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Speech On Marijuana Legalization

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EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEECH MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION I don't use any illegal drugs, but I am opposed to the fact that marijuana is illegal. The main reason for that is that smoking marijuana is no more dangerous to the user than smoking cigarettes and no more dangerous to society than alcohol consumption. Yes, there are necessary limits to individual freedoms. Yes, marijuana should be regulated by the government and restricted from consumption by children. Yes, marijuana may be somewhat harmful to the user. But there is no logical justification for criminalizing marijuana while the use of other drugs with virtually identical risks is entirely permissible. Government has a legitimate concern to exercise its authority to protect society and the general public from behavior of individuals and government also has a limited right to exercise paternalistic authority to limit and regulate the types of risks to which individuals can expose themselves. For that reason, laws that criminalize drunk driving, for just one example, are completely justified. Otherwise, irresponsible personal behavior could put innocent people at great risk. Government also has the justifiable right to impose certain reasonable restriction on individuals for the general benefit of society and because certain types of personal risks can have significant costs to society. For example, the government can require car manufacturers to install seatbelts and require drivers to wear them because vehicular

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