Medical Marijuana Legalization

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Cannabis, or more commonly known as marijuana, is a multipurpose plant that can be used for hundreds of different products. According to the ProQuest Staff, it is also known for its wide variety of medical purposes. It has been in use for as long as anyone can remember and it is scientifically dated to as far back as 7000 B.C. Along with the potential to help treat various medical conditions it can also help reduce violent crime in the United States. The legalization of Marijuana in the United States for medical purpose/reasoning could be the next big revolution with the potential to change several factors in todays economy.
According to Rob Hotakainen from McClatchy Newspapers, if medical cannabis was legal the police could focus their attention more toward violent crimes and dangerous drugs. Over 700,000 people are arrested annually for the use or possession of marijuana. It is a waste of time and money for our law enforcement to be fighting something that is nonviolent and has the lowest death rates of any other drug. The Mexican drug cartel makes a part of their profit smuggling marijuana into our country, and as they are doing this a lot of violence happens. If the United States decides to legalize the medical use of marijuana it would relieve some of this violence, and cut off the cartel from making money smuggling drugs across our border. Of course this isn’t going to stop them from smuggling the hard drugs but it could still make a very significant reduction to our countries violence on and around the Mexican border.
In America, according to The American Journal of Public Health, the average retail sales of marijuana are $10 billion. This is money that the government could be getting instead of crazed drug dealers. The p...

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... to treat medical conditions. Medical marijuana isn’t bad for you when dosed according to medical advisors and can actually help relieve stress in times of need. Cannabis has hundreds of different uses and could be extremely beneficial to the United States if it was legalized for medical production and use.

Works Cited

ProQuest Staff. "At Issue: Marijuana Legalization." ProQuest LLC. 2014: n.pag. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 22 Jan. 2014.
ProQuest Staff. "Marijuana Legalization Timeline." Leading Issues Timelines. 2013: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 22 Jan. 2014.
Foner, Eric, and John A. Garraty. "Drugs." The Reader's Companion to American History. Dec. 1 1991: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.
Hotakainen, Rob. "With New Momentum to Legalize, Pot Backers Aim High." McClatchy Newspapers. 06 Apr. 2013: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher.Web. 23 Jan. 2014.

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