The increased campaign awareness to legalize marijuana has shown youths believe marijuana is less harmful than many other drugs out there like cigarettes and alcohol(Say it Straight). This is simply not true, in fact marijuana has 425 unstable chemicals that convert to thousands when smoked by the user(Say it Straight). ... ... middle of paper ... ...rage marijuana consumer and also provide needed tax dollars for the government so they can crack down on really harmful drugs such as heroin and cocaine. My view is summed up best by this quote “Adults should be allowed to live as they wish, provided they do not harm others...the government should not outlaw...To do so would be to substitute the government’s tastes and moral judgment for those of the individual, and unjustified violation of personal freedom by the state.”(qtd. in Nagorney) Which is my point exactly.
Of all the negative consequences of prohibition, none is as tragic as the denial of medicinal cannabis to the tens of thousands of patients who could benefit from its therapeutic use. There are many states that have already legalized marijuana for medical purposes. Although this is a huge step forward, the federal government still considers it a crime to possess the plant. So many terminally ill people are thrown in prison for being in possession of marijuana that their state said was okay for them to have. Did you know that the US government considers marijuana more dangerous than cocaine and PCP?
We cannot afford to do this with the drug problem. There are the lives of innocent people at stake in our generation and the next generation . Let's be realistic, legalizing marijuana is a terrible idea which would have seri... ... middle of paper ... ...blished , legalization will not stop this no matter what anybody argues drugs are dangerous, to those who use them as well as those who do not but are around users. Legalization will not prevent the chemicals and physiological responses of the body some of which take people totally out of reality and also sometimes kill. The issue on crime is split people say the crime would go down because the price of drugs would go down , maybe this is true but it is very unlikely.
With deliberate research from Professor David Nutt and his team, they gather enough tests and evidence that evaluates that alcohol is number one on a most harmful list. There is much other research that proves it is also the most addictive compared to tobacco and marijuana. Right under this list lays heroin, crack and cocaine. “We cannot confidently compare the addictive powers of these drugs, but the best evidence suggests that crack and heroin are much more addictive than alcohol” (Wilson, 302). “What Nadelmann is doing is showing that a legalized drug (alcohol) produces greater social harm than illegal ones (cocaine and heroin).
It is also one the the drugs that is less dangerous for the public than other drugs that are not legalized. Marijuana should be legalized in the rest of the states because it would reduce crime rates, generate revenue by the taxation of the substance, and its less dangerous of a drug then some of the depressants out there. Legalizing marijuana could bring down crime rates from each state. Instead of having to go to risky places to buy marijuana when you can just go to a local dispensary. According to Toke of the Town “ the rate of crime would go down cause they would be selling it in stores and would not have to go to the black market to get it and other crimes to buy it” ( Toke Of The Town).
Even if a legal-drug policy included the a demand of relatively high taxes in order to discourage consumption, drug prices would probably still be lower than they are today. The third drug connection is the commission of crimes- violent crimes in particular-by people under the influence of illicit drugs. "This connection seems to have the greatest impact upon the popular imagination" (Lindsmith Center). Clearly, some drugs do "cause" some people to commit crimes by reducing normal control, unleashing aggressive and other antisocial tendencies, and lessening the sense of responsibility. "Cocaine, particularly in the form of crack, has gained such a reputation in recent years, just as heroin did in t... ... middle of paper ... ... of the drug dealing business because they can't control things on the street anymore with the drugs.
Those who are in favor for marijuana legalization consider the ‘War on Drugs’ as an expensive disappointment. Billions of needless dollars are spent to incarcerate individuals that choose to use a substance that is less harmful and addictive than alcohol or prescribed medications. In addition, pro-marijuana advocate also suggest that if marijuana were to be legalized, the government could control the substance, very much like tobacco and alcohol. A method to control the purity of distributed marijuana, tracking marijuana use in the United States, and collect tax on the revenue. Which allows the government to have ample money to ut... ... middle of paper ... ... put an end to the illegal distribution of the substance.
Millions of dollars used for incarceration will be redirected to rehabilitation, which will reduce dependence, especially among younger users. Legalization will allow users of marijuana to buy from legal and safe sources. The war on drugs has been ineffective in reducing drug use despite spending a lot of money on incarcerations. Mass incarceration in the drug war has had negative effects on the society because most imprisoned individuals are non-violent offenders who pose no legitimate threat to the community.
Cocaine and meth are known to have much worse side effects and cause much more harm to the body than marijuana, yet both are only classified as a schedule 2 drug. This makes many people think that marijuana is a harmful drug, but it isn’t. It also leads to many misconceptions about the drug and what the drug actually does to your body. Marijuana should be legalized because of its many uses in medicine, its uses as hemp, the ability to control the production and sale of the drug to teenagers and kids, it will lead to a decrease in crime, and its ability to make money as a cash crop. Marijuana has for over a decade been legal in certain states, such as California, for medical use only.
We will also be taxed less because of less government spending on marijuana convictions. We will be decriminalized and allowed the same freedoms with marijuana that are allowed with alcohol or tobacco. Finally, our government will climb its way out of debt by taxing the plant. Marijuana legalization could greatly improve our country as a whole.