Preview

Marijuana Legalization

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
986 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Marijuana Legalization
Nicholas Werner
English 1301
February 25, 2013
Just Legalize It Very few things disgust me more than when I hear about people or some of my friends getting arrested for the possession of marijuana. Although I do not use it anymore, I strongly believe that it should be legalized throughout the nation and regulated by the U.S. government. There are many reasons why I believe it should be legalized. It would save the government billions of dollars for one, and if they tax it, it would make them even more money. The first and most basic reason is there is no good reason for it not to be legal. The effects of marijuana have been extremely obscured when presented to the public. If you have never tried it than you may believe that you hallucinate and see pretty colors. This is not true at all. Marijuana does not make you hallucinate or significantly slow down your reaction time. Unlike alcohol, marijuana is not dangerous and does not come with significant long-term effects unless of course significantly abused and overused. The harmful effects of marijuana are significantly weaker than those of tobacco and alcohol. Studies by the British Medical Association have proven that nicotine is far more addictive than marijuana.
Prohibition does not work. From my personal experiences, I have found it much easier to obtain marijuana, the illegal substance, than alcohol, the legal substance. This is because alcohol is regulated throughout the country and therefore kept away from kids. Drug dealers do not care about how old a buyer is as long as they have money. As long as marijuana is illegal, there will be kids going to drug dealers, who are not the ideal people our children should be around. Most of these drug dealers sell drugs other than marijuana, which they then influence our kids to buy. Most of those drugs are very dangerous, addictive and easy to overdose on. It is impossible to overdose on marijuana and there have been 0 deaths due to marijuana usage. This is one

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    There is no evidence that prohibition decreases drug use, and there are several theories that suggest prohibition migth actually increase drug use (i.e. the “forbidden fruit” effect, and easier accesibility for youth). One unintended effect of marijuana prohibition is that marijuana is very popular in El Paso HS. Why? Because it is available. You dont have to be 21 to buy marijuana, marijuana dealers ussualy dont care how old are you as long as you have money. It is actually easier for many high school students to obtain marijuana than it is for them to obtain alcohol, because alcohol is legal and therefore regulated to keep it away from kids. If our goal is to reduce drug consumption, then we should focus on open and honest programs to educate youth, reguations to keep drugas away from kids, and tratment programs for people with drug problems. But the current prohibition scheme does not allow such reasonable approaches to marijuana; instead we are stuck with “DARE”…

    • 904 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Marijuana Legalization

    • 2144 Words
    • 9 Pages

    The legalization of marijuana has been a very controversial case for decades, with strong arguments on either side.…

    • 2144 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Legalization of Marijuana

    • 1557 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The topic of legalizing marijuana has been a topic of controversy for quite some time now not only throughout our local streets, but throughout the local and into the state government. The legalization of marijuana is such a controversial topic because some are for it and some are against it. People are for the legalization because of the great uses it has towards medicine, the money that could come from the taxation of legalized marijuana, and the emptying of prisons because of the releases of marijuana offenses. The list could go on and on. Other people are against the legalization because it is considered a “gateway drug”, or because the legalization of marijuana would eventually lead to the legalization of harder drugs such as heroine or cocaine. Despite the negative comments about the drug, marijuana should be legalized because it would give the U.S. a huge amount of money from the taxation and regulation of the drug, its uses would greatly impact our health throughout the medical field and throughout our own well being, and would help our fight with the war on drugs and our overcrowded prisons.…

    • 1557 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Legalization of Marijuana

    • 3597 Words
    • 15 Pages

    Several topics in modern day society cause controversy, but one topic that out ranks them all is the legalization of marijuana. The main argument is whether not marijuana should be treated the same as already legalized drugs, such as tobacco and alcohol. Many Americans use marijuana illegally; the people using the drug range from the age of teens to even adults in their eighties. Marijuana is considered by most, especially in legal terms, as a dangerous drug. Although the drug is seen as such, many still continue to use it and argue it should be legalized for several reasons. Both citizens and government officials alike debate this topic. To successfully develop and argument for the legalization of marijuana the topic must be defined, the history of the topic must be unveiled, an argument must be made, and a good solution should be proposed. Yes, both sides of the argument both have well supported positions, but marijuana should be legalized by the United States government because the facts supporting legalization far outweigh the arguments keeping the drug as it is.…

    • 3597 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Legalization of Marijuana

    • 2091 Words
    • 9 Pages

    One of the most controversial debates in our time has been the legalization of marijuana. Legalizing marijuana in the United States can promote utilitarianism for the greater good. Political parties have argued various pros and cons of legalizing marijuana in the United States. I believe that by legalizing marijuana you can actually produce the best results, thus affecting the greatest number of people. Legalizing marijuana would allow the government to control the substance, just as they control tobacco and alcohol. If the government controls the retail market of marijuana use and the distribution it can dictate the negative outcomes that are a direct result from keeping marijuana illegal. Legalizing marijuana has many benefits; however there are four of them that can dramatically affect our country for the better. They are as follows; increased tax and private market economic growth, reduced crime, medical advancements, and safer drug use. These four categories can improve the lives of our citizens for the greater good.…

    • 2091 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Legalization of Marijuana

    • 871 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Marijuana has a history dating back many years, and has been used in various cultures in different ways. In recent years, marijuana has become a forefront topic in the world of American politics whether or not it should be legalized. Marijuana has been adapted to fit our lifestyles and our social environment. A vast amount of the world’s population smoke marijuana for various purposes. Thus, the drug should be legalized because it has many medical beneficial uses, the ability to generate billions of dollars in tax revenue, and would lower the cost to imprison individuals arrested for crimes related to marijuana.…

    • 871 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Legalization Of Marijuana

    • 796 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The legalization of marijuana is an interesting issue that is discussed often today. Many people agree that doing this would have many benefits, but others stand firm in the beliefs that it will do more harm than good. Since the government is not doing a very good job of stopping the import, export, and use of marijuana in the United States, they should stop trying to completely block it, and instead, regulate it. The legalization of marijuana would have many positive effects such as greater amounts of money for more important government responsibilities, more room in jails for the more serious offenders, and would end the use of marijuana by teens just to ?do something bad? and try and get away with it.…

    • 796 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    marijuana legalization

    • 2379 Words
    • 10 Pages

    The legalization of marijuana has been a heated topic of debate for many years. In 1937, the United Sates of America passed the Marijuana Tax Act, which made transfer or possession of cannabis (marijuana plant) illegal throughout the US under federal law. Studies conducted throughout the years have proven that cannabis can be utilized as a medical supplement. In fact 20, states and the District of Columbia have passed laws to legalize marijuana under certain medical conditions. According to the White House, it is the most commonly used recreational drug in the United States. It has been proven to be less harmful than alcohol, which is currently legal; and prohibition caused a black market to arise leading to an increase in an organized criminal activity. The fight against those organizations is costing a great amount of money and was cause for the loss of many innocent. While there are strong arguments in support of prohibition there are stronger arguments in support of the legalization if marijuana than there are counterarguments to keep the substance illegal.…

    • 2379 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Legalization of marijuana is highly heated and controversial issue that we have in this world today. Data shows that fifty five percent of American believe that marijuana should continue to be illegal, while forty five percent of American believe that marijuana should be legal in the United States. When marijuana is legal, two million to ten million dollars of tax payer’s money on law enforcement would be saved. Legalization of marijuana would reduce amount of terrorism and corruption that we have in the world today. The legalization of Marijuana is a highly heated and controversial issue in America today. Data shows that over 55% of Americans believe marijuana should continue to be illegal and the remaining 45% believe the pot‘s legal status should be altered. But why? Prohibitionist policies based on eradication, interdiction and criminalization of consumption of the drug simply haven’t worked. It has simply just places a burden on tax payer’s money and has been a wasteful usage of police enforcement. The prohibition of weed is also a direct infringement of our personal liberties, President Abraham Lincoln once stated that, “…Prohibition goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man’s appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes…” Marijuana prohibition laws strikes a fatal blow at the very ideologies and principles of freedom upon which our republic was founded and to the very civil liberties which government was set up to defend.…

    • 433 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    There is no solid reason for marijuana to be illegal. The risks and dangers of taking it are about the same as the risks of drinking alcohol of smoking tobacco, both which are legal for adults. Furthermore, making it illegal is ineffective at stopping minors from taking the drug, and makes the drug more dangerous because it cannot be regulated. Legal marijuana would be less dangerous because it would have to conform to safety standards, and have warnings to keep people informed, like cigarettes do. If society can change their views on alcohol, they can change their views on marijuana.…

    • 1208 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Opponents claim that marijuana harms the brain, heart, lungs, and immune system. It affects your learning and hinders your memory. People will also argue that marijuana can cause cancer. There is very little proof that smoking marijuana has a significant health risk. There have also been no reported cases of lung cancer or emphysema credited to marijuana. Research into the effects of long-term marijuana use on the structure of the brain has produced unreliable results. Marijuana is less toxic than many drugs that doctors prescribe every day. I believe that there are many drugs that are worse on our body than marijuana and far more addictive. Many studies have shown a link between chronic marijuana use and increased rates of anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia. But does marijuana use cause depression or schizophrenia or do people with these mental health disorders us it as a…

    • 1421 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    marijuana legalization

    • 828 Words
    • 4 Pages

    ,because of the thc in the marijuana. Marijuana has been clinically proven to help a wide range…

    • 828 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the most strongly debated things going on in America today is the debate on whether marijuana should be legalized for recreational use. So far to this date, it has been legalized in Washington and Colorado for recreational use and is being used legally-medically in 16 other states. The thing that bothers me the most about this debate isn’t whether someone agrees or disagrees with my opinions. What does bother me is when they don’t know what they are talking about or are not knowledgeable about it and have very strong opinions for or against it. There are several positives to look at with making recreational use of marijuana legal nationally. I believe that this would have four main positive impacts. I believe that it would improve the economy, lessen the crime rate and allow the government to regulate the marijuana that’s being used, and marijuana isn’t as bad for you as people like to think.…

    • 793 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Legalization of Marijuana

    • 451 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Marijuana is frowned upon as a controlled substance and therefore it is considered not safe but there is not been a proven test stating otherwise. Marijuana is classified as a control substance in which it deteriorate the brain cells and slows down one’s reflexes and memory ability, but it has been proven by many physicians that it very effective on patients with illness.…

    • 451 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Legalization of Marijuana

    • 1901 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Armentano, Paul. "Pot Prisoners Cost Americans $1 Billion a Year." Home. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. .…

    • 1901 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays