Should Marijuana Be Legalized?

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Legalizing Marijuana has been a common subject for debate in the United States. As the debate continues on in the political system, marijuana has become the most popular illegal drug in the United States. There are many arguments for and against the legalization of marijuana ranging from the effects on the mind and body to the economic possibilities after legalization. Both sides embrace strong facts and stronger support, but much of these facts consist of similar research with contradicting results. The side that tends to have the most and the strongest support in the most prominent arguments, economics, health, and criminal association, is the group for legalizing marijuana. Drug dealers and cartels finance their operations and become rich off of their black market drug sales. This begs the question, if they can do it why can’t the American government achieve the same while also erasing the business away from the cartels? An Attorney (Andrew Cohen) says “income from such taxation could generate billions in new revenues and billions more in enforcement savings”. In fact it is estimated that the taxation of marijuana would produce revenues of approximately $2.4 billion per year if marijuana was taxed like any other normal consumer good. (Time to Legalize Marijuana?) If, however, the tax was similar to that of alcohol or cigarettes the produced revenue would be closer to approximately $6.2 billion per year. Over 500 economists support the legalization of marijuana including many notable economists such as Milton Friedman and George Akerlof. (Time to Legalize Marijuana?) Marijuana legalization has the serious economic benefits of producing billions of dollars of extra revenues which, in times like these, could be a large s... ... middle of paper ... ...r own will. Cigarette smokers have used this excuse to be allowed to smoke in many public places. Not only is marijuana less dangerous than cigarettes and alcohol, but it can also be used for medicinal purposes. This is all without saying that hemp, the plant itself, can be used for many more reasons such as a cheap substitute for paper, to make clothing, and even a possible new fuel source. Marijuana is commonly used medically for a variety of reasons, including the use of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, to help with certain conditions. Not to mention how much the legalization of it could help the economy. Works Cited http://economics.about.com/od/incometaxestaxcuts/a/legalize_pot.htm http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/25/opinion/courtwatch/main4828659.shtml http://drugwarfacts.org/cms/?q=node/30 http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/

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