Legalizing Marijuana In America

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The Legalization of Marijuana in America The debate on the legalization of marijuana is a very big concern. Many believe that it is time for a change. Marijuana has many medical uses that can help our sick. A lot of people in America argue that it is our bodies and we should be able to put what we want in them, so if a cancer patient is going through chemotherapy he/she should have the right to use marijuana to ease his pain. They say that marijuana is not as harmful as alcohol or tobacco products so why shouldn’t it be legal? One of the biggest things on people’s minds is the money that can be made from the growing and selling of marijuana and how much the government wastes each year trying to fight a losing battle on the war against marijuana.…show more content…
They believe that since alcohol and cigarettes are more dangerous so why shouldn’t it be legal if regulated in a similar manner. Many people are curious to see how this works for Colorado. With the passing of Amendment 64, marijuana will be distributed under the same guidelines as alcohol; meaning residents must be 21 years of age or older to purchase and possess the drug. Alcohol can lead to disorientation and uncontrolled behavior. Although marijuana can lead to a relaxed and euphoric feeling it will not cause you to make decisions you would not normally do. When it comes to smoking the cannabis some say it is just as bad for your lungs as smoking, but a quote taken from an article on CBSNews.com written by Ryan Jaslow states, “The study, published in the Jan. 10 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, found occasional pot smokers - who used a median of roughly two to three joints per month - had normal lung function compared to tobacco smokers in the study.”(CBSNews.com). What this is saying is that smoking marijuana, although not great for your lungs, has less of a negative impact. Two states have already jumped on the legalization of the recreational use of marijuana. Colorado and Washington voted on a bill to legalize the drug for everyone for any reason and the people of these states were heard when the bills…show more content…
In fact fifty-six percent of Americans think marijuana should be legalized and regulated like alcohol and tobacco, according to a nationwide Rasmussen poll of 1,000 likely voters. (www.huffingtonpost.com). As stated on mpp.org, “If marijuana were taxed like alcohol and tobacco, tax receipts would be about $6.2 billion, and conceivably more, depending on the tax rate.” It also says, “Using figures from a variety of federal and state government sources, Miron estimates that replacing prohibition with regulation would save $7.7 billion annually in government spending on enforcement.” All this wasted money is coming from the tax payers. The rest of the country waits in anticipation to see how much the states of Colorado and Washington will make with their newly passed bills, and to use them as an example for what they should do next. Besides money there are the medical uses of marijuana. Marijuana is an organic medication that can help people suffering from pain and ailments. It also can help people with neurological disorders such as depression and anxiety. An organic medication that can help with so many different types of medical problems should be fully utilized with the economy looking the way it is; it is time to legalize marijuana. With the medical uses it is in high demand and for a good reason. With a market economy where everything is down, we have a demand right in our face and now we are
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