Persuasive Essay On Legalizing Marijuana

Legalizing marijuana would mean that it would be easier for the drug to get in the hands of kids. According to CASA findings “Despite reported declines in teen marijuana use in 2007, almost eleven million teens report using marijuana. Marijuana is a major substance that is being abused among teens in America. More than five times the increase in such findings for all other substance abuse.” With marijuana becoming so popular again with teens most people believe that we should keep the drug illegal.

First and foremost, majority of society is uneducated and unaware of the many benefits legal marijuana can bring about. These benefits are for us as individuals, for our economy, and for our government as a whole. You can have thoughts and opinions, criticize ones who use marijuana, say that they are a drug attics or bad people, but you would clearly be uneducated having said that. The plant, cannabis, “marijuana”, has a class of

Each year the United States government documents drug related deaths in our country, breaking the deaths down into categories of cause. These categories include tobacco, alcohol, prescription medications, illegal drug, and of course marijuana related deaths. Every year the number of deaths coming from marijuana is equivalent to zero. So why is there even controversy over the issue of legalization? Obviously, there are still some people out there who believe the drug is a topic for concern in our nation. In recent years, there has been tremendous progress being made in the field of medicine. University hospitals around the country have been proving again and again that the drug poses no threat to human health and well being, even

Eight states (plus Washington D.C.), have legalized recreational marijuana, and twenty-nine states (plus Washington D.C.), have legalized medical marijuana. The marijuana

Socially, legalizing marijuana would create a safer nation and economically, the US has the potential to earn billions of dollars in extra revenue that the economy desperately needs.

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.

Obviously, legalizing marijuana, especially medical marijuana, would take a tremendous burden off the people who depend on it to improve the

B. A federal law was passed in 1937 making the possession and sell of the plant genus cannabis illegal. Medicinal marijuana has been legal since as early in 1996 in California via state law. Across the United States, 24 states allow cannabis for medical reasons and four allow marijuana for all purposes, including recreational. Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Colorado and Washington D.C. are all states that allow the drug to be used for purposes exceeding medical needs. These states can be used as examples as the rest of the country decides to legalize the plant or allow the federal law to remain in effect.

While 51 percent of Americans continues to think that marijuana use should be illegal, 70 percent believe that marijuana should be allowed for used for medical reasons only. Younger Americans support legalizing marijuana more than older Americans. Slightly more than half of those under thirty favor legalizing the substance (52 percent), while Americans between the ages of 30 and 44 are divided. Older Americans tend to oppose legalizing

Medicinal marijuana has been legalized in 24 states, and many more states have brought the issue to the ballots. The 24 states that have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes are Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington (“23 Legal”). In recent years, medical marijuana has been a hot topic in the United States. On a federal level, medical marijuana is still classified as a Schedule I drug and is illegal even in medical trials; however, on a state level, the issue of marijuana is not so clear cut. Many people from both sides of the political sphere have weighed in on the issue, and it is clear that this is not something that will be going away anytime in the near future. Legalizing

Some legal reasons that marijuana shouldn’t be decriminalized are it would lead to experimenting with more hard core drugs such as heroin and cocaine. It will also increase in crime and car accidents because it would be harder to determine if a person is driving high

If marijuana were legal, it would also bring a significant source of revenue to the United States. A lot of money currently is spent on drugs, and most of it goes to illegal operators outside of the country. If legalized, the pot revenue would go to Americans. In the current economic climate, this would definitely be welcome. A tax could also be put on the drug, and the companies that grew and possessed the plants would have to pay income taxes to the government. It is possible for marijuana to become one of the number one cash crops in though whole country. And with all the people who would smoke it, or use it in other ways, it could quickly become one of the main stimulators in our economy.

Marijuana just relaxes you and is just something to make you feel better; it does not make people act stupid. Young people that get caught with marijuana ruin their record and often get stuck in the system with no way out except to continue living lives of crime instead of turning their lives around.” The people all for the legalization of marijuana might say something like that, but like every argument, there are always two sides. The people against the legalization of marijuana and that are fighting for marijuana to remain legal, argue, “Marijuana is a gateway drug and it leads to the use of harder, more serious drugs, and marijuana is often the cause of drug addiction. There would more people driving high on weed, which would result in more accidents and traffic offenses, especially among the youth. The drug marijuana is just not right and it was not made to be smoked by humans or used to get high. If marijuana is legal, then there is more likely a chance that kids will start using it at a younger age because it will be easier to obtain. Marijuana is just unhealthy, and physically, not good for your body. It doesn’t serve a great or accepted medical purpose. With marijuana illegal, the country can keep all the drug users and criminals off of the streets.” These are some of the arguments that some people fight for against the legalization of

The number of people that are using marijuana is rising at an alarming rate; legalizing marijuana will only make it higher. We try to teach our children to say no to drugs, yet everywhere we turn there are signs and newscasts telling people that they want marijuana to be legalized. The last elections were more focused on pushing for marijuana to be legalized than they were on voting for state officials and a governor. While most people are focused on legalization for medical purposes, others are looking to vote in recreational marijuana use. Somewhere along the line the main focus changed; people are trying to legalize marijuana for the wrong reasons. Even if it

Many people claim that there is no known case of people dying due to marijuana. This is a half truth since it’s not the marijuana itself that kills; it’s its side effects. Marijuana causes lung and throat cancer much like cigarettes. As a matter of fact, marijuana is worse for the lungs, since it contains three times as much tar as cigarettes and it’s usually smoked without a filter. They also claim there is not nearly as much crime due to marijuana use compared alcohol. This is also true but for one simple reason. Alcohol is legal and more easily accessible than marijuana. It’s the fact that marijuana is illegal that is keeping these numbers so low. Legalizing marijuana would be like adding fuel to a fire. If marijuana were to be legalized these number are sure to increase.