. â€Å"Relativism is the idea that ones beliefs and values are understood in terms of ones society, culture, or even ones own individual values† (Moser, 2010). In our society today the use of marijuana for either recreation or medical is frowned upon.There are issues about the harmfulness of the drug and what long term effects the drug could create in addition to the argument that it leads to other more harmful drug use. We are constantly told that drugs are bad and we need to â€Å"just say no†. Our children participate in drug prevention at early stages of their education. They are taught to be afraid and to be friends with those who participate in illegal drugs. There is no evidence that addiction to drugs is favorably regarded in any society or culture, but the status accorded the addict varies markedly.In the United States he has been defined as a criminal and stereotyped as a â€Å"dope fiend. † In much of Europe, on the other hand, the addict is regarded as an unfortunate person whose problem is primarily psychological and medical. Having stated that great differences exist in cultural orientations to specific drugs or drug effects, we are, however, far from being able to explain them. Opium and hashish have been widely used without extreme devaluation in Muslim society, although the Koran proscribes the use of substances that alter the state of consciousness.In traditional interpretations, it appears that the Korans injunction has been limited to alcohol. ( Sills,1968) In contrast to the utilitarianism theory, relativism is not concerned with the happiness that doing this drug would create only that this would be a wrong choice in our culture since it is not an accepted means of happiness by society. I see both sides of the ethical debate however I would mostly identify with the utilitarian view.People should be responsible when using marijuana but if it increases their personal happiness or helps them to alleviate medical issues then it should be legal for mass consumption with certain guidelines. There are legal substances such as alcohol and cigarettes that do far more damage to a person’s health yet are legal to consume if a person is of age and takes responsibility for using them. The economic effect by the legalization of marijuana can benefit the government because it would generate greater tax income for our country, which would be excellent for our economy.In the United States every year an estimated $7 billion is spent on marijuana (www. drugabuse. gov). If marijuana were taxed at 7% there would be an extra tax income of at least $49 million. Marijuana becoming legalized would also benefit the United States because it would reduce the crowding in jails. In 1998 alone nearly 750,000 Americans were arrested for minor marijuana possessions (www. masscann. org). If this number was eliminated it would greatly reduce the crowding problems in already minimally spaced jails, therefore further reducing taxes because the money needed to house these inmates wouldn’t be needed.Non-violent crime in the United States would decline due to the fact that users wouldn’t be breaking laws anymore. Their recreational use would not be illegal; therefore no crime would be committed. Regardless of the theory you most identify with , the fact will still remain that in the majority of the United States, use and possession of marijuana is still illegal and I’m sure will continue to be a topic of debate for years to come. References Mosser, K. (2010). Introduction to ethics and social responsibility. San Diego, Bridgepoint Education,  Inc.