Over many years, the legalization of marijuana has been greatly debated, and it is a controversial issue. With conducted research, there has always been contradicting feedback because everyone’s perspective is taken into consideration. This argumentative essay deals with the disagreement that prevails in relation to the legalization of marijuana in the Kingdom of Eswatini. We are for the legalization of marijuana for reasons that are going to be vigorously discussed in this essay. Information in the essay is acquired from mainly online journals and online articles.
First and foremost, marijuana should be legalized because it is used for medicinal purposes, this medical use, therefore, improves the health standards of the people. Research has indeed affirmed that marijuana is used to treat diseases such as cancer (Bostwick, 2013). Bostwick further states that his patient, suffering from breast cancer uses marijuana as relief of pain and curing nausea. According to (Crocker, 2011), marijuana was used for many years by humans to cure menstrual pain and to heal open wounds, and the seeds of the plant were used for post-partum difficulties, constipation, and vomiting. This is proof enough that marijuana brings in quite a lot of health benefits to the people if Eswatini and it is only wise to have the people freely use the drug for its believed health benefits. Also, with more healthy people in the country, then the mortality rate would actually greatly decrease. The prohibition of the plant would be a great drawback to the people that use it as a vital ingredient in their medication. It has been proven that marijuana can be used for medicinal purposes, and that is the strongest reason to actually legalize it.
Secondly, the tax source of the Eswatini government can increase, which in return, will increase government revenue. Looking at the current economic situation in the country, it is clear that the unemployment rate is actually at its peak. According to (Vandome, Vines, & Weimer, 2013), Eswatini is ranked 123rd of 185 countries for doing business and has one of the highest levels of unemployment both in Africa and globally. So, if marijuana was to be legalized, there would actually be the availability of jobs for both skilled and non-skilled labor. Non-skilled labor can work in the fields, plant, cultivate, treat, and do everything that can be done in fieldwork. Skilled labor on the other hand can be able to process and perform the necessary steps needed to be done so marijuana is made available to the people. The availability of employment leads to an increase in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), improves standards of living, and decreases the dependency ratio. With the evidence that the Eswatini government is struggling with decreased revenues and rising costs, the legalization of marijuana can actually be a way of boosting an income to fund the many projects that the country has. It can be a great revenue generator in the sense that new taxes are applied to its sale and its distribution.
127 our experts are availableright now
The tax on marijuana can actually be a relief to the taxpayers of the working class as tax has been increasing over the years. Legalizing marijuana can also decrease the number of drug dealers that actually make so much money through marijuana because the government itself can be able to take over and control the trade of marijuana. These dealers will also have their revenue stream cut off if the plant is legalized and there will be no competition and street prices will actually be very high thus leading to loss of some or all of their business. In addition, there will actually be a more effective criminal justice and law enforcement in the country because this move will give our officers more time to go after criminals committing different crimes such as violence which are the main issue nowadays. This creates more room in the criminal justice system and gives prosecutors more time to focus on more problematic crimes.
However, not all people agree with the legalization of marijuana. There are arguments as to why this is the case. The first reason is that marijuana is an addictive drug. It poses significant health consequences to its users (Evans). Evans further states that it triggers psychiatric illnesses such as mood disorder and schizophrenia and there is no scientific evidence that it is beneficial for the treatment of any psychiatric disorder. Generally, prolonged use of drugs leads to addiction, so the use of marijuana can actually lead to dependency which could further lead to addiction. It is also said that because prohibited drugs are expensive, dependent drug users will always resort to crime to fund their purchases of illegal drugs (Weatherburn, 2012). With increased crime, violence also increases, and this, therefore, leads to medical costs on some people of the community, property losses depending on how bad the crime has become and loss of income as regular drug users at most times target Swati citizens with money. At times people have traumatic impacts when they are robbed or violated, and thus leading to the attendance of therapy sessions which then becomes costly in the working class because they have incurred unnecessary expenses. There is also a considerable amount of money spent to avoid being victimized by the citizens, for example, installing surveillance cameras in their home or even getting security guards to watch over their homes. The government also spends a lot of money because anti-drug programs have to be set up and there have to be education incentives where citizens of the country, especially the youth are educated about the dangers of drug abuse.
In addition to the above statement, it is also argued that the availability of marijuana to the people will lead to its misuse. There is a very high chance that ordinary marijuana users can start misusing the drug as it is always readily available and actually start using it for recreational purposes instead of its intended purpose. This misuse of marijuana can lead to major long-term damage to the body. There is a very high risk of getting heart-related diseases, possible damage to the brain, poor lung health, and worst-case scenario, poor mental health (Vangsness, Bry, & LaBourie, 2005). This will again be costly to the Eswatini government because now, the mortality rate will increase and there will be a need for health facilities to accommodate the sickly people of the country who have been diagnosed with these different diseases that can be contracted once marijuana is misused. The misuse of marijuana can also lead to increased chances of it actually falling into the hands of young children. If marijuana is made legal, drug accessibility to children is actually increased and children, in general, do not have the same responsibility, reasoning, and judgment of an adult, and their bodies are actually not strong enough to handle the intake of such a substance. It is quite stressed that legalizing marijuana will cause more damage than bring any good.
In conclusion, it is indisputably clear that there are many agreements for and against the legalization of marijuana. Considering the stated above facts, it is clear that the legalizing of marijuana will do good in the Kingdom of Eswatini. Should marijuana be legalized, it is guaranteed that the economy of the country shall improve, the drug itself will be taxed, there will be the availability of employment to both skilled and non-skilled labor, the crime rate will improve because our youth will be employed, the standards of living of the citizens of Eswatini will improve and most importantly, many medical issues can be solved, thus decreasing the mortality rate of the country.
