Weed

The gateway drug, the most beneficial natural resource, the all natural medicine, one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man,

are all phrases that we hear about cannabis more commonly called marijuana. Cannabis has been used for over 6000 years without anyone questioning its legality, until the 1930's when the United States Government criminalized the use and sale of cannabis. Over the 80 years of marijuana probation, the question "Was criminalizing marijuana a good idea?" keeps coming up. The question has never had as much debate as it does now, with the legalization of medical marijuana in 17 states including New Jersey. A majority of the United States population including me also sees the legalization of cannabis as a good idea with many great benefits.

With a majority of the population wanting marijuana legalization, there are still those who don't want it legalized. They have many different arguments against legalization. One of the most popular arguments is that marijuana is the gateway drug. This is something almost every child is taught, but it couldn't be farther from the truth. The truth is 70% of teens try alcohol or tobacco before trying marijuana. Now of course there are those people who do move on to harder drugs, but only 30% of marijuana users ever try hard drugs such as cocaine or heroin, and of that 30% only 5% use a hard drug regularly. Another common argument is that legalization will make it easier for teens to get marijuana. A CBS Poll from 2010 proved a point that has been stressed by legalization supporter for years: That getting an illegal drug is easier to get then alcohol or tobacco for a minor. If marijuana is legalized and regulated then it will make it much more difficult for m...

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...ble and cheaper then pulp paper. Hemp legalization could help bring the United States back some of its wealth it has lost of the past few years during the recession.

Marijuana legalization can bring prosperity back to the United States, aswell as advancements in medicine and science. Many of the people who are against marijuana legalization don't have any valid points to prove that marijuana is the evil drug that we learned it was throughout our childhood. Marijuana legalization benefits everyone and harms no one. The United States could once again export tons of hemp a day to help bring jobs back to America. Marijuana could just be the cure for cancer that’s been around for thousands of years, but just was never used properly or researched thoroughly enough. If marijuana legalization can save one life in this country, then it is well worth the fight to legalize it.