Legalize It

I believe that marijuana should be legalized. It has many positive medicinal purposes in our modern world. Also, if taxed, it would create tremendous amounts of well-needed revenue for our government. Legalizing marijuana in the United States would also drastically drop crime rates. In order to benefit the sick of America, and decrease both the national debt and crime rate, the legalization of marijuana is critical.

Though our government has tried to portray marijuana as the devil over the last few decades, it has very few negative effects on health. On the contrary, it has an exponentially higher amount of positive uses. These include medicines for both physical and mental illnesses. Marijuana has already been used to treat patients with terminal illnesses. Why stop there? A Harvard study found that those who use marijuana after being diagnosed with lung cancer decreased their risk of developing a tumor by about 50%. Marijuana makes you feel hungry, so it could help lower the growing number of American females with eating disorders. To date, THC, a chemical found in marijuana, is the only chemical known to help disorders like these. Lastly, marijuana can also be used to treat depression.

Legalizing marijuana and placing a tax on it would create tremendous amounts of revenue for our government. In these tough economic times, with the national debt nearing $15 trillion, this extra money is well needed. Tobacco products are legal and taxed. Our government makes lots of money of tobacco, a drug that is both more addictive and more detrimental to one’s health than marijuana. This said, why not legalize and tax marijuana?

Lastly, legalizing marijuana would definitely decrease the crime rate. Just as many notorious gangsters fell from power after prohibition ended, so would all of our modern drug lords. There’s just no need to smuggle, deal, or shoot people over a substance that’s legal. Also, it would free up our already overpopulated prisons a little bit. Get people convicted of marijuana possession out and you have more room for thieves, murderers, and rapists; the real criminals.

In conclusion, legalizing marijuana would be very beneficial to our country. It would support us economically, and maybe bring us out of these tough times. It would also decrease crime. Lastly, and most importantly, it would help sick people. Knowing this, you’d have to be a fool not to agree with the legalization of marijuana.