Why Marijuana Should Be Legal

Marijuana should be legalized for many different reasons. One reason is that legal drugs such as tobacco and alcohol are far more dangerous in comparison to cannabis. A second reason explains how prohibition is an utter failure and the war on drugs has done more harm to our country than good. A third reason explains how having marijuana illegal in the United States makes billions for Mexico's drug cartels and other underground criminal organizations that grow the marijuana. Marijuana also has hundreds of medical benefits that date back to 2700 BC. Lastly, the United States spends so much of our tax dollars on keeping marijuana illegal when the country could gain trillions if it were legalized, taxed, and regulated.

Willie Nelson once said, “I think people need to be educated to the fact that marijuana is not a drug. Marijuana is an herb and a flower. God put it here. If He put it here and He wants it to grow, what gives the government the right to say that God is wrong?”

Marijuana has a deep history in America, being in the Americas since 1545 when the Spanish brought it over with them. Later, it was again brought over with the English colonists to Jamestown. Here it was used as a large cash crop similar to tobacco and was used as a major source of fiber. Later in the 1890s, a similar plant, hemp, became another large cash crop in the southern half of the US even replacing cotton. Around this time marijuana was also used in medications, although it was not on the scale of cocaine and opium, being used to treat everything from labor pains to rheumatism, “any disorder of the extremities or back, characterized by pain and stiffness” (The Definition of Rheumatism). Further on, in the 1920s marijuana became increasingly more popular with jazz musicians and even special cafes/clubs opening for its use. It was not until the 1930s when a campaign conducted by the Federal Bureau of Narcotics whom labeled marijuana as the harmful “gateway drug” it is seen as today. Though

is wasted on a cause that there seems to be no end to.” In 1989, a

Have you ever considered the harmful affects of marijuana? Marijuana can be a very harmful thing and it can be addictive and lead to worsening behavior: regular use of marijuana affects your education, the substance would be highly abused by people, and injuries or even death could occur when you use this drug. People take advantage of this drug, even if it is prescribed by a doctor, it is still misused. Should medical marijuana be legal in Utah? If it was legalized in Utah, there would be lots of negative things that would happen. Education and learning could be affected immensely. Injuries and even death could occur when using this drug. Environmental damage could occur.

Marijuana is becoming one of the most commonly used and abused drug in the United States. “According to government surveys, about 25 million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year, and more than 14 million do so regularly (Norml). The reasons some people smoke marijuana can be for just relaxation, just to be curious, and more reasons. Even though marijuana is bad in several ways, it is good for one reason which is medical purposes but that does not mean it should become legal. Marijuana can cause good and bad, but the bad outweighs the good. There are numerous reasons marijuana should remain illegal.

The argument of legalizing or prohibiting marijuana has been going on for very long time all over the world. In most countries, possession and use of marijuana is considered illegal. Today, some countries have legalized marijuana while other countries have not. In the United States, some states such as Washington and Colorado have also legalized the possession and usage of marijuana for medical and recreational purposes for adults. There are a number of advocacy groups that stand for its legalization for health related claims and also for a responsible recreational usage. On the other hand, various penalties are imposed for use or possession of marijuana in most countries. The use of marijuana is a very serious question as it always deals with the life of human being and its impact to our society. The risk of addiction, poor health and socio-economic problems associated with the use of marijuana are few of the many reasons why Marijuana should be illegal in United States or any other country in the world. Lots of research has been done to provide substantial scientific evidence as to why Marijuana use is harmful to oneself and to the society.

One morning Janet suddenly felt a horrific slicing sensation as if a blender was tearing her left arm into pieces. It was so painful she expected it to be bleeding; Yet, it appeared to be in perfectly fine condition. No attack or implosion, helpless to fight back. Janet’s life changed from that moment on. She was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and multiple joint pain. At twenty years of age, doctors told her “You need to learn to deal with the pain because it is going to be like this forever. Janet’s pain in her left arm spread first to her right, then down her back and into her legs. She cannot sit in a chair or ride in a car for more than a half hour on a good day without experiencing severe discomfort in my legs and hips. She has developed

Marijuana is becoming a big problem in the U.S. “over ninety-four million americans over the age of 12 have experimented with marijuana at least once. Marijuana is a plant made of dried leaves, stems, seeds, and buds of a hemp plant”(Rebecca J. Frey). Marijuana should stay illegal because it is harmful to people and has many negative affects.

In the span of 2013-14 the reports of drugs in Australia increased. There were record high reporting’s of many types of illicit drugs at the border patrol. Furthermore, many other illicit drugs had their second highest reporting in history. Cannabis is the most common drug in Australia. The number of detections of cannabis in 2013-2014 decreased, but the total weight of detected cannabis at the border control increased dramatically and was the biggest cannabis find in the last decade (Australian Drug Commission 2014). In the draft for the National Drug Strategy 2016-2025 cannabis is mentioned as a priority drug as it is the most common used illegal drug (Intergovernmental Committee on Drugs 2015). As the recent news that the Australian government is planning to legalise growing of medical cannabis there a gap in the policy of how to regulate medical cannabis and cannabis used as an illicit drug (Yaxley 2015).

I think marijuana used medically and recreationally should be legal in all 50 states. One reason nobody have ever died from marijuana but people die everyday from things that are legalized . The second reason marijuana should be legal is it helps people with mental diseases and people with physical diseases. The last reason is more than half of the us think that marijuana should be legal in all 50 states. This is why marijuana used medically and recreationally should be legal In all 50 states.

legal it would benefit both those who use and those who don’t use because of tax revenue.

Some medical reasons that marijuana shouldn’t be decriminalized are that it has long and short terms effects. Examples of the short term outcomes include memory loss, difficulty with thinking, loss of motor skills and increased heart rate. According to the National Institutes of Health show that someone smoking about five joints per week is taking in as many cancer causing chemicals as someone smoking a pack of cigarettes every day. There is no science proof that smoked marijuana can be used for medication. Since cannabis plants are polluted with a range of fungal spores, smoking marijuana may increase the risk of infectious organisms. Taradiff, J. "Marijuana and the War on Drugs. “Marijuana. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Thomas Gale, 2008. 157. Print.

Cannabis, formally known as marijuana is a drug obtained from the tops, stems and leaves of the hemp plant cannabis. The drug is one of the most commonly used drugs in the world. Only substances like caffeine, nicotine and alcohol are used more (“Marijuana” 1). In the U. S. where some use it to feel “high” or get an escape from reality. The drug is referred to in many ways; weed, grass, pot, and or reefer are some common names used to describe the drug (“Marijuana” 1). Like most drugs, marijuana has a very long history. People have been using the plant around the world for thousands of years. The oldest record of the marijuana plant dates back to 2727 B. C. in China where the plant was used as a medical herb for treating conditions like rheumatism, gout, malaria and even absent-mindedness (“Cannabis, Coca, & Poopy: Nature’s Addictive Plants” 1). Slowly, the plant started spreading around the world. By 1545, cannabis was starting to appear throughout the western worlds. Being introduced to South America by the Spanish to be used as fiber. The crop also had many other common uses around the world. In North America, cannabis was often used to make paper, ropes, clothing and other materials (“The Origins of Cannabis” 1).

Marijuana should not be legalized because it will increase health issues, its use will rise rather than decline, and taxation will result in economic failure. In recent years, however, society has become very moderate, and this is why society’s views can be swayed by the benefits of legalization. Nowadays, legalizing marijuana is not that big of a deal as it was in the 60’s and 70’s when hippies and peace organizations were advocating for marijuana use. However, if marijuana is legalized it has been said that it might be the gateway drug to legalizing all illegal drugs.