Legalizing Marijuana
Legalizing marijuana has been a debate for quite some time in the United States. When prohibiting such a substance we must decide if the government is crossing the line of personnel freedom. Our country’s responsibility is to respect its citizens’ individual rights and should provide us with the means to practice our free-will. Prohibition efforts have not been able to prevent consumers from consuming or criminal organizations from trafficking marijuana. The citizens of our country have the right to decide for themselves whether or not they are going to partake in such substances as they have had that right to make that choice with other substances like alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine; all of which have been proven to cause more harm the marijuana. The people of our country have been misinformed by our government to attempt to break down the marijuana community. In 2007, there was an average of 75,000 deaths due to alcohol related usage (Zabell). To this day there has yet to be a legitimate report of a death caused by marijuana. Alcohol has an average of 30% of our country in its grasp. 17.5% of these people abuse alcohol while 12.5% of them are dependent on the substance (Anitei). While searching for the same evidence for marijuana addiction you may only find statistics of the amount of users that have “tried marijuana”, or the percent of people that “use marijuana on a regular basis,” but no evidence showing any percent of our country being addicted to it. We are coming to a time where we need to recognize the benefits of marijuana and its many uses for more than just to “get high.” Marijuana should be legalized in our country, and we should have the right to practice our free-will and make our own decisions on whether or not we feel we want to partake in such activities.
The fact remains, the legalization of marijuana would not only save our government money, but it would be an excellent additional source of revenue. In the United States, all levels of government participate in the war on drugs. The costs associated with pursuing marijuana growers and users directly impact the citizens of this country. We pay the food, housing, court costs, health care fees associated with locking up marijuana criminals. The costs associated with housing prisoners runs more than seven billion annually. And sadly, the majority of those individuals are not criminals, just recreational users. The prohibition of marijuana is a vehicle, and a profitable one, to fuel illegal trafficking from other countries. through the legalization of marijuana, "A new report from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) pegs the costs of marijuana law enforcement in the United States at $7.6 billion annually and finds that escalating marijuana arrests over the past two decades have failed to
have any impact on marijuana use rates or other indicators chosen by drug enforcers to measure "success" in the war on drugs (Marijuana). Comparably, "California's medical marijuana industry took in about $2 billion a year and generated $100 million in state sales taxes during 2008 with an estimated 2,100 dispensaries, co-operatives, wellness clinics and taxi delivery services in the sector colloquially known as “canna-business” (Medical). The bottom line is that we are looking at over an estimated 35 billion in revenue that we can't obtain as a country because you cannot tax what is not legal. From a monetary standpoint, controlled marijuana would enable the government to use the plant agriculturally abundant aspects.
Hemp from the plant can be used as a bio-fuel, much like corn. The use of hemp, a renewable & sustainable resource, would reduce the need to use food sources in an economy already plagued with rising food costs and an increasingly growing population. Additionally, using hemp as bio-fuel could greatly impact our dependence on crude oil. We would have a dependable biofuel readily available right in our backyard. And we would be less dependent on other countries controlling what we have wars over which drastically depletes our economy even further. Overall, the legalization of marijuana would allow the government to regulate the sale and taxation of its use. The impact it could have on improving the deficit and salvaging the economy cannot be ignored and should be heavily considered. Considering the amount of money that trades hands per year in the name of marijuana, it's not surprising that dealers are attracted to the trade. The profits are endless and usage rates continue to flourish. By lifting the ban on marijuana and pooling it with other taxable drugs like tobacco and alcohol, this nation would gain both short-term and long-term benefits. The quality of life for many would greatly improve in a country currently facing an ever-shrinking middle class. Federally speaking, the government would benefit in several ways. Revenue would increase from taxation at the point of sale, as well as income tax from legal dispensaries. There would be a reduction in the amount spent on law enforcement to apprehend and prosecute users and sellers of the drug meanwhile allowing them to focus on hard drugs and violent crimes.
The medical benefits offered from marijuana continue to build a strong case for its legalization. For years we have known its ability to temper the pain that afflicts glaucoma sufferers. "Cannabis sativa has been used as a holistically effective medicinal agent on every
continent, by all types of people, for thousands and thousands of years" (MedBenefits). Marijuana as an appetite stimulant can help with eating disorders as well as people afflicted with HIV and aids. It helps those who suffer the chronic pain from arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and the everyday headache or migraine. New studies show that it may even halt the progression of many diseases. Marijuana has been proven to reduce nausea, which is of great benefit to cancer patients undergoing treatment. Insomnia, seizures and even alcoholism have all shown great strides when treated with medical marijuana. Marijuana can help reduce blood sugar, improve blood pressure, and, when used in the kitchen, it is incredibly heart-healthy, which is a tremendous aid to diabetics, which afflicts more and more people every year. Marijuana has even been shown to greatly reduce the effects of PTSD in military. Another benefit of marijuana is that it is “non-toxic,” meaning there are no records indicating that a person has died from using marijuana. According to Lymann and Potter "there are no credible medical reports to suggest that consuming marijuana has caused a single death. Present records reveal that marijuana has not caused anyone to die when it was used as a remedial drug; therefore the drug should be used more often for medical purposes (Legalization). Many of these diseases cost us billions of dollars in health care and prescription drugs costs. “McDonald's has a greater potential health-care cost than the abuse of marijuana.” Holistically treating people with medical marijuana would bolster the pocket books of many Americans and reduce the dependency many have on prescription drugs. Furthermore, if marijuana were legalized, research efforts for its uses and remedies would grow exponentially and increase jobs in the United States. The possibilities are endless.
People will continue to debate about whether marijuana should become
legal or not. Marijuana continues to prove it is not as harmful or addictive as many other drugs, including alcohol and tobacco. As a society, we can benefit greatly from the myriad of aspects it touches. Financially, marijuana legalization can help on every level of the economy. At the governmental level as well as a civic level. Marijuana can do the same in the realm of job creation. From the farmers, all the way up to the biotechnicians, employment could flourish in this country. Medically, marijuana could shift us leaps and bounds in the directions of cures and remedies that have yet to be explored. These issues are not just for politicians, but for everyone. Legalization of marijuana is no longer just about "stoners" but for taxpayers, entrepreneurs and the general fabric of our society. As long as marijuana remains illegal, it can't be part of the solution to many of the challenges facing society today.
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Disclaimer: Anything I post is purely for entertainment purposes and is completely fictional made up scenarios using information and pictures retrieved from other people. I am by no means taking part in any activities displayed.
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