IndexIntroductionThe legal status and history of marijuana in New ZealandNegative effects of marijuanaThe benefits of marijuanaConclusionReferencesIntroductionAbout half of young people have taken marijuana and in the following years the number of people is increasing who use cannabis (Abel & Casswell, 1998). One of the key factors in this situation is that an increasing number of countries have legalized cannabis. Experts and society have opposite opinions. Many people support the legalization of marijuana. Conversely, some disagree due to the effects of cannabis use. This essay will first discuss the history of cannabis, then examine its negative effects, and then examine the economic and medical benefits of marijuana. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The legal status and history of marijuana in New Zealand The Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 prohibits the use of marijuana in New Zealand. This law makes the use of marijuana a crime without a permit. According to the United National Bureau of Drugs and Crime (2006), cannabis is one of the widely used illegal drugs. Approximately four million inhabitants in New Zealand, the ninth highest consumption of marijuana in the world. This act has been revised since December 2018, the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Act (2019) allows the unbridled use of medical marijuana. Cannabis should go way back in their history. At that time marijuana was used for textiles. So this was used for painkillers. In 1927, New Zealand passed the Dangerous Drugs Act, the schedule of which listed, among other controlled drugs: '(a) Resin obtained from Indian hemp; b) preparations whose base is made up of Indian hemp resin; and (c) Indian hemp extracts and tinctures." In 1965, New Zealand passed the Narcotics Act (1965) prohibiting cannabis. Negative Effects of Marijuana The biggest controversy about cannabis is the health danger. Numerous researchers argue that cannabis has negative effects on the brain. Smoking marijuana can significantly change the mental state, a serious consequence of using cannabis will change the state of consciousness, which is characterized by euphoria, relaxation, changes in perception. However, when the change in consciousness leads to short-term memory loss. Marijuana use can cause memory impairment because tetrahydrocannabinol changes how the hippocampus, the area of ​​the brain responsible for memory formation, processes information. Most of the evidence to support this claim comes from animal studies. For example, rats exposed to THC in the womb, soon after birth, or adolescents show significant problems with specific learning/memory tasks later in life. Furthermore, cognitive impairment in adult rats is associated with changes in hippocampal structure and function caused by THC exposure in adolescents (Iversen, 2018). Growing evidence has shown that cannabis used people to cause potential mental illness and contribute to personality disorders in patients with confirmed schizophrenia. . According to Caulkins, Hawken, Kilmer, and Kleiman (2012), the definition of schizophrenia is a mental illness characterized by detachment from reality, usually auditory, strong false beliefs, and abnormal thoughts and behaviors. Whether or not smoking marijuana causes mental health effects, such as schizophrenia and depression. For example, research has shown that acute exposure to cannabis and synthetic cannabinoids (Spice/K2) cancause various transient psychotic symptoms, cognitive deficiencies and psychophysiological abnormalities, very similar to schizophrenia. In people with mental illnesses, cannabinoids can worsen symptoms, cause relapse, and negatively influence disease progression (Radhakrishnan, Wilkinson, & Souza, 2014). The Benefits of Marijuana Medical marijuana can effectively reduce physical pain for patients, especially cancer patients who experience nausea or vomiting after chemotherapy. Therefore, a large number of people believe that the legalization of recreational marijuana should delay its implementation. The immediate priority is to promote the legalization of medical marijuana. After all, several media outlets have reported that medical marijuana is relieving cancer patients' pain and treating HIV infection, chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting, neuropathic pain, and multiple sclerosis spasms (Hill, 2015). Chronic neuropathic pain, depression caused by AIDS or other chronic non-cancer diseases, pain caused by insomnia or cancer, and palliative care can be improved through the use of medicinal cannabis. A recent study found that cannabinol products high in flavonoids were used to treat seizures in children, 11% of whom remained normal, 42% had a seizure frequency greater than 80%, and 32 % had a seizure frequency of 25 to 60% ( Porter and Jacobson, 2013 ). There are many research institutes on the medicinal properties of cannabis. Most of them are related to THC, one of the cannabinoids contained in cannabis. THC makes people feel "high" and gives cannabis a specific medicinal effect. The body produces cannabinoids, the natural form of cannabinoids. Studies have shown that the endogenous cannabinoid system helps regulate the body's response to a variety of stimuli. The body produces endogenous cannabinoids as needed, but this effect is temporary. Endogenous cannabinoid receptors are found throughout the body but are particularly important in the brain. Cannabis cannabinoids bind to these receptors and have multiple effects. You may also feel uncomfortable with some medications, such as those for pain and anxiety relief. In addition to the medical uses listed above, research has shown that cannabinoids can delay the onset of some cancers (Andreas, 2011)(Nugent et al., 2017). In addition to the health benefits of cannabis or pain relief, legalizing cannabis marijuana also brings significant economic benefits. The government can impose a consumption tax. When legalizing cannabis, the most important economic benefit is taxes. Taxation and revenue generation are some of the main arguments in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana (Miron & Zwiebel, 1995). For example, the Secretariat estimates that this market could, conservatively, generate annual tax revenues totaling $1.3 billion at the state and municipal levels, which is a combination of state and local sales and excise taxes. Assuming what other jurisdictions have approved, state revenue will be up to $436 million, cities up to $336 million and outlying counties about $570 million. Of course, the total revenue realized at the state and local levels depends on the outcome of the legalization effort (City of Surrey, 2018). This could attract more immigrants and increase the population and society. For example, Colorado gained 35,500 to 36,900 new residents between 2014 and 2015. Through 2015, due to the legalization of cannabis, Colorado increased its population by 3.2 percent, becoming the second-fastest state growth (2011).