Marijuana Should Be Legal Everywhere

Former United States President Thomas Jefferson once declared, “Hemp is of first necessity to the wealth and protection of the country” (“Thomas Jefferson”). Unfortunately, many modern political leaders are not as enthusiastic as Jefferson regarding the beneficial uses of hemp and marijuana. Hemp, as well as marijuana, originates from the Cannabis plant. Surprisingly, marijuana dates all the way back to 2700 B.C.; where it is first mentioned in a Chinese herbal and is said to have many strong values. Regrettably, a majority of countries applied strict limitations on the substance by the late 1960’s. With those restrictions came harsh retributions involving sales and possession of the substance. As time passed, research of medicinal usage of marijuana was legalized (“Marijuana”). During the twenty first century many significant decisions have been established to make the use of marijuana permissible throughout the United States. The legalization of marijuana would provide medical benefits, increase government revenue, and regulate crime.

The undeniable medical benefits of marijuana are a key reason to legalize the substance. DEA Judge Francis Young is quoted saying, “Marijuana is the safest therapeutic substance known to man” (Kubby and Rosenthal 70). To go along with Judge Young’s theory is evidence found by Dr. Todd Mikurya. He was the director of the federal government’s marijuana study. He communicates his story: “I was hired by the government to provide scientific evidence that marijuana was harmful. As I studied the subject, I began to realize that marijuana was once widely used as a safe and effective medicine. But the government had a different agenda and I had to resign” (qtd. in Todd Mikurya’s personal...

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...ly benefit the wealth and security of the United States. Politicians need to go back and look at what Thomas Jefferson and the Founding Fathers wanted for the United States; they wanted prosperity for their country and the most logical way to achieve success is to legalize marijuana.

Works Cited

Klein, Joe. "Why Legalizing Marijuana Makes Sense." Time. 2 Apr. 2009. Web. 29 Mar. 2012.

"Marijuana." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 29 Mar. 2012. .

McKinley, Jesse. "Pat Robertson Says Marijuana Should Be Legal." The New York Times. The New York Times, 7 Mar. 2012. Web. 29 Mar. 2012. .

Rosenthal, Ed, and Steve Kubby. Why Marijuana Should Be Legal. New York: Thunders Mouth, 1996. Print.

"Thomas Jefferson: 1743-1826." Hemp Car. 15 Nov. 2000. Web. 29 Mar. 2012. .