Currently there are no warning labels upon the purchase of marijuana. In the book, The Case for Legalizing Drugs, it states, "Legalizing drugs would promote public health, not harm it. Street drugs are adulterated and misbranded. Consumers hav.
e a right to know that a product is labeled accurately, and whether any special hazards are associated with it" (144). Information is the best protection against its potential hazards; therefore legalizing it would promote consumer health and safety. Steven B. Duke, professor of Yale Law School, states, "If drugs are legalized the dangers to physical health from using heroin, cocaine, marijuana or other previously illegal drugs would be greatly reduced" (237). He also says, "Legalizing heroin, cocaine and marijuana would probably produce a reduction of the use of tobacco and alcohol, saving thousands of lives every year, perhaps tens of thousands" (238). The United States economy would gain revenue with its production and result in educating the public with product knowledge and possibly save lives.
By lifting the ban on marijuana use and treating it like other drugs such as tobacco and alcohol, the nation would gain immediate and long-term benefits. This change in law would greatly improve the quality of life for many people, especially for those who need marijuana for medicinal reasons. The cannabis plant, which is also known as marijuana has hundreds of demonstrated medical and therapeutic uses. It has been said that more is known about the therapeutic uses of marijuana than about most prescription drugs. Marijuana indeed is a forbidden medicine because it is illegal. There are countless benefits with the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. It alleviates symptoms of cancer, chemotherapy, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, depression, as well as symptoms of such less common disorders as Crohn's disease, diabetic gastro paresis, post-traumatic stress disorder, insomnia, schizophrenia, and many others.
