Benefits Of Decriminalizing Marijuana

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Legalization of marijuana has been a debate for years; honestly though, if a plant could save lives and help numb people's pain would you want it to be illegal? Pot is used to treat multiple diseases such as: heart disease, ADHD, ADD, migraines, Parkinson's disease, and many more. Often, pot is used to treat people with major speech impediments like stuttering and cluttering. Marijuana is a plant grown on this beautiful Earth that is often used to treat cancer patients and other illnesses/diseases. There are many stories going around about why pot was illegalized, but apparently “During hearings on marijuana law in the 1930’s, claims were made about marijuana’s ability to cause men of color to become violent and solicit sex from white women. …show more content…
This means that having small amounts isn’t a felony. Decriminalization is basically making pot less and less illegal by the way the government decides. “...Since the 1970’s the national trend has moved towards decriminalization” (Hickenlooper). This means that states are working towards legalizing pot. Even the capital of the United States is beginning to decriminalize it “The third [hearing] was on marijuana decriminalization passed by the District of Columbia City Council” (Marijuana Policy). The District of Columbia is the district that Washington D.C. is apart of, meaning that the capital of the the U.S. is decriminalizing it. Decriminalization not only makes small amounts less legal it also makes it to where having those small amounts lessens the punishment. “...criminal penalties for the possession of one ounce or less of marijuana in the District of Columbia and treats possessions as a civil offense subject to a fine of $25” (Marijuana Policy). Before, having weed what a felony and making it a civil offense makes it less serious. Some people think that decriminalization is a bad idea because they think weed is a gateway drug, but there is tons of people that smoke pot daily and have never done any other …show more content…
States are starting to legalize marijuana full, meaning that it legalizes it for whatever your heart desires. Once you legalize marijuana for recreational purposes it is basically legal for medical too even though most states legalize medical first. “Voters in Colorado and Washington moved to legalize the use and sale of marijuana by adults 21 and older” (Hickenlooper). Colorado and Washington were the first states to legalize it. “...Colorado and Washington are the first states to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes” (Hickenlooper). Other states are starting to want to, but are afraid of the federal government because when a state makes marijuana legal the federal government still deems it legal. The federal government can shut down dispensaries because they still have the power over the states. “... and more frequently Alaska and Oregon have also recently legalized marijuana for recreational purposes as well” (Baude). This means that states are finally getting enough bravery to branch off and do it rather than just being scared of the federal government. Often people say that you shouldn’t do marijuana because it’s legal, but you can tell them about the states that have legalized
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