Cannabis Use in the United States

Running head: CANNABIS USE IN THE UNITED STATES
Cannabis Use in the United States
Marijuana is one of the controversial topics from the legal and ethical point of view in the
United States. While marijuana use remains illegal at the federal level, some states have
legalized the use of medicinal and recreational marijuana at the state level. Other states have only
partially legalized marijuana use for medicinal purposes. The variation in legalization of
marijuana is based on public attitude on acceptability and harmfulness of the drug when fully
legalized. It is for this purpose that this paper reviews the variations in legalization,
decriminalization, and illegality of marijuana use in the state of Nevada, the state of New York,
and the state of Idaho. The choice of these states for analysis is based on differences in legal
status of marijuana use.
Variations in Laws on Marijuana use and Health Outcomes
Before delving into the variations in legislations regarding marijuana use in the three
states, it is important that one understands the terms related to marijuana laws. Adams (2018)
defines decriminalization of marijuana as the reduction of criminal classification of marijuana
even when the federal law has already classified the substance as illegal. Chadi, Weitzman, and
Levy (2018) further explain that in states where marijuana is decriminalized, individuals that are
found with smaller possessions of marijuana cannot receive jail term sentences. This is different
from legalization of marijuana where the substance is considered fully legal at state level as
discussed in Barry, and Glantz (2016). In states where marijuana is considered illegal, people
found in possession of the substance receive criminal punishments.
The state of Nevada is among the states in the United States that have legalized the use of
recreational and medicinal marijuana. According to statistical data from the Medical Marijuana
Inc. (2019) and the Nevada Government (2019), the people of Nevada passed the legislation

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allowing the use of marijuana for recreation and medical purposes in people above the age of
twenty-one years. In 2017, the number of deaths resulting from opioid overdose in Nevada was
412, which translates to 13.3 deaths per 100,000 people (Medical Marijuana Inc., 2019). After
legalization of recreational marijuana, the number of deaths from traffic accidents dropped by
11% and the total sales generated from the sale of recreational marijuana was $200 million as
reported by the government of Nevada (2019). In 2016 and 2017 after legalization of Marijuana,
the state of Nevada reported an increase by 125% of people above the age of 25 years visiting
emergency departments for acute health complications linked to marijuana poisoning in people
that had not used the drug before.
In the state of New York, marijuana is legal for medical purposes but it is decriminalized.
Commercial selling or processing of marijuana is considered a criminal offence and attracts jail
sentences. The law states that people can possess up to two ounces of marijuana but no one is
allowed to trade it or cultivate it in the farm. According to FindLaw (2019), marijuana is
classified as a schedule one substance and its recreational value is limited. Statistical data from
Medical Marijuana Inc. (2019) shows that New York State had 3, 224 or 16.1 per 100,000 deaths
rising from opioid overdose. Deaths involving prescription opioids are recorded to have risen
from 899 in 2013 to 1524 deaths in 2017.The legalization of medicinal marijuana saw the total
sales generated from the sale of recreational marijuana rise $100 million as reported by the
government FindLaw (2019). The state of New York reported an increase by 125% of people
above the age of 25 years visiting emergency departments for acute health complications.
Compared to Nevada and the state of New York, the State of Idaho is intolerant on
policies regarding marijuana use. According to Nunley (2019), the law does not allow use of
marijuana even in people suffering from dilapidating health problems. In Idaho, possession or

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sale of marijuana above three ounces is considered felony and attracts a penalty of up to $30,000
or a jail term of ten years in prison. Possession of amount of marijuana less than three ounces
attracts one year in prison or a penalty of $1000 or both (Nunley, 2019). Federal law remains
superior in Idaho, and this explains the illegality of this substance in this state. According to
Medical Marijuana Inc. (2019), the rate of opioid overdose was 14.4 per 100,000 people in 2017.
Ethical Issues in Legalization of Marijuana
The variations in legislations and health outcomes in states where marijuana is
decriminalized or illegal attracts moral questions in proponents of legalization of marijuana. This
can be better understood when one compares the rate of deaths from opioid overdose in Nevada,
Idaho, and the State of New York. From the analysis above, it is evident that Nevada where
marijuana is legalized, had a rate of 13.3 deaths per 100000 people. In the state of New York
where recreational marijuana is decriminalized, the figure stood at 14.4 per 100.000 while the
State of Idaho where marijuana is considered illegal had a rate of 16.1 deaths per 100,000 from
opioid-related overdoses. This is evidence shows that legalization of marijuana in Nevada
translated to reduction of deaths associated with its use. In cases where marijuana is not legalized
like the State of Idaho, people can access the drug from black market and this can lead to high
addiction rates compared to cases where high quality drug is availed in the market.
The cannabis industry is considered a profitable industry for the economy of the United
States. According to Sullivan and Austriaco (2016), proponents of legalization argue that the
industry will create employment opportunities for thousands of people. Additionally, medicinal
cannabis that has been linked to curing chronic diseases and will help save thousands of lives as
discussed in Hartig and Geiger (2018), where six people in every ten Americans recommend the
legalization of Marijuana. A study conducted by Pacula and Smart (2017) explained that the