The Debate Over the Legalization of Marijuana

1494 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Postives of marijuana legalization on the american economy

Puff, Puff, Pass the Legalization of Marijuana
Many people crave the moment where they can just sit down, relax, and enjoy some free time. They could perhaps take a nice walk in a park, or possibly sit down and enjoy a movie on T.V. However, a large sum of people nationwide chooses to participate in a certain recreational activity to find their relaxation: smoking Marijuana. In fact, “Washington and Colorado are the first to allow adults to use the drug for recreational purposes” (Legalizing Marijuana, par 1). Unfortunately for half of our nation’s population, the use of the plant, Cannabis, was deemed illegal. “Before 1937, marijuana was freely bought, sold, grown, and smoked in the United States. Since that time, all of these activities have been illegal, but many groups and individuals have fought to decriminalize marijuana” (Rich, par 1). I find this preposterous! I believe that the federal government should look at what the people want, and pass the law making Marijuana legal, but of course having regulations to go along with it. Not only shall it please the people of the United States, but our economy could greatly benefit from legalizing Cannabis and it is an aid towards medical treatment. It would be to our nation’s best interest to have legislation legalize marijuana at not only the state level, but as a national level as well.
People ask, “What good does legalizing Marijuana do? It is a drug for a reason.” Well, I, along with numerous others question, “What are those reasons? What good does keeping it illegal do?” One reason to legalize the “drug” is that it can save/earn the United States of America a great deal of money. “Nationwide, law enforcement officials made 1.5 million drug arrests in 2011, more than 40 perce...

... middle of paper ...

...uana Should Be Legal Everywhere." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 24 Oct. 2013. Web. 09 Dec. 2013.
"Legalizing Marijuana." CQ Researcher. CQ Press. 15 June 2013. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.
Loch, Kathy. "Medical Marijuana." CQ Researcher. CQ Press, 20 Aug. 1999. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.
Marshall, Patrick. "Marijuana Laws." CQ Researcher. CQ Press, 11 Feb. 2005. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.
"Oprah Winfrey." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Oct. 2013. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.
Rich, Alex. "Legalization Of Marijuana: An Overview." Points Of View: Legalization Of Marijuana (2013): 1. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.
Sledge, Matt. "Marijuana Prohibition Now Costs The Government $20 Billion A Year: Economist." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 20 Apr. 2013. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.
"What Is the Lethal Dose of Marijuana?" DrugLibrary.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.

Show More
Related

  • The Controversy of Legalizing Marijuana

    1060 Words  | 3 Pages

    Works Cited "The California Marijuana Vote." New Yorker 23 Dec 1996: 62+. Brookhiser, Richard. "Pot Luck." National Review 11 Nov 1996: 27+ Simmons, Michael. "Give Pot a Chance." Rolling Stone 26 Dec 1996: 111+. Rist, Curtis and Harrison, Laird. "Weed the People." People 21 Oct. 1996: 75+. Funk and Wagnall's Volume 23 "Marijuana" 1996 Baum, Dan. "California's Separate Peace." Rolling Stone 30 Oct. 1997: 43+ Brookhiser, Richard. "Lost in the Weed." U.S. News & World Report 3 Jan. 1997: 9 Buckley, William "Legalization of Marijuana Long Overdue" The Albuquerque Journal. Online. 8 June 1993.

    Read More

  • Medical Marijuana Should Be Legal

    928 Words  | 2 Pages

    Zeese, Kevin and William Ruzzamenti. “Should marijuana be      legalized for medical uses?” Health Nov./Dec. 1993      Vol.7 Issue 7 page 23.      http://ehostvgw8.epnet.com/delivery.asp?…3F&startHitNu     m=1&rlStartHit=1&delType=FT.

    Read More

  • Medicinal Marijuana in Texas

    1717 Words  | 4 Pages

    "State Medical Marijuana Laws." Legislative News, Studies and Analysis. National Conference of State Legislatures, 2014. Web. Apr. 2014. .

    Read More

  • Why Marijuana Should be Legalized

    2031 Words  | 5 Pages

    Simoni-Wastila, Linda, and Francis B. Palumbo. "Medical Marijuana Legislation: What We Know-- And Don't." Journal Of Health Care Law & Policy 16.1 (2013): 59-75. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.

    Read More

  • Pros and Cons of Marijuana

    850 Words  | 2 Pages

    The legalization of marijuana has been a highly debated topic for many of years. Since the first president to the most recent, our nation’s leaders have consumed the plant known as weed. With such influential figures openly using this drug why is it so frowned upon? Marijuana is considered a gateway drug, a menace to society, and mentally harmful to its consumers. For some people weed brings a sense of anxiety, dizziness, or unsettling feeling. Like alcohol, tobacco or any other drug, those chemicals may not respond well with their body. For other people marijuana brings joy, a sense of relief, and takes the edge off of every day stress. For those who are associated with cannabis, purposes usually range from a relaxant, or cash crop, to more permissible uses such as medicine, and ingredient to make so many other materials. We now need to look at what would change if marijuana were legal. Benefits to the economy and agriculture, health issues, and crime rates are three areas worth looking at. Deliberating on the pros and cons of this plant we can get a better understanding for marijuana. From there it will be easier to make a clear consensus on what is best for the nation.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Legalization Of Marijuana

    1083 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the last fiscal year alone, marijuana brought 70 million dollars in tax revenue in the state of Colorado. Colorado was the first state to legalize marijuana recreationally in the fall of 2012, and since then three other states and the District of Columbia have legalized the plant. Based off of sales in states that have legalized marijuana recreationally, if all fifty states legalized marijuana, they would bring in a combined 3 billion dollars in tax revenue yearly. That much money from sales of the plant alone could help to stabilize the suffering economy. Moreover, the American Government would be able to control the plant and distribute it how ever they see fit. The economic growth marijuana legalization could bring to the United States outweighs any argument against

    Read More

  • Could the Legalization of Marijuana Save Our Economy?

    1211 Words  | 3 Pages

    The legalization of marijuana has the potential to bring our economy back to life if it were to be legalized. There are a number of ways in which legalization could improve the economy. We could use the revenue from taxes on marijuana to provide for a better quality of life for Americans in need. Legalizing marijuana would also save us money by cutting the cost of putting someone in jail for harmless marijuana related charges that waste tax money. Also it would put more money into circulation by keeping the profits off the black market and into the legal and taxed market. With an estimated twenty-five million active marijuana smokers in America that consume nearly thirty-one million pounds of marijuana each year, we are missing out on extreme revenue that this country cannot afford to go without for much longer (Krulick).

    Read More

  • Legalizing Marijuana Is our Solution

    1390 Words  | 3 Pages

    Let’s begin with US revenue gain that would occur from legalizing marijuana. Marijuana Offers Extreme US revenue boost in several different ways. Shouldn’t we want to collect revenue due to taxation other then criminalization? Marijuana is too expensive for our justice system and should inst...

    Read More

  • Marijuana Should Not Be Legalized

    2079 Words  | 5 Pages

    Marijuana as a medicine? Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. 2001. The 'Secondary' of the 'Se Ravage, Barbara. The “Marijuana Update.”

    Read More

  • The Economic Impact of Legalizing Marijuana

    1265 Words  | 3 Pages

    Pierce, A. (2014, March 17). Medical marijuana Archives - The Stoner's Journal. The Stoners Journal. Retrieved May 17, 2014, from http://www.stonersjournal.com/tag/medical-marijuana/

    Read More

  • The Benefits of Marijuana

    2019 Words  | 5 Pages

    "Myths and Facts About Marijuana." Marijuana: The Facts. Drug Policy Alliance Network. 27 Apr. 2009.

    Read More

  • Arguments Against Marijuana Legalization

    1394 Words  | 3 Pages

    The issue of marijuana, a center for debate in recent politics, is not necessarily a new one. Dangers, crime rates, medical uses and statistics are at the forefront of discussion for marijuana. However, the issue is actually the continued debate of states’ right versus federal rights. The division of rights between the states and the federal government have been argued since before our founding fathers wrote the Constitution. The question if federal laws should be enforced where marijuana is legal is the same argument as slavery during the Civil War era. Southern states wanted to have slavery while the federal government was trying to ban it. Now, states believe they have their right to produce and sell marijuana, while the federal government

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Legalizing Marijuana

    1500 Words  | 3 Pages

    With America’s war on drugs being highly focused on the increased use of marijuana, there is not much time for officers to focus on crimes of greater importance. Crimes related to illegal marijuana use are becoming more problematic due to drug deals that go bad, occasionally ending with murder. It has been estimated that one marijuana-related arrest is made every 42 seconds. With marijuana being illegal, keeping crime related activities under control cost the United States approximately twenty billion dollars per year (Sledge). According to Brian Bremner and Vincent Del Giudice, “A 2010 study by the libertarian Cato Institute, forecasted that states could save $17.4 billion annually from reduced drug enforcement costs and increased tax revenue, assuming marijuana production and sales were legal nationwide” (11). Several law enforcement hours are exhausted with pursing, questioning, and arresting citizens that are in possession of or consuming marijuana. There would be a decrease in the number of misdemeanor possession cases that are pending hearing. These cases would be dismissed, decreasing costs affiliated with each case. There are excessive numbers of people who remain incarcerated for nonviolent crimes related to illegal marijuana use. Legalizing marijuana would allow these people to be released, opening jail space for the true criminals. Legalizing marijuana would free up law enforcement officers from focusing on illegal marijuana use and allow focus to be put on more serious

    Read More

  • Recreational Marijuana Should NOT Be Legal

    1696 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Legalization of Marijuana: An Overview.” Points of View: Legalization of Marijuana (2013):1. Points of View Reference Center. Web. The Web.

    Read More

  • Positive Effects on Legalizing Marijuana

    1020 Words  | 3 Pages

    First of all, marijuana can have many positive effects on crime. Legalizing marijuana can actually decrease crime rates in the U.S. This past year, it was counted that 6.9 million people are inside the American’s jails and prisons. 60,000 of these individuals were there for marijuana according to one study. With the legalization of marijuana, it would cut the amount of tax we pay for these jails and prisons, costing us a total of 1.2 billion. Last year a total of 7 to 10 billion dollars was used towards arresting and processing against marijuana. The big picture here is that 90% of those arrests were just for possession. It is crazy that as a country we spend most of our time trying to stop the biggest drug in America when it is just wasting our money. There are less arrests on violent crimes than marijuana charges combined. These “violent crimes” consist of assault, rape, robbery, and murder. How awful is it that we waste our time on this drug when there are so many other bigger problems we could be solving or people to be saved. Cocaine and heroin arrests have actually decreased by 1/3 from 1991 to 2000. While marijuana has more than 700,000 people are ar...

    Read More

More about The Debate Over the Legalization of Marijuana

Open Document