Persuasive Essay On Legalizing Marijuana

Legalizing Marijuana
Currently, a little less than half of the United States has legalized the use of marijuana for either medical or recreational purposes. (“Working to Reform Marijuana Laws." About Marijuana). Contradicting that movement is a federal law against the possession, use, or distribution of marijuana. If one is tried by the government for any of those reasons he/she can be sentenced anything from $1,000 fine to the death penalty, depending on the degree of the crime. As the United States sinks deeper into debt, it is time they look towards a new market. A market from the legalization of marijuana. There are few people who believe that marijuana should not be legalized because it can cause an individual health on stake, and can

This would result in billions of dollars in revenue for the United States. In turn, that money could go towards children’s education, national debt, recreation, and more. Also, the legalization of growing marijuana would lower unemployment rates as marijuana plantations would be created. Growing and harvesting the plant could become a profession. Overall the legalization of marijuana would help the United States’ economy greatly. Not only would it help America’s economy in the short run, it would also help the United States in the long run. On the other side some people think that a reason why marijuana should not be legalized is that billions of dollars by the government are misused. They believe that people who possess marijuana illegally are eventually caught by the cops. Criminals are then arrested and sent behind bars. People against the legalization of marijuana think that as the amount of marijuana users increases, so will the number of people arrested. Finance is required to construct new prisons and also to maintain them. Nicholas D. Kristof explains in his article “End the War on Pot” how more money is being spent by California on prisons than on education which shows that more money is dedicated to prisoners than the education of children. The government spends $216,000 annually on young people held in custody, and only $8,000 is spent towards the troubled Oakland public school system.

Marijuana has been used for thousands of years and has only resulted in 2 deaths since. The annual death rates related to marijuana use is 0. Let us look take an overview, and let’s compare it to deaths related to a machine that dispenses small articles such as food, drinks, or cigarettes when a coin, bill, or token is inserted. Annually, thirteen vending machine related deaths take place. That is a much larger number compared to the annual deaths by marijuana use.
Another argument that can be easily settled, is whether or not marijuana is a gateway drug. When we look at simply the facts, we would discover that only 9 percent of marijuana users continue on to become addicted ("Marijuana." Is Marijuana Addictive?”). In other words, marijuana is far less addictive than caffeine. Rather than the drug leading people take other drugs, it is the dealers. The dealers would convince those who purchase marijuana to try other drugs in hopes that they would become addicted. So the dealer would directly benefit if his or her customer were addicted to one of his or her