There are many drawbacks in our society that are linked to marijuana use. It is crucial for us, as citizens of a democratic society, to be well informed and to examine any issue which can have a detrimental impact on our society. This paper reevaluates some of the arguments made by Stephen Manas concerning the legalization of marijuana use. Stephen Manas in his paper argues that marijuana use by adults should be controlled, regulated, and taxed. He believes that marijuana is safer than other legal substances like alcohol, he states that marijuana can help create revenue and jobs, and he also explains that marijuana has legitimate medicinal benefits. However, many studies have asserted that marijuana use is associated with fatal car accidents,…show more content… These health problems do not seem to project marijuana as a safe drug. There are other several studies that link marijuana use to fatal motor accidents and one of them is a study, titled “Cannabis and motor vehicle crashes”, conducted by Brubacher, J.R. (2011). Brubacher in his article claimed that cannabis, like alcohol, impairs the psychomotor skills which are necessary for safe driving. He also claimed that drivers who use cannabis are at increased risk of crashing (Brubacher, 2011). The study found that drivers who drove after using cannabis were almost “twice as likely to have crashed their car” (Brubacher, 2011). These findings clearly imply that driving under the influence of cannabis can be fatal and they seem to contradict Manas’s argument that marijuana is safer than other legal substances, like alcohol. Both the drugs, marijuana and alcohol, come with negative effects on our health and our mind, especially when driving. Driving under the influence of marijuana can become dangerous for passengers and for people who are sharing the road. Legalizing marijuana use for adults can increase these negative effects that are related to…show more content… Manas in his paper provided the evidence that Colorado’s marijuana legalization is quickly turning the state into one of the most prosperous places in the country. Whereas, legalizing marijuana act, do not seem to benefit a state financially. For example, Josh Barro in his article stated that marijuana sale in Colorado did not benefit the state financially. He claimed that marijuana sales “have been lower than expected” (Barro, 2016). In other words Colorado State expected $40 million raised, but they receive only $20million dollar from marijuana tax (Barro, 2016). In addition, the harmful effects of marijuana seem to outweigh the financial benefits that can be gained from legalizing the marijuana. There are several disadvantages of marijuana use and one of them is marijuana addiction. Hefner and her colleagues in their study recruited one hundred heavy marijuana users, who use marijuana drugs at least five days per week, and they found that almost 53 percent of the participants were marijuana dependence and 29% of them abuse marijuana (Hefner and colleagues, 2016). The sample size is big enough that the findings concerning marijuana addiction and it can be generalized to a larger population. Hefner and her colleagues’ highlighted the serious problem of marijuana addiction and the number of people who are victims of this psychoactive drug.
