Analyzing Medical Marijuana, Deviant Behavior, and Legalization

This essay takes a position that the use of marijuana for medical grounds should not constitute deviant behavior, arguing that its medicalization is growing across the United States and offers benefits to users and society by curing diseases and improving health. It further advocates for the legalization of marijuana in the United States, citing potential economic benefits such as billions in savings, increased tax revenue, and the creation of jobs. The essay also compares social attitudes towards the abuse of illegal drugs versus prescription drugs, noting the perception that illegal drugs are less safe and carry more social stigma than prescription drugs.

Running Head: APPLIED CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Applied Criminal Justice
Name
Institution

APPLIED CRIMINAL JUSTICE 2
Applied Criminal Justice
Take a position on whether the use of medical marijuana should constitute deviant
behavior. Provide a rationale to support your response.
The use of marijuana for medical grounds should not constitute a deviant behavior.
Deviation is any breach of norms or values in the society. The medicalization of marijuana
embodies a growing across the United States (US); however, researchers have yet to concentrate
on the rationales users get marijuana licenses. Thus, the use of marijuana for medical reasons
should not be treated as deviant behavior because the users and the society will benefit from the
marijuana use. The use of marijuana has been found to cure some diseases that have been
chronic to society reducing burdens to families and individuals suffering from chronic diseases.
In many instances, individuals that use marijuana for medical use have reported improvement in
their health that ensures that the society remains healthy and the finances that the members of the
society could have been used to treat elsewhere are used for other purposes in the society
(Bostwick, 2012). In addition, the users of marijuana for medical purposes claim that their use of
the drug does not harm other members of the society and this does not constitute a deviant
behavior. The users further claim that the other members of the society that do not use the drug
seen them as rejects and losers of the society. This implies that the use of marijuana will do more
good to the society rather than harm the society that makes the behavior acceptable social
behavior rather than deviant behavior. Additionally, the users of marijuana for medical purposes
does not exhibit a reckless behavior that is contrary to the social norms of the society, where they
always what other normal people do in the society (Rubens, 2014). The users believe that they do
not breach any values in the society and they are like other users like those of cigarettes.

APPLIED CRIMINAL JUSTICE 3
Watch the posted documentary and share your position on legalizing marijuana in the
United States. Then, compare two (2) social attitudes towards abuse of illegal drugs vs.
prescription drugs. Provide evidence to support your response.
The United States should legalize marijuana for different reasons. The use of marijuana
should be legalized in all the 50 states. Many studies have confirmed that the legalization of
marijuana in US will save around $7.7 billion in forestalled enforcement expenses, as well as
include around $6 billion in extra tax revenue-about $13.7 billion in net savings. These savings
could enable the nation to rebuild railways, bridges, highways, plus railways and offer societies
with the resources they require to adequately respond to drug abuse, as well as the oploid
endemic. In addition, legalizing marijuana in the US will further benefit the country by creating
more than 782, 000 jobs in a day (Ryan, 2018).
First, many people in the society believe that the use of illegal drugs are not safe from the
law enforcement and they abuse more and that prescription drugs are secure to use and they are
easily accessible. The users consider that illegal drugs are not easy to find because of its legality.
Second, the society believes that illicit drugs attracts stigma from the society while prescription
drugs do not attract any social stigma from members of the society. This social attitude is
applicable to the societal attitude that prescription drugs use is safer as compared to illegal drugs
along with reduce cases of stigma regarding misuse, because the perceptions are founded on
attitudes exhibited by other people in the society founded on own beliefs (Fleary, Heffer &
McKyer, 2013).

APPLIED CRIMINAL JUSTICE 4
References
Bostwick, M.J. (2012). Blurred Boundaries: The Therapeutics and Politics of Medical Marijuana.
Mayo Clin Proc. 87(2); 172–186.
Fleary, S.A., Heffer, R.W. & McKyer, J.K.E. (2013). Understanding Nonprescription and
Prescription Drug Misuse in Late Adolescence/Young Adulthood. Journal of Addiction.
2013:709207.
Rubens, M. (2014). Political and medical views on medical marijuana and its future. Social Work
Public Health. 29(2):121-31.
Ryan, T. (2018). Rep. Tim Ryan: Marijuana should be legal in all 50 states. CNN. [Accessed 31
Oct 2018].