by Michael Peyton

Created on: August 27, 2009

In my opinion, marijuana not only should be legalized but needs to be legalized to help alleviate some of the economic and social ills the United States is facing today. The war against marijuana costs us billions of dollars every year. This money, which comes from taxpayers, could be put towards programs that would actually benefit our country instead of infringing on the rights of Americans. Every citizen of the United States should, to some extent, be able to choose what chemicals they put into their bodies. On top of this, the arguments that are keeping marijuana from being legalized and regulated, are based on exaggerated claims and flat out lies.

I am not a marijuana user but I do value my paycheck and I like to benefit from the taxes that the government is collecting from my paycheck. We can't be sure of the exact amount of money being spent on marijuana prohibition but estimates put it in the billions. Some of the expenses that we pay due to marijuana prohibition are police and other law enforcement costs, cost of prosecution and public defenders, and cost of incarceration (keeping someone in prison is expensive). On the other side of the coin you have the possible revenue that we could be taking in by regulating and taxing marijuana like alcohol and tobacco. The value of the United States marijuana crop has been estimated at 35 billion dollars. Theoretically, marijuana is the most valuable cash crop in the United States. Jeffry Miron, a Harvard professor, estimated legalization and taxation of marijuana could generate up to 14 billion dollars in revenue. This is money that could be used to fund anything from social programs to programs to lower real crime such as robbery and murder.

Though my main argument is a financial one, there are other reasons I support its legalization. Studies have shown that marijuana can have medical uses and it is already being used to treat pain in cancer patients. One of the reasons scientists have not discovered its true potential as a medical treatment, is its prohibition. The government strongly opposes medical marijuana studies. There are several other hemp products that can benefit mankind but the negative attitude towards marijuana has prevented us from reaping these benefits. Hemp, which grows in abundance, is regularly uprooted and destroyed even though it contains 1% or less THC (the chemical that gets users high). This hemp that is being destroyed can be used to create an eco-friendly form of bio-fuel and lower

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>