Legalizing Marjuana Essay

The legalization of marijuana in the United States has been a major issue for several years. There are many opinions on this topic, some people don’t give marijuana a thought. Many people including most government consider marijuana a â€Å"bad drug†. Marijuana actually has many good uses. Marijuana should be legalized for medical purposes, to reduce America’s prison population and to boost the economy. The use of marijuana as a medicine is rapidly becoming popular in the treatment of various types of illnesses. Sixty-five percent of Americans were for legalizing marijuana for medical purposes (Update: Medical Marijuana). Every year there are different trials being done that prove marijuana has good medicinal use. Medical marijuana can be used in providing pain relief for people with different cancers and HIV/AIDS (Update: Medical Marijuana). It has been used to provide relief for nerve pain in patients with AIDS (Update: Medical Marijuana). Marijuana is also eff ective in treating nausea in cancer patients that go through chemotherapy. Some States have already legalized medicinal marijuana, while others are more reserved. Georgia just legalized the use of marijuana oils to be used for medicinal purposes. Additionally, people being arrested for marijuana is causing over population in the prison systems. Some people that support the legalization of marijuana think that law enforcement fighting the war against drugs should focus their attention towards other violent crimes or hard-core street drugs. Marijuana is the most widely used and prosecuted drug in the United States (Decriminalizing Marijuana). Ninety percent of the people arrested in 2007 were arrested for simple possession alone (Decriminalizing Marijuana). People that are being arrested for marijuana are being sent to jail/prison with violent criminals. Law enforcement could use a different way of dealing with people that are being arrested for marijuana like righting a ticket, inste ad of spending taxpayer’s dollars on sending them to prison. The over population in our prison system is a heavy burden on taxpayers. Furthermore, legalizing marijuana would be a major boost for the struggling economy. More people are in agreement with legalizing marijuana when the issue focuses on using it as a taxable substance (Decriminalizing Marijuana). There is such a demand for marijuana already that legalizing it could only boost the economy instead of hurting it. Unemployment has been a major issue in America today. Legalizing marijuana would generate jobs for thousands of people in various different fields of work. In addition, the tax revenue would benefit students of all ages by providing grants and scholarships for education. It has been estimated that legalizing marijuana would generate $10-$14 billion dollars in savings and tax revenue annually (Decriminalizing Marijuana). Instead of the government spending money on restricting the use of marijuana, they could make money off legalizing it. The government could tax marijuana just as they tax tobacco and alcohol. In conclusion, the times are changing, more states are agreeing to legalize marijuana, both for medicinal purposes and recreational use. Mar ijuana should not be treated any different from the way people treat alcohol and tobacco. Legalizing marijuana would benefit Americans for medicinal use, it would also decrease over crowding in our prison populations and help our struggling economy. It is time for our government leaders to become more open minded when it comes to the topic of marijuana. Works Cited Update: Medical Marijuana.† Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 15 July 2009. Web. 28 Mar. 2014. . Decriminalizing Marijuana.† Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 25 Apr. 2011. Web. 28 Mar. 2014. .