Why Marijuana Should Be Legal Essay

Also if Marijuana were to be legalized, America’s economy would receive a healthy stimulation and generate more jobs. If marijuana were to be legalized, America’s economy would receive a healthy stimulation and generate more jobs. Many people a year go to jail for marijuana-like charges and 80 % of those are for simple possessions [Ghosh]. The thousands of people that occupy jails each day use resources that tax payers have to provide. This also ruins teenagers and adult’s lives in society and it’s for something so simple and irrelevant. They occupy the same jail cells as convicts who deserve to be locked away for a long time. This tends to have negative effects on their development which basically destroys them mentally. [Personal story] Also the government wouldn’t have to pay people to go out and prevent the smuggling of marijuana. Entrepreneurs would finally be able to add the chemical THC to products, thus creating businesses and much needed jobs. Legalization would also end the drug war the law enforcement currently faces. Officers would no longer have to risk their life against gangs and drug lords. Drugs lords would lose their power and influence over cities and different locations. Therefore, effecting crime rate in certain states. There are several states in the United States that have legalized medical marijuana, Colorado, Washington, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. Colorado and Washington are the only two states that have legalized marijuana entirely. As soon as the law was put into place in Washington thousands of smokers flooded the streets and enjoyed their new freedom. Even though marijuana has become legal, they’re still many rules and regulations that follow with the law. Until you’re 21 you can only carry a small amount with you and selling is still illegal. You must also stay out of the public while smoking or you’ll be fined. Washington’s largest counties have dropped all pending charges of marijuana possession after passing the new legislation. Colorado, however, is still looking into whether or not courts should drop misdemeanor charges of marijuana possession. Analysts have also estimated that a legal pot market could bring Washington hundreds of millions of dollars a year in new tax revenue for schools, health care and basic government purposes (Huffington Post).

The side effects of marijuana compared to other legal drugs and alcohol are noticeably less severe and it is a safe alternative. Research has consistently shown that marijuana is far less addictive than alcohol and cigarettes. According to the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine, dependence among marijuana users is far less severe than addiction on other drugs. Alcohol use causes around 40,000 deaths per year, including hundreds of overdoses and alcohol poisoning. Alcohol permanently changes liver cell structure, which impairs the liver’s ability to metabolize fats. This explains why heavy drinkers tend to develop fatty and unhealthy livers. Also there have not been any known reports of marijuana causing fatalities ever in history. Marijuana lacks the

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