Legalization of Marijuana

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Marijuana is a shredded mix of dry flowers, stems and the seeds of a plant called cannabis and people usually smoke it in the form of cigarettes for relaxation. Ever since marijuana hit mainstream America over 30 years ago, government prohibition of it has been the subject of an ongoing debate. Should marijuana be legalized? Proponents of marijuana argue that there are numerous medical benefits and that the drug is not more harmful than tobacco or alcohol. Therefore, prohibiting it intrudes on personal freedom. On the other hand, opponents argue that marijuana is too dangerous; its legalization would increase the chances of the drug falling into the hands of kids and that marijuana use often progresses to the use of more dangerous drugs like heroin and cocaine. In the past decade, a number of movements to legalize the use of marijuana has been gaining momentum. According to the 2011 Gallup survey, a record high 50% of Americans say that marijuana should be legalized and this figure marks a 4% increase compared to the previous year. Support for legalizing marijuana was 30% in 2000, 40% in 2009 before reaching 50% last year. This shows that despite government efforts to eliminate its use, marijuana is becoming more popular. More and more people realize that legalizing marijuana brings a host of benefits. It not only offers medical benefits to the terminally ill but it could also be a source of tax revenues and could save the tax payers billions of dollars that is spent on enforcement costs. Most doctors would ascertain that marijuana is not harmful if used in moderation. It is only when people abuse the drug that problems arise. Marijuana is less addictive and less dangerous than tobacco and alcohol. If a person abuses alcoho... ... middle of paper ... ...ponsible consumption and behavior. Works Cited “Record-High 50% of Americans Favor Legalizing Marijuana Use” www.gallup.com/.../record-high-americans-favor-legalizing-marijuan... 2009. Web 15 Mar. 2012 “FASTSTATS – Alcohol Use” www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/alcohol.htm 2009. Web 15 Mar. 2012. “Bureau of Justice Statistics Drugs and Crime Facts: Contents” bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/dcf/contents.cfm 2007. Web 15 Mar. 2012. Rosenthal, Ed. and Steve Kuppy. Why Marijuana Should Be Legal. 2003 Print. 20-75 “ASA : AMA Report Recognizes Medical Benefits of Marijuana, Urges … www.safeaccessnow.org › Press Room › Press Releases 2008. Web 15 Mar. 2012. “Making an Economic Case For Legalizing Drugs” www.cato.org/publications/.../making-economic-case-legalizing-drug... 2010. Web 15 Mar. 2012.

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