Since early times, we, human beings, have been trying to create a truly free, democratic society based on moral values that would satisfy the majority of people. But it's not as easy as it sounds as it all comes to the endless philosophical discussions on morality, goodness, and evil. Can we know for sure what's right and what's wrong? And what are the main criteria? While there are things that are undeniably bad, like on-purpose murder, robbery or just anything related to hurting other people, there are things that arise constant debates among people, as everybody has his or her views. For example, is it right or wrong to do the abortion? Some people claim that it's not morally acceptable as it's the same as killing a person; others argue that every woman has the right to do with her body what she considers proper and should be granted a freedom of choice; some people would say that it's only acceptable in certain situations, like when there's a risk for a woman's health. Can we answer this question accurately? Not really as there'll be proponents of both sides, and it's quite impossible to satisfy each personal viewpoint. The same is true about all other controversial issues like euthanasia, medical testing on animals, cloning, producing and watching pornography, capital punishment, and so on. Among such controversial issues is also the question of whether or not to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.
It's a known fact that "forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest." Since the early times, we've been curious to try out new things, especially the ones that were forbidden. And it's something that leads to the progress as it helps us discover new things and learn more about the world around us. To make some progress means to move forward and step over the conventional boundaries. So, it's deeply rooted in the human psychology to be curious and try new things in life. Even a child, if he or she is told not to do some things, they will do it. Something forbidden arises more curiosity and a strong desire to try it out. That's why the psychologists agree that it's much better to use positive reinforcement and try to avoid speaking negatively to the child. The same is true for adults as we perceive the information more in affirmative language and often miss out the particle 'not'. The claim "don't use marijuana" might be grasped as "this is something I should really try." And so here comes the question: should the government ban marijuana based on the morality that it's harmful to a person's health, or rather allow it in a limited quantity?
Let's look at some facts. It's been proven by the scientists that the use of marijuana has some positive health benefits during certain medical conditions. And it has been used for medical treatment since ancient times, most commonly for the pain alleviation purpose; in India, it has been used not only for a medical purpose but also for recreation. The main warning was not to use it too much. The primary concern today is the health issue and negative impact of marijuana on the brain, but it has such adverse effect only if it's overused. Let's face the truth: any substance that is overused is harmful to health, and at present, there are a lot of people who are caffeine or sugar addicts, and this has a negative impact on health as well. And so the next question is if the people should or shouldn't be given the freedom of choice whether or not to use marijuana.
The majority of Americans today support the marijuana use as they see its more positive effects rather than negative ones. Of course, there should be enough information about its side effects and the consequences of its overuse, and the teenagers shouldn't be allowed to buy it, as they can, probably, get addicted more easily. It's the same thing as with the alcohol. There have been attempts to ban the alcoholic beverages, and such prohibition has lead to the negative consequences . Drinking too much does a lot of harm to one's health, but having a glass of wine isn't as bad. The society cannot control every individual, and, at times, different prohibitions might do more harm than good.
I think it all comes to a matter of personal choice for grown-ups and a proper knowledge and education, and every person should be given this freedom of choice. Besides, if something is legally banned, it doesn't mean that a person can't get it illegally, and it can lead to more crime and corruption. While there can't be a simple solution that could satisfy each personal viewpoint, from time to time the government should look at the things from different perspectives and consider all the good and bad sides, - if there's more good than harm in legalizing this or that issue, then why not do it?