According to Dr. Andre Haughton (2019), the Cannabis Consumers Coalition report created in 2017 stated that more than 50% of consumers support policies of legalizing the use of marijuana (Jamaica Gleaner, 2019). With the legalization of marijuana in the works, many Jamaicans have argued about the potential negative health effects. The legalization will prevent law enforcement from penalizing the public if they are caught in possession of the cannabis plant. Legalizing marijuana will not eventually result in more harm than good as marijuana has potential for medical innovation and legalizing marijuana will aid in improving the country’s economy.
Primarily, legalizing marijuana will not eventually result in more harm than good as marijuana has potential for medical innovation. According to Hanlon (2018), Jamaica has been paving the way in the science and technology driving medical marijuana innovation by establishing an initiative to preserve the cannabis strains. This initiative has been occurring since the 1960s, in order to retain its unique CBD content and chemical characteristics from the modern day strains. Moreover, one such cannabis strain is the Landrace which has been used for targeting illnesses from epilepsy to anxiety (Sharp, 2018). Additionally, Dr. Henry Lowe has created a cannabis based drug that will be used to treat eye - related diseases (Jamaica Observer Limited, 2019). His implementation will help to improve the eyesight of glaucoma patients by reducing the pressure without surgery with the active THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) compound in his drug. Additionally, the Jamaican Medical Cannabis Collective (JMCC) (2018) has partnered with international markets to invest 2 million US dollars to research Jamaica’s marijuana strain. With this intention, the marijuana strains will be preserved as it is indigenous to Jamaica and has potential in the medical field.
In the same token, legalizing marijuana will not eventually result in more harm than good as it will aid in improving the country’s economy. According to Pardo (2015), the regulated sales of marijuana will boost the economy of Jamaica. This will provide another product that can be exported. The global demand of the product has increased due to its many uses. and since it has a lot of usages lot of countries my want to take advantage of the product. One of the many uses of the product includes the creation of oil from its extract. This can lead to the growth in employment as many industries will be needed to complete the task. According to the Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Honourable. Audley Shaw, Jamaica could earn $30 million per gallon for exporting these oils (Jamaica Gleaner, 2019). An increase in export prices will increase the foreign currency of the country. Since the tourism sector constitutes 30% of Jamaica’s GDP, the government revenue can be increased due to the popularity of marijuana from tourists (Davenport & Pardo, 2015). As criminal charges associated with the plant will be dropped, this will make Jamaica more comfortable for them. Small Jamaican business owners can retrieve wealth from an increase in tourist arrivals.
Some argue that legalizing marijuana will result in more harm than good as there will be more negative health effects. Correspondingly, these effects were stated in a case study in 2001 examined that marijuana is a potential trigger for cardiovascular problems (Aarons, 2018). These problems can be triggered due to marijuana exposure. Additionally, there is an increase in the use of marijuana among adolescents which is due to the easy access of the product. This may lead to a growth in the number of adolescents at the risk of being addicted to marijuana (Compton, Volkow, & Lopez, 2017).
Despite certain arguments, legalizing marijuana will not eventually do more harm than good as marijuana can be controlled and administered by medical professionals. According to Dr. Henry Levine, registered physicians should perform an adequate background check on a patient’s medical treatments and psychiatric disorders and a current physical examination of the patients before marijuana is administered (Murphy, 2018). Even though some may argue that marijuana can cause cardiovascular problems, these problems are more linked to the improper uses of the product, thus the government could implement systems such as centers that will aim to educate the people on why they shouldn’t use the product in the wrong way and this could reduce the amount of improper uses of marijuana in the country. Additionally, the patients should be educated about the safety precautions of the.