The legalization of marijuana is a very current and debatable topic in America today. Many ask why marijuana is not already legal, considering there are many beneficial aspects of marijuana. Many people who are in prison or jail today are in on unnecessary, marijuana related charges, which becomes a huge cost to the government for housing these inmates. Most notably, the benefit of using marijuana for medical purposes drastically outweighs any skepticism of using the substance. Also, the production and consumption of marijuana could be regulated by the government if legalized, giving more jobs for civilians as well as increased revenue for the government due to taxation of the substance. Therefore, the legalization of marijuana should be accepted and adapted in America for recreational purposes, considering its benefits outweigh any negative aspect.
The majority of inmates in prison or jail are indicted on marijuana related charges. Statistics show that nearly 15.9 million people have been arrested on marijuana related charges since 1990, which is approximately 750,000 people a year (US Census). That 15.9 million is a greater number than the populations of Alaska, Delaware, Wyoming, the District of Columbia, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Vermont combined. “According to the Christian Science Monitor, thirteen states have decriminalized the use or possession of small amounts of marijuana, which is not the same as legalizing it. Selling it is still illegal except in states where it is used for medical purposes. And under federal law, any sort of marijuana use or sale is a criminal offense. Yet marijuana is too expensive for our justice system” (Christian Science Monitor 1). Law enforcement has much more important responsibilities than arresting over 750,000 individuals a year for marijuana charges, especially considering the additional justice costs of disposing of these cases. Marijuana arrests make justice more expensive and less efficient in the United States, wasting jail space, diverting time of police, attorneys, and judges on cases that are much more violent, such as child abuse, murder, and terrorism.
The medicinal uses of marijuana are far more beneficial than any skepticism of the substance. Cannabis is non-cancerous, and in fact is used to help chemo patients to cope with loss of appetite and nausea. Marijuana is also used by AIDS patients to help cope with the intense pain. According to Cohen “medical marijuana is prescribed for various pain-related causes including but not limited to chronic pain, migraines, menstrual cramps, and labor pains. The substance is effective in treating and reducing pain related to Adult Attention Disorder, aggressive disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, asthma, depression, Epilepsy, Glaucoma, insomnia, Multiple Sclerosis, Paraplegia and Quadriplegia, Rheumatic diseases, Schizophrenia, Systemic Sclerosis. These are just a few of the main things that marijuana is effective in treating, but are only offered as a treatment where marijuana is legalized for medicinal purposes. So what are people to do who don’t live in an area where legalization is an option? With cannabis having such healing and preventative qualities, why wouldn’t it be legalized? According to Cohen, Cannabis, more commonly referred to as marijuana, has a long history of medical use in this country and worldwide. Accounts dating back as far as 2700 B.C. describe the Chinese using marijuana for maladies ranging from rheumatism to constipation. In the United States, physicians documented the therapeutic properties of the drug as early as 1840, and the drug was included in the United States Pharmacopoeia, the official list of recognized medical drugs, from 1850 through 1942 (Cohen 1).”
Furthermore, according to Messerli, “the legalization of marijuana would increase the availability of drugs to kids, leading them to unhealthy and unproductive lifestyles (Messerli 1).” However, this is not a very strong argument. Take in to consideration alcohol and tobacco, both are more dangerous and physically harmful than marijuana, and both are legal. Though the sale of tobacco and alcohol to kids is prohibited, the increases of underage consumption of these products are at all time high. Also, in the majority of the country, it is a safe argument to say illegal drugs, such as marijuana, are easier to get a hold of for a kid than alcohol, which is legal to those over the age of 21. Many arguments can be made against the legalization of marijuana, yet most to not make sense to the reality of society.
The revenue that could be generated from the sale and taxation of marijuana is outstanding. The government could easily eliminate all its debts with the massive revenue marijuana would likely produce. Look at the situation of the Great Depression and the prohibition of alcohol. The economy had completely failed and America was in absolute turmoil, and at this time alcohol was illegal. However, FDR decided to make alcohol legal again, in hopes that the revenue through sale and production of alcohol would boost the economy. The revenue created from the sale of alcohol quickly increased the well-being of the economy. The same could be said for marijuana. In the economic hard times that America now faces, the production, sale, and therefore taxation of marijuana would inevitably boost the economy with ease. Yet, there is a fear of marijuana because it is commonly labeled as a drug. In reality, marijuana is not a drug. It is simply a plant which grows and lives with the availability of carbon dioxide and
