I believe that it is up to each individual to decide whether or not to use recreational drugs. The situation with alcohol can serve as an example of a suitable approach to policing the distribution and control of this drug. I am inclined to agree with the legalization of marijuana for both recreational and medical use after the policies regarding this topic will be sufficiently comprehensive. The current lack of strict policies for the distribution of marijuana leads to an uprise in addition to cases among young adults and high school students (Sabet, 2021).
However, changing the status of marijuana can decrease the harm from high numbers of criminal charges that disproportionally penalize minorities (Pacula & Smart, 2017). Therefore, such legalization, when done correctly, might have a positive effect on low-income households.
There are issues with current policies that prevent me from agreeing with the legalization of marijuana for recreational use in Alabama. There is a noticeable increase in the usage of concentrated marijuana among youth in the states where it was legalized for recreational purposes (Sabet, 2021). Tobacco companies that enter the marijuana market tend to use sales tactics that were prohibited before when they were implemented for their nicotine products (Sabet, 2021).
Commercialization of this drug must be strictly controlled, and additional limitations, such as age restriction and health considerations, must be set in place prior to the implementation of such policy. However, I am against the legalization on a federal level since public opinions on this topic remain highly polarized, and such a decision will aggravate citizens of some states (Pacula & Smart, 2017). The choice must remain on the state level, as the majority of the citizens of each state are the most affected by this change and must agree on the best course for their communities.
References
Pacula, R. L., & Smart, R. (2017). Medical marijuana and marijuana legalization. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 13(1), 397-419. Web.
Sabet, K. (2021). Opinion | The high price of federal marijuana legalization. WSJ. Web.