Leadership ethics of legalizing marijuana

Leadership ethics of legalizing marihuana launch hemp, uniformwise known as weed, grass, bud, or pot, is the moment closely unremarkably officed recreational drug in America, behind only alcohol, a legal effect. The drug comes from the leaves of the hemp plant, gitnabis sativa. It has a high niggardliness of the drugs active ingredient, Tetrahydro abidenabinols, also known as tetrahydrocannabinol. man m whatever pulmonary tuberculosisrs booby the leaves of the plant to draw off high (psychologic eachy impaired), studies show that hemp has many authorized medical examination examination uses. These uses include alleviating nausea due to chem early(a)apy, improving the severe weighting unit handout of AIDS patients, and treating pain which may non respond to mainstream opoids much(prenominal)(prenominal) as Morphine. marijuana has been use through extinct history for both medical and spiritual purposes. It has been utilise to relieve stress, reduce pain, and c ure fatigue, however unite States Federal Law classifies ganja as a schedule I sum in the Controlled Substances Act. This act defines schedule I drugs as having tierce traitsThe drug or other substance has a high likely for abuse. The drug or other substance has no currently authorized medical use in intervention in the coupled States. at that place is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision. (Controlled Substances Act 2002)This act does also define Tetrahydrocannabinols as a schedule I drug, thus making the obstinacy of marihuana illegal under federal law.However, several(prenominal) submit administrations have g one(a) against the federal precedent and legalized cannabis for healthful purposes. In 1996, California was the first such present, under Proposition 215. However, even at heart these rural areas, some counties may choose to not support the legitimation. This had led to the acquire of many patients wh o may have unknowingly travelled into the wrong county. international the United States, the legislation regarding marijuana possession and use is much less(prenominal) restrictive. Parts of Canada and several(prenominal) countries in Europe have legalized the use and possession of marijuana for both medicinal and recreational purposes. The figure below shows several legalisation levels for nations around the world. As one can represent on the map, a majority of European nations as well as or so of South America have decriminalized marijuana use whereas most of the United States ar red, heart marijuana is confirmed illegal.thither ar troika possible options for legalization, each(prenominal) with its own benefits, drawbacks, and estimable roll in the hays for our leadinghip. The three options atomic minute 18 neck bulwark (US Federal Law), legalization of medicinal marijuana (California Law), and the nail legalization.This composition seeks to not only analyze the three options for legalization (or banning), precisely more(prenominal) so to evaluate the outputs implications for the honorable determinations of leading. The issue of marijuana becomes an respec duck issue when you consider the accompaniment that prohibition of the drug also prevents patients from getting the help oneself they need. Leaders of the United States and any other presidency dealing with this issue need to consider the ethical implications of their decisions.As discussed in Defining Moments, these decisions can be considered right vs. right decisions or decisions where both options seem to be right. In the case of marijuana legalization, leadership and lawmakers atomic number 18 considering the ethical weight of allowing patients the medication they need or completely preventing the abuse of an illicit drug. both(prenominal) decisions seem right in their own rooms entirely the options soap of each other. This forces leaders to evaluate their own exam pleity and utilize their ethical decision making capabilities to make a decision that, based on all ethical detailors, they can consider right. by means of the examination of ethical, legal, and scotch occurrenceors, this melodic theme leave behind reveal that the legalization of marijuana is the most beforehand thinking and ethical option for dealing with marijuana. However, in clubhouse to consecrate this turn, transformational leaders who recognize the benefits and drawbacks of all options essential be a disassemble of the decision making process. The paper strives to reveal significant insight to the pursuance unbelief. Why do leaders choose to support or contrast the legalization of marijuana? Considering pertinent take the stand, what option for the legalization of marijuana is most ethical? And, what type of leadership is necessary to do the right involvement?Leadership in TheoryLeadership ethics and the moral decisions they argon forced to make have long bee n a topic of philosophers discussions. The way that leaders reveal themselves through their ethical decisions involves how their followers image them. Additionally, the ethics which a leader portrays leave be mimicked among much of the population. In this way, leaders have the power to mold the morals and finds of those they lead. This power can be either beneficial or destructive to the leaders power depending on how its utilized. Adolf Hitler used this power, for horrific purposes, to create a sense of extreme experience and nationalism which hunting expeditiond them to follow him somewhat blindly.Plato, a Greek philosopher, argues that leaders essential make ethical decisions based on the greater good of the pot affected by the decision. That is, draw rein not with self post, but the interest of your followers. This frames the analysis of the legalization decisions because, if leaders believe that the use of marijuana can benefit their citizens then, according to Pla to, legalization is the morally right option. In The morals of Leadershipip, Joanne Ciulla provides a passage from Plato which states, because our bodies are deficient rather than self sufficient, the shenanigan of euphony has now been discovered. The craft of medicine was developed to provide what s advantageous for a body. (Ciulla, 19) Therefore, if marijuana were proven to be a medicine it would then be considered by Plato advantageous to the citizens. Therefore, providing the ability for the suffering to get this medicine would be good leadership.Ayn Rand would disagree with Plato, however. Rand argues that leaders must rule with their own self interest as their primary motivator. She says, Accept the fact that the achievement of your happiness is the only moral purpose of your life, and that happinessis the cogent evidence of your moral integrity. (Ciulla, 51) She believes that the pursuit of ones self interests is indicative of their dedication to their morals and values a nd that, Rand argues, is the proof of your morality. This frames the analysis of the ethical implications of marijuana legalization, because, as Rand would argue, unless the leaders and lawmakers were somehow benefitting from legalization they should not choose to enact such laws, regardless of what others want and/or need.However, on that point is one surmisal that seems to be key to enacting any crystallise of transport in marijuana laws. The necessity for transformational leadership is vital to the cause of bringing about change. Transformational leadership is a type of leadership where leaders use their power to enact rich and positive change in the people they lead. (Bass) This consideration is important for deuce reasons. First, in order to crystalise marijuana laws, transformational leaders go out be needed to enact the changes. Secondly, these transformational leaders will be compelled to enact this change if they can see it as valuable and positive. So, if you consid er this theory with Platos thoughts, the medicinal purpose of marijuana would be advantageous and, thus, the legalization of it would be a valuable and positive change because it would allow people to get the things their bodies need. So, for the sake of this evaluation, I will insure the presence (or absence) of transformational leaders.Therefore, the framework for this paper will be the three theories of leadership that I have outlined in this section. For each option of legalization, I will discuss the ethical issues that leaders face when dealing with the question of legalizing the use of marijuana. I will also add discussion on each option with respect to each theory Plato, Rand, and the idea of transformational leadership.What this paper serves to prove is that, under the theoretical framework outlined in this section, the legalization of marijuana appeals to all three of the theories discussed above. So, under this framework, legalizing and taxing marijuana is the most feas ible and potentially successful option. However, during this discussion, I will answer the questions of how each option of legalization discussed in this pertains to the three theories of Plato, Rand, and transformational leadership.Option 1 pick out ProhibitionThe first option I will discuss is the complete prohibition of the possession and use of marijuana for any purpose. This is how a life-sized portion of the United States operates. Marijuana is considered taboo to mainstream culture, so its use outlawed. However, hangmans rope is still the second most used recreational drug in America. (Joy 1999)ProsNow, this does accomplish some important goals. First of all, it serves as a fashion to limit the abuse of the drug. By criminalizing the possession and use of marijuana, law makers will deter some citizens from using the drug.Many people do view this deterrence as a good improvement and they cite the defamatory cause of smoke inhalation as their justification. angiotensin- converting enzyme of the most popular argument is the effectuate that take in marijuana has on the lungs.As with inhaling any type of smoke, carcinogens in marijuana smoke can cause upon to the lungs and respiratory system. Tan argues, Participants who had smoked at least 50 marijuana cigarettes but had no history of baccy smoking were not at significantly greater risk for either outcome. (The outcomes were respiratory symptoms and COPD) This statement suggests that smoking marijuana has similar effects on the respiratory system as smoking tobacco. Further, he says, Those who had smoked both tobacco and marijuana had a significantly greater risk of COPD and respiratory symptoms. (Tan, 2009) Tan is proving is that, while wholly smoking marijuana is no more dangerous that smoking cigarettes, corporate trust the two significantly summations the risk of respiratory issues. Therefore, the drys justify criminalization by claiming that the use and abuse of marijuana has degenerative effects on the lungs. other claim hemp prohibitionists make to justify their stance is that marijuana use has addictive properties, similar to nicotine. They claim that marijuana addiction is a hypercritical issue in the legalization discussion. Their main focus is the addictive effects on youth. In a study by Iain McGregor on the effects of THC injections on the brains and behaviors of childish and adult male rats, McGregor install that adolescent brains are still maturing, and say they seem to be more penetrable to THC (Youngsters, 2007). The article cites that after the injections of THC, the adult rats avoided the injection area, however, the adolescent rats showed no such aversion (Youngsters, 2007). This observation, McGregor says, shows that the adult rats, contrary from the adolescent subjects, found the THC unpleasant. Since the test was set up to mimic human conditions under wakeless hangmans halter manipulation, this would suggests that youths are more susceptibl e to becoming addicted to cannabis since they show no disdain for the effects of the drug. This conclusion is underscored by the fact that, according to the US Substance misdirect and Mental health service Administration, adolescent cannabis use is rising. This agent that more youth are trying marijuana and, based on McGregors results, becoming addicted to the effects of THC.ConsHowever, the complete prohibition of marijuana, along with the arguments that prohibition supporters use to justify it, has flaws. matchless of the largest such drawbacks of prohibition is the matter of getting medicinal marijuana to patients. Additionally, marijuana has been shown to have preventative medicinal purposes. An experiment by Prof. Raphael Mechoulam showed that the use of marijuana can significantly slow the effects of Alzheimers Disease. In this experiment, Mechoulams team found that cannabinoids not only prevented cognitive decline, but also reduced the sacking associated with the ailmen t. Inflammation is normal says Gary Wenk of Ohio State University, however, in some cases, this inflammation gets out of hand and causes serious detriment (Pot May Help, 2006). There is a material link between chronic inflammation in the brain and the attainment of Alzheimers Wenk says, but mentions that the anti-inflammatory properties of marijuana can help to prevent this. However, all of this is null if the drug is criminalized. Those with family histories of Alzheimers are forced to accept the onset of the disease because lawmakers deemed the drug illicit.The justification, discussed above, of the prohibition of marijuana is also flawed. For example, the argument regarding the respiratory damage from marijuana is hypocritical. The study discussed above demonstrated that marijuana smoke is affectly as destructive as tobacco smoke. Tobacco, however, is legal. So, how can the prevention of respiratory damage be a viable justification if you are not going to prevent the damage from an equally as dangerous substance?Ethical IssuesThese benefits and drawbacks of prohibition are part of the ethical struggle that leaders have to face. On one hand, prohibition does what iss morally right by protecting citizens from a subtle drug. However, the proof of the harmfulness of marijuana is rest and many studies show it to be no more dangerous than other, legalized, substances. In 1988, then DEA Judge Francis L. Young said, Marijuana is the safest therapeutically active substance known to man safer than many foods we commonly consume (Armento, 2009). So, if it is in fact safer than most foods and, at the very least, it has therapeutic benefits, why is there a need for it to be prohibited?Additionally, the attempt to stop the use is failing. youth usage levels are rising and the use of marijuana is not detached to those states that have since legalized medical marijuana. In fact, marijuana usage is no regionally exclusive in this domain. The map below shows the st ates with highest reported marijuana usage in the United States. The graph shows a rather even statistical distribution across the countries, with high usage rates in the Northeast, West, and Midwest. This is a conclusion that the prohibition of marijuana is not successful.In regards to leadership, the leaders supporting the prohibition of marijuana are dissembleing it safe and staying with the status quo. No signs of transformational leadership are cosmos demonstrated by lawmakers who arent striving for change, but kind of leading to remain in power. This is despite the fact that data such as the figure above show that the citizens see marijuana as a positive and are yearning for change to the current laws. Transformational leaders would recognize this and work to enact this positive change in government. This means going against the status quo and transforming the legislation into something the people support.The other side of the ethical debate over prohibition is that it lim its the ability for patients to receive the medicine they need. I explained earlier how marijuana can be used as a preventative medicine to prevent Alzheimers and in later sections I will discuss, in further detail, the beneficial effects of medicinal marijuana. However, prohibition offers no permissions to patients to obtain the drug. Nor does it allow any judicial allowances to those arrested for the possession or use of marijuana, even if they are using it for medical reasons. Ethically, this is the weakest part of the argument in favor of prohibition.Lets analyze this piece using sleep test ethics. In his book, Defining Moments, Joseph L Badaracco discusses sleep test ethics as a means of evaluating ethical decisions. Badaracco explains sleep-test ethics as a person who has do the right choice can sleep soundly afterward soulfulness who has made the wrong choice cannot. (Badaracco, 1997) If we apply this to the idea of prohibition, we can see the ethical issue involved in proh ibition. If you had to deny a destruction patient the medicine to ease their suffering in order to quell a feeble attempt to authorisation the recreational use of the medicine, would you be able to sleep soundly at night?These are the issues that prohibitionist lawmakers face when dealing with marijuana in their districts. It seems to be a constitution vs. people debate, but at the heart is the a moral and ethical battle between right and right. Badaracco explains these right vs. right situations as define moments which are used to not only reveal but stickert a leaders character. How our lawmakers handle the issues of marijuana prohibition will affect how others view their morality.Option 2 Legalization of Medicinal MarijuanaThe second option for marijuana legalization is to legalize the medicinal use of marijuana only. Currently, there are 13 states that have disregarded the federal prohibition laws and have legalized the possession and use of marijuana for medical purposes . These states, with the year in which they legalized medicinal marijuana are shown in the table below.ProsMarijuana has been used as medicine since ancient times. It has pain relieving and anti-inflammatory properties when smoked. This is because the heat of impatient the cannabis activates the THC in the plant which then enters ones body with the smoke. Through most of the 80s and 90s, the United States federal government prohibited the testing of marijuana smoke for medicinal purposes. However, in 2002, the Drug Enforcement Administration granted approvals to scientists for the especial(a) use of marijuana in scientific experiments. (Hilts, 2002) In his article, Hilts said, that scientists at the University of California will begin testing the effects of smoking marijuana on the ramification pain experiences due to Multiple Sclerosis and AIDS.Scientists have found evidence that links marijuana, specifically THC, with medical benefits, both remedy and preventative. As I have e xplained above, THC has shown to have preventative effects against Alzheimers disease in older people. Additionally, it is a drug of interest because it is one of the few irrefutable for neurological decay that doesnt just focus on the symptoms, but instead, the origin cause, the inflammation due to age.However, marijuana also has very significant curative benefits as well for patients. In his review of the Dying to Get steep, Ellis cites a story from 1992 where a woman was using marijuana with successinstead of pharmaceutical drugs to control her seizures. (Ellis, n.d.) The seizures, Ellis said were caused by a car accident 20 long time ago and the woman, Valerie Corral, had successfully controlled them for those 20 years with marijuana. Ellis elaborates on some of the other proven medical uses of marijuana. He says, In practice, this includes nausea and appetite loss in Cancer and AIDS treatments, chronic pain, glaucoma, and seizures related to multiple sclerosis, sizable dyst rophy, and epilepsy. (Ellis, n.d.) Studies have shown that intra-ocular pressure can be reduced by 45% through the use of marijuana (Hanrahan, 2006) This reduction is specially important to the treatment of Glaucoma. The studies also show that cannabis also has antimicrobial action and bacteriacide effects such as being able to destroy and appropriate the growth of streptococci and staphylococcusylococci bacteria. (Hanrahan, 2006) These bacteria are responsible for staph infections more common and in severe cases MRSA. The results suggest that cannabis, or specifically THC, can be used to eliminate and prevent staph infections.Additionally, by legalizing the use of medicinal marijuana, it is allowing more studies to be done, which may lead to more discoveries and cures. entirely most importantly, your helping the lives of patients with AIDS, Cancer, MS, and other to be made a little less strenuous and easing the suffering from their disease.ConsLegalization of medicinal marijua na is a somewhat meet in the middle option, meaning that it tries to appease as many people as possible. This option allows for the government to still attempt preventing the recreational use of the drug without denying patients the treatments they need. Therefore, the cons of this option are limited and weakly supported.Ethical IssuesBy legalizing cannabis for medicinal use, you are recognizing that the drug has beneficial uses for the prevention of many serious diseases, such as Alzheimers, yet you are still deeming it unsafe for recreational use. However, if the drug is being used for preventative measures, then recreational use would actually be beneficial to the population. Granted, abuse may become an issue over time, but so is the case for alcohol, yet that is not currently prohibited. Also, it may be harmful to the lungs and respiratory system, but no more so than tobacco smoke, which is also legal.Ethically however, it appears to be the moral thing to do. While there are so me initial signs of transformational leadership, the changes are not significantly change all citizens. Leaders, while changing the laws in their state, are not pushing for the change in the federal law, which legally overrules the state laws. Therefore, in reality, the leaders are acting in their own self-interest, as Rand would suggest they do. They are maximizing their votes without taking a firm stand on either side of the argument. This is a way to keep them in office and encounter their own interests. However, they are showing no dedication to their own morals and values, which Badaracco says is how one reveals their ethics, by remaining dedicated to their set of values.Option 3 Complete LegalizationComplete legalization is the more sparsely used option of the three. Only certain areas of Canada, such as Montreal, and few nations in Europe, such as Netherlands, have completely legalized the use of marijuana for any purpose, medicinal or recreational. This option shows the hi ghest potential for economical benefit by allowing for the taxation while freeing up funding from the War on Drugs.ProsThroughout this analysis I have made several comparisons of marijuana to alcohol and tobacco. Marijuana is no more addictive or harmful physically than these two legal substances. So, marijuana could yield similar monetary benefits through taxation as cigarettes and tobacco. Currently, tobacco is taxed by federal, state, and local governments which incur revenue for all organizations. Some places, where medical marijuana is legal, have begun taxing medical marijuana to benefit from its legalization. Oakland, CA was the first such city to do so, with support of 80% of the population. Once President Obama promised that the federal government would not interfere with a states ordinance of the drug, transformational leaders, such as tomcat Ammiano of California, introduced a bill to legalize the cultivation of marijuana and its distribution and barter to people o ver 21. (Puff, Puff, Pay, 2009)It seems that in our current economic crisis, any superfluous revenue would be viewed as a valuable and significant prospect and some leaders are realizing that marijuana can be one of those opportunities. The California Board of Equalization estimates that, if Assemblyman Ammianos bill succeeds, the state of California could break off $1.4 billion in revenue. (Puff, Puff, Pay, 2009) The legalization of marijuana would also help to spur a boost in cannabis related tourism. For a state such as California, struggling through the economic turmoil our country has been in, these pecuniary benefits are very appealing. And, if the policy were enacted nationwide, the revenue generated would simply multiply.ConsThere are some noticeable drawbacks of the legalization of marijuana, but none nearly as significant as the financial gain from the legalization, sale, and taxation of cannabis. One such concern is that of addiction of people to cannabis. A Substanc e Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration study has shown that the number of cannabis addicts has risen from 12% to 16% since 1997 (Puff, Puff, Pay, 2009). While this is not a particularly significant increase, this is a valid consideration when discussing the conception of legalizing marijuana use. This number would most likely increase more if marijuana were legal, however, the significance of this increase cannot be estimated.Ethical IssuesThis option for legalization requires the highest level of transformational leadership. The lawmakers need to witness that the legalization can be a valuable and positive change if executed properly. This positive change could not only allow the medical use of marijuana to cure and ease the suffering of significant diseases but also help their economy.Alcohol and tobacco are currently some of the most profitable industries for the United States government. Marijuana could generate revenue equal to, if not greater than tobacco and alco hol. This concept plays directly into Rands advice for leaders. Creating revenue for their state would secure their place in office as well as possibly affording our leaders some financial gains, such as pay raises and tax breaks due to increased revenue. Therefore, the legalization of marijuana to secure financial gain would be ruling in ones own self-interest, a concept that Rand is very adamant about.Additionally, Platos theories regarding ruling for the greater good come into play in this option as well. By legalizing marijuana completely, you are fine-looking people the right to choose if they want to use marijuana and what they would like to use it for. Giving people more rights can be considered to be for the greater good. Also, it boosts the economy and creates jobs as retail, manufacturing, and shipping organizations will need to be developed to support the legalization.ConclusionsThis paper analyzed the three options of legalizing (or prohibiting) the use of marijuana for both medical and recreational reasons. It has presented the benefits and drawbacks of both marijuana and its legalization/prohibition. It has inclose the analysis within the writings of Plato and Ayn Rand as well as against the ideas of transformational leadership.But what option is best or more right? In order to answer this question we must think of our criteria, or the framework of the analysis. We must judge each option based on this framework. A table below shows each option and how it pertains to the pieces of our framework.From this table we see that, each theory helps to support the case for complete legalization. Both philosophers views are present in the effects and consequences of this option. Allowing people the right to choose and the right to select their medicine is Platos view of ruling for the greater good. The tax benefits that leaders will doubtless see (though may never be officially attributed to the legalization of marijuana) is Rands view of ruling with sel f-interest. And the fact that they are transforming the values, morals, and ideas of what is acceptable of a society for valuable and positive change demonstrates their understanding of and dedication to the theories of transformational leadership.Under these criteria, the prohibition of marijuana completely does not support any of the theories by which we are evaluating.Therefore, in conclusion, the legalization of marijuana seems to be the best option for dealing with this issue. The legalization would allow the people who need treatment to get it and it could help with the economic crisis which is currently ravaging the world. Additionally, since marijuana has proven to actually have benefits, contrasted tobacco and alcohol, it is a positive change in the culture of society. While laws pertaining to marijuana will need to be developed (similar to tobacco and alcohol), the regulation of marijuana use by the government will, in the end, prove to be a very profitable decision.I thi nk it is the best decision ethically as well. The people, who want to use it, are. The people, who dont want to use it, arent. I dont feel as though this will change significantly by legalizing the drug. Therefore, the consequences of such a decision are minimal, as its almost a case of realizing the current situation and making legislation to benefit from it.ReferencesArmento, Paul. Marijuana Is More Mainstream Than Ever, So Why Is Legalization Still Taboo? Marijuana Law iron out NORML. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, 3 Nov. 2009. Web. 8 Nov. 2009. .-. 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