However in the long-run, this price raise is not enough to make people quit smoking so since cigarettes are a demerit good, it will have a negative effect on the environment and it will increase the number of health issues from second hand smoke, not to mention the high unemployment rate and less taxes for the government. Work Cited: BusinessDictionary.com. 2013. What is inelastic demand? definition and meaning.
With all these risks I guess it becomes easy to understand as to why kids that smoke marijuana do poorly in school. Personally I would have to mostly agree with Shaw, that marijuana should not be legalized. Marijuana is an addictive drug that can lead to other worse drugs, and legalizing it would be irresponsible, and would cause lives to be in danger. I am in agreement that smoking marijuana can, and does cause an increased likelihood that
Opposite the high rates of alcohol and tobacco use by teenagers, only 18% of seniors use illicit drugs, which are illegal for the entire society. This increase in drug use will not come easy for American society, but instead it will come at a very high price. The price will be that American society will be overrun with drug-related accidents, lost work productivity, and hospital emergency rooms filled with drug- related
The part where it really keeps me interested and tuned in to see where the State of California goes is what drugs to legalize/decriminalize makes an effect not only in the economy but in society. And reality alcohol is the most abused substance and the U.S. and it only taxed $8 billion. The problem is the total cost to the U.S. in 2008 due to alcohol-related problems was $185 billion. So yes it can bring revenue in to the state and marijuana may not be like alcohol or the creation of destruction like alcohol. Which European country has the most liberal drug laws?
A Deadly Drug Who ever thought that sugar, one of the sweetest ingredients you could add to your food, would be deadly to someone. According to “The Toxic Truth About Sugar” by Robert Lustig, Laura Schmidt, and Claire Brindis; sugar can not only cause infectious diseases, but also 35 million deaths annually. Studies have shown that sugar causes diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Although obesity is the main cause of the deaths that occur, sugar is the main reason for obesity. Tobacco and alcohol are regulated by the government to protect public health, yet sugar still isn’t.
Police and court resources would be freed up for more serious crimes. Legalization would mean a lower price; thus, related crimes (like theft) would be reduced.” (Joe Messerli, Balanced Politics.org) The biggest reason that medical marijuana should be legalized is simply for the medical reasons. NormL.org states “Of all the negative consequences of marijuana prohibition, none is as tragic as the denial of medicinal cannabis to the tens of thousands of patients who could benefit from its therapeutic use.” Marijuana could provide pain relief from neuropathic pain, nausea, spasticity (from MS) Glaucoma, migraine headaches & movement disorders. Marijuana also is an appetite stimulant and HIV, AIDS, wasting syndrome and dementia patients could all benefit from marijuana. Marijuana also protects against some types of malignant tumours and are
Armentano compares being addicting to Marijuana is the same as being addicted to caffeine. He is a strong believer that marijuana is not addicting. Stanton Peele writer of "Marijuana Can Be Addictive" says otherwise. Peele believes it is addicting because the person gets hooked on the physiological aspect of the drug. Both writers disagree on how addicting the Marijuana is, and if the government is part of this.
Some long-term effects are: suppression of the immune system, growth disorders, increase of abnormally structured cells in the body, or inability to understand things clearly. The foundation for a drug-free world feels very strongly when it comes to be being against marijuana; rather it’s with their arguments or by their name. It seems like they want to free the world of all drugs, not just marijuana. They talk about the affects of drugs like heroin, crack, cocaine, and even crystal meth. With marijuana they really stress negatives that it can do to your body.
Heroin, which has often been portrayed as being highly addictive, is only so for a small percentage of users. Current legislation also has ramifications on the social lives and well-being of individuals who are prosecuted under anti-drug laws. The primary means of this is stigmatization. According to Cleveland, a policy economist, “policies that stigmatize and imprison drug users may hurt rather than help young people and problem users” (as cited in Thronton, 2007, p.423). Indeed, the criminalization of individuals who—often—are otherwise law-abiding citizens, can affect their relationships with family and friends, as well as their standings with employers and loaners (Ezard, 2001).
A Ban Should be Placed on the Sale of Cigarettes A ban should definitely be placed on the sale of cigarettes since it could have a positive impact on many people. It is a proven killer, not only for the actual smoker but for people who are faced with second hand smoke, if other harmful substances such as crack and marijuana are illegal cigarettes should be too. Cigarettes are a proven killer, despite knowing this vital information, South African’s waste billions of Rands each year on them. It is the one of the most traded items on the planet, with approximately 1 trillion being sold from country to country each year. It has become one of the world’s largest industries.