Argumentative Essay On Legalization Of Marijuana

The legalization of marijuana has been a hot topic in the media for many years now. There is a major divide in those who believe it should be legal, those who do not, and those who think it could be legal with modifications on the usage. The number of those who support the legalization of marijuana is on the rise with nearly 50% supporting recreational marijuana legalization, and 81% supporting marijuana legalization for medical treatment as of 2015 ("Public Support for Marijuana Legalization, 2015”). Marijuana should be legalized on a federal level because it is safer than alcohol, it will increase the economy, and there is an unfair criminalization of marijuana.

Growing up, I’ve always been taught that drugs are bad, and my parents have always told me that there is nothing good to them. I remember taking D.A.R.E in fifth grade, learning how marijuana was bad for you and that you should go to jail if you use it. My teachers and parents were my role models though, so I took in everything they told me as a fact, until now. Now I realize that drugs are a good thing. Drugs are a way of life, and they are used by millions of people everyday. There are drugs such as advil, which is used to help patients who suffer from many things, including headaches and fevers. But the drug i’m talking about is marijuana.

Marijuana has been used in religious ceremonies or for medical purposes for thousands of years. I have always been against the use of Marijuana up until four years ago when my husband at the age of twenty seven underwent invasive surgery on his knee and has never been the same since. Colorado took a huge step several years ago legalizing marijuana for medical use and in recent years took the plunge to legalize it for recreational use. Marijuana is not always a bad thing nor is it always a good thing. A lot of people will compare it to any other mind altering substance and have very valid points. I would rather have a loved one or myself smoke marijuana or ingest it, instead of popping pain pills or other harmful substances put on the market by the pharmaceutical industry; Recreational use can be safe and accepting if it is regulated correctly and used responsibly.

With the future legalization of marijuana, it would boost the economy. It is estimated that Washington’s legalization of marijuana could bring in $500 million dollars in tax revenue per year, Nationwide. The inmates that are incarcerated on marijuana related charges cost the U.S 1 Billion dollars annually according to a 2007 study. In the state of Colorado, it raked in 53 million in tax revenues. Colorado enacted a Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR), which provides that if state and local tax revenue grows at a rate that exceeds the combined growth of the inflation rate and the population, the excess must be refunded back to the

The legalization of marijuana has had a substantial effect on each state’s tax revenue and economy. In Colorado, the extra tax money from the marijuana industry has gone to boost public schools statewide. Other things that money could go towards include: roads and infrastructure, sports facilities, and various kinds of social insurance. According to Tanya Basu, author of “Colorado Raised More Tax Revenue from Marijuana than Alcohol” on Time.com, the state of Colorado had gained around $70 million in marijuana tax revenue for the fiscal year ending on June 30, 2015.

Marijuana usage is a topic that has been discussed for some time now but the recent medical and recreational legalization of this drug has brought about a new area of unchartered territory. The business industry will have to revise many of their employment and safety requirements. After viewing some current policies many businesses are likely to be forced to established new protocols for intra and inner state practices. There are many types of complications as to why the marijuana usage laws should stay at the federal level and not within the state.

In a study for the Cato Institute, Jeffrey A. Miron, senior lecturer on economics at Harvard University, estimate that legalizing drugs would save the government approximately $41.3 billion annually on expenditures related to the enforcement of prohibition (Ghosh 2010). Marijuana is believed to be the nation's number one cash crop, exceeding the combined value of wheat and corn. This leading cash crop is legal in nine states now allowing adult-users recreational marijuana and 29 states have approved medical marijuana programs. However, many anti-legalization advocates say that the use of marijuana often leads young people to experiment with harder drugs such as, heroin, crack, etc. Marijuana legalization could reduce government costs, raise

Cannabis or Marijuana is a psychoactive drug found in the Cannabis plant. Its use has been noted as far in the past 2000 B.C. The prevalence of Marijuana is constant throughout the United States of America. The legalization of this substance has been widely debated for decades. The large debate has led to a lack of consistency with our laws throughout states; In states such as Colorado, Washington, Alaska, Nevada, Oregon, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, and California, marijuana is legal recreationally while others may only be legal medically, or not legal at all. Legalizing the recreational use of marijuana has led to an apparent issue of controlling drivers under the influence of marijuana. Police face issues attempting to control inhibited drivers through errors such as a lack of testing and a lack of regulation.

“Now, for the first time, marijuana legalization is winning majority support in public opinion polls and a drug used by about 6 percent of Americans--and one-third of the nation's high school seniors--is starting to shake off its counterculture reputation. It is winning acceptance even from some police, prosecutors and politicians” (Fisher). Controversy commenced when the general question “Should marijuana be legalized?” derived. Many people and organizations helped pass laws and set up institutions in which marijuana users could be aided in stopping the use of the drug. For example, President Ronald Reagan signs the Anti-Drug Act and a newspaper article written about it says, “ ‘This legislation is not intended as a means of filling our jails with drug users,’ he added.

The legalization of marijuana has been a huge debate for years now. Because it is a drug, everyone sees it as a bad thing. But I don’t think they have really looked into it and its advantages. Studies show that it can help with multiple medical issues, and enhance creativity and focus. States within the US have slowly started legalizing marijuana, and it should continue to happen.

What really happens when you legalize marijuana? What would happen to America if it was legal? The effects of this drug on the people who use it and America is a very serious topic. Some think that that because of the positive effects of marijuana means it should be available to everyone. In contrast the effects of this drug is detrimental to a person’s health and should be illegal. It causes lung cancer and other breathing problems. In younger adults it causes their brains to not properly and it can have long term effects on the body. However this drug helps with terminal illnesses, nausea and stimulating appetite. There are times when this drug is needed and very useful. The constant argument on whether to legalize marijuana for everyone or keep it illegal and only used for medical purposes needs to come to a close. While a large and growing number of people want to legalize it because of its medical uses, the side effects of this drug cause cancer and development problems; the disadvantages clearly outweigh the advantages of it. Marijuana is currently and should stay illegal.

We all are human and we all think differently and have different ideas, which is going to be demonstrated in this essay. Marijuana (as it is known on the street as weed, etc.) became the most common topic that most of the people discuss about legalizing it in the States. Both of the two groups (Group A= people who agree with legalizing it, Group B= people who disagree with that) have their point; each of them has supportive evidence that back up the point. First of all, there are some general information about marijuana. The marijuana plant contains an uncontrolled substance that numbs the body. This substance has a scientific phrase, which is THC (Tetra-Hydro-cannabin). Marijuana swept the United States of America incredibly. There are two

Marijuana has an economical effect on the United States. The government could make a fortune off of marijuana if it was legalized, which would in turn help our economy tremendously because it is in such a detrimental state right now. The effect of the legalization of marijuana. “... legalizing marijuana would provide the government with substantial economic benefits, first through ending cost associated with enforcement and second through revenue gained from taxing legal marijuana” (Miron 1). If the state legalizes marijuana it would free up more jail space and free money being spent on prisons and that can be spent elsewhere. The incarceration of marijuana is very expensive and the money spent trying the keep it off the streets could simply be spent more productively and efficiently. Legalizing it would also increase tax revenue which would help with the law

My first reason for supporting the legalization of recreational marijuana is that it will provide an economic boost for state governments and their economies. According to a Huffington Post article, if all 50 states were to legalize marijuana today, they would be “collectively raking in more than $3 billion a year in

Marijuana Legalization has many positives which can help society. New jobs are created and income can increase. “In 2015, the legal marijuana industry in Colorado created more than 18,000 new full-time jobs and generated $2.4 billion in economic activity, “ ( Article Washington Post). New Jobs