Release the green and save the economy

Weed, pot, dope, Mary Jane, joint, grass, chronic. These words all have one thing in common; they refer to a drug known by all, marijuana. The debate on whether or not marijuana should be legalized is a very heated topic in the United States. It is on the news, political debates, and part of the day-to-day conversations to many. People should know the facts for both sides of this issue before choosing whether it should remain illegal or become a legal substance. Legalizing marijuana could boost the economy by opening job markets, increase tax revenue for the government, plus, it would put the American tax-payers money to better use.

People fail to see the positive outcomes of legalizing marijuana because they are too busy looking at the negative points against weed. There are solid facts against the arguments to keep marijuana an illegal substance however. There are two main reasons some Americans voice against the legalization of marijuana; it’s a so-called “gateway” drug and it can be harmful. People like to argue and say that users of cocaine, meth, heroine, etc would never have started abusing these drugs if they would not have started with marijuana. It is a fact that marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug. This may seem like a point against legalizing it, but it actually points out how it makes sense that drug users would have used marijuana. If marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug, then chances are that drug users would have tried marijuana at some point in their life. The other argument against the legalization of marijuana is how it can be harmful. It is time to get real though. Tobacco, alcohol, and pharmaceuticals are more detrimental to someone’s life than marijuana, but all are legal. Marij...

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...rchasers, and put some extra cash into the government’s pocket? The government just needs to put regulations on the usage; no driving under the influence, have to be a certain age to use it, no contributing to minors, basically the same laws we have for alcohol and cigarettes. Our economy could use it and there would be a lot of happy Americans celebrating a marijuana legal country.

References

Cloud, J. (2002, November 04). Is pot good for you? Retrieved September 5, 2011, from Time Magazine:

Marijuana Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved September 07, 2011, from Drug Policy Alliance:

The Editor's Desk. (2011, December 02). Retrieved December 5, 2011, from Bureau of Labor Statistics: