Persuasive Essay On Legalization Of Marijuana

Cannabis has been illegal since the Marijuana Tax act of 1934. Yet out of a population of 284 million American citizens, 70 million Americans claim to have smoked cannabis at some point in their lives. Prohibition of cannabis is therefore apparently ineffective at changing the habits of a population, just as prohibition of alcohol was ineffective in 1919-1933. Making otherwise law-abiding citizens fugitives does nothing more than fill the prisons and alienate the populace from their government. In fact the total cost to taxpayers of solely marijuana-related incarceration (in local, state, and federal prisons and jails) of 15,400 people exceeds $1.2 million per year.

Is legalizing marijuana a good step to take ? There has been many questions as to what will happen to the community. Will the community grow from this new law? Or will this end in a horrible problem? Although marijuana is a drug, it does not cause harm to your body like alcohol does. Legalizing marijuana in the states of the U.S should be done because it can be used for medical reason, it is not harmful to the body, and police want strong relationships with their community.

The Detroit Free Press Editorial Board’s Article Let the people decide about legalizing marijuana(2016) was an attempt to convince readers that Michigan Legislature is currently a “dysfunctional waste,” determined to keep Marijuana legalization off the ballots.The Press got their opinion across by using uncredited polls, tugging at the reader's emotions when describing both parties, and overall biased tone with underlying motives. The author uses pathos, ethos, and logos very effectively when trying to persuade the reader. Pathos is being used when the author attempts to appeal to our emotions while trying to pity MILegalize. Logos is being used when the authors tries to connect with our common sense in order to persuade by reason. Lastly ethos is being used when the author attempts to sway our opinion of michigan legislature, but altering our view of their character and morals.This article was written with intentions to get voters riled up, discredit the michigan legislature and provoke change within the court systems. The Editorial Board only presented their side of the argument, concluding they are targeting left-wing moderates that are for the legalization of marijuana.

     Marijuana does have some negative effects, but compared to other drugs marijuana is harmless. Other drugs are highly addictive were marijuana is not. Alcohol is one of the most leading causes of car crashes. Marijuana is nowhere near being a leading cause of death. Other drugs can lead to cancer where marijuana is used to cure it, and other drugs can lead to deaths. Other drugs impair you vision, but marijuana does not. All the other drugs except alcohol are gateway drugs, and the only way to purchase them is by smuggling them across the border. Many advocates say “we should begin to reflect that reality in our state and federal legislation, and stop acting as if otherwise law-abiding marijuana smokers are part of the crime problem. They are not, and it is absurd to continue using law enforcement resources arresting them.” (Gary) Many advocates also say, “Far more harm is caused by marijuana prohibition than by marijuana itself.”(Gary)

Legalizing marijuana does not just benefit those who need or want it, it benefits America's economy. Since it is illegal and is the most commonly used, the crime rates are high. A total of 800,000 people are arrested for the possession, selling, or manufacturing of marijuana. In The Daily Caller News Foundation it is stated that “Crime rates on the drug are way down. Possession

Have you ever wondered when and why marijuana was made illegal? The herbal plant, commonly used in medicines, was not considered a drug in the early 1900s. The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 banned the use and sales of marijuana. This act was put in place due to careless slander. Marijuana, in America should be legalized because it is safer than alcohol and tobacco, marijuana funds gangs and cartels, and marijuana can replace toxic, addictive pharmaceuticals.

On average, Americans spend about 5 billion dollars on marijuana every year. Thats about how much the country contributes to the purchase of alcohol! The only problem is that the money made from people selling marijuana illegally mostly goes into the pockets of mafias because they contain the largest portion of distribution in the marijuana chain. On average each state spends right at about 1 billion dollars to make sure the marijuana laws are enforced. Asa Hutchinson, the former DEA director mentioned in a CNBC interview that "The cost to fight marijuana is worth it and the people should not mind the cost, but instead look into the benefits it would bring to the country." However, its difficult to see what the benefits really are, because the law enforcement says that criminalizing marijuana will reduce the number of accidents associated with people under the influence of marijuana, reduce violence caused by the intoxication of the drug, and reduce the number of drug dependents. But these arguments to criminalize the use of marijuana are completely unproven. Alcohol also intoxicates the drinker, which obviously causes vehicle accidents. Tobacco poses health risk to smokers after years of continuous use, but they are still considered legal? Therefore, the reasons given to criminalize marijuana aren't very accurate and unproven. It is ironic that the given effects of marijuana are almost the same that made it illegal and are the same

It concluded that just under half of all drug related arrests are a result of marijuana.  On average, that is an annual cost of nearly $4 billion dollars. The study also found that 25 percent of incarcerations that were related to marijuana were "low level offender:" which means that they were jailed for possessing only a small amount of marijuana ("Legalization of Marijuana"). That is a staggering amount of money. That $4 billion dollars is tax payer money that could be going towards catching other criminals or improving society. Things such as homelessness, serious drug abuse, and human trafficking are just a few of the many serious issues that could receive much needed funds and resources. Legalization would take the funds out of the hands of illegal drug suppliers and direct it straight to the government. As previously stated, the government is doing a variety of things with this money to give back to the community. It is also surprising to see the number of people that are being incarcerated on petty charges. Rather than chasing serious criminals, the justice system is wasting time and energy focusing on menial crimes. The legalization of marijuana would not only redirect money and resources to important issues; it would also help to promote safer

Marijuana prohibition stands as one of the most unwarranted policies of the United States. Every year we are spending billions of dollars on the War on Drugs with little benefit. Data released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation show there were an estimated 1,552,432 arrests for drug-related crimes in 2014 – a slight uptick from the 1,531,251 drug arrests in 2013. Marijuana offenses accounted for 48.3 percent of all drug arrests. Most marijuana-related arrests were for possession of the drug. By mere possession, there was one marijuana arrest every 48 seconds in 2014. Including arrests for distribution, there was a pot-related arrest every 42 seconds. This prohibition makes no sense, especially in a country where alcohol use is

“Individuals have the right to live their lives in any way they choose as long as they do not violate the equal rights of others” stated by David Boaz on drug use and the constitution(Boaz,). Marijuana along with other illegal drugs are all components which are considered to be victimless crimes and are one of the top investments law enforcements make on fighting. Victimless crimes overall are more potential to hurting the economy and society as a whole by keeping them illegal then if they were legal. The reason for this is due to the fact that there is no unwilling participant and the real reason these acts are illegal is due to an external psychic cost. People in the society do not want to see these acts being committed even though

Since the very first day marijuana began dominating our country over 30 years ago, federal control of the drug has been the topic of an continuing arguments. Marijuana is a crushed up blend of dried out herbs, seeds and stems of the plant cannabis. Most people inhale it in the shape of cigarettes for pleasure and relief. Should marijuana be made legal? Advocates of the drug argue that there are multiple medical advantages and that tobacco and alcohol are far more harmful for us than the drug itself. This causes us to believe that banning this drug interferes with our rights to freedom. Within the past 10 years, a very high number of operations to allow the use of marijuana have been significantly strengthening in size. Based purely off of the 2011 Gallup survey, 50% of Americans argue that marijuana should not be banned. This high number marks a 4% increase in comparison to the year before. In 2000, this number was only 30%, increasing to 40% in 2009, before reaching 50% in 2011. What this proves, is that aside from our federal attempts to eradicate the use of it, marijuana is seemingly more attractive in society. Not only does it provide medical advantages to the deathly ill, it could also be the root of tax earnings and could be the reason that taxpayers save millions, if not billions of money that is used in the budget for prosecuting these people. It seems as though we are blowing huge amounts of government funding to imprison the citizens participating in nonviolent

Crimes related to marijuana have gotten out of control in our society. With more than 750,000(MPP.org) people arrested annually on charges related to marijuana it's clear that a change needs to occur. A clear choice would be to crack down on the sale and manufacture of marijuana, but the smarter choice would be to legalize it.

     Since 1937, the US government has been waging war against marijuana users. So much time has been spent on mere drug offenders while rapists and murderers walk the streets raping and murdering. According to the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 70-plus million Americans have admitted to smoking marijuana at least once in their lifetime. It is a harmless source of recreation for millions of people around the world. It has also been proven that marijuana helps to relieve stress. Furthermore, there is absolutely no proof that smoking marijuana can make a person stupid or numb or affect a child’s score on a test. Some believe that the legalization of marijuana would result in increased usage or act as a gateway to harder drugs. Marijuana is legal for

Prohibition hasn 't stopped the use and domestic production of marijuana so it 's time everyone faced the facts. Marijuana should be legal because punishment such as prohibition or incarceration does not help the country in any way shape or form but in return causes a lot of problems. There is no true good evidence that prohibition or even incarceration decreases the use of drugs or drug dealing. Actually there are many theories that suggest prohibition might actually increase drug use i.e. the "forbidden fruit" effect, and easier accessibility for the youth. Prohibition and incarceration has failed to control the use and domestic production of marijuana. The government has tried to use criminal penalties to prevent marijuana use for more than 75 years and yet marijuana is now being used by over 25 million people every year. Marijuana is currently the largest cash crop in the United States, and marijuana is grown all over the world whether it is grown legal or illegal. Claims that marijuana prohibition is a successful policy are outrageous and very much so unsupported by the facts. Arrests for marijuana possession mostly affect blacks and Hispanics and reinforce many people’s perception that law enforcement is biased and prejudiced against minorities. Blacks account for approximately 13% of the population of the United States and about 13.5%

Marijuana is a very common used drug in the American. Marijuana has been proven to reduce pain in patients suffering from conditions like Rheumatoid Arthritis and chronic pain. Why is this not legalized through the whole United States? Twenty eight out of the fifty states made it illegal for medical and recreational use. It would increase accessibility for the patients in states where medicinal marijuana is right now not legal and it would also decrease the tax burden associated with the current criminalization of marijuana users.