Drugs are a major influence in our country today. It seems the issue has gotten so out of hand that some states have even opted to try legalizing drugs such as marijuana in an effort to control it. This is one of the most controversial issues we are facing today. Should marijuana be legalized? When you think about how alcohol and tobacco, two of life’s most threatening substances are legal it makes you wonder. Alcohol, in my opinion is the most dangerous of the legal drugs in this country “More than 20 million people in the United States and have a serious drinking problem.” (Coon & Mitterer, 2010, p.207). In fact, one American dies every 20 minutes in an alcohol related car-crash. You may ask yourself how many reported cases of marijuana deaths? Zero. (Coon & Mitterer, 2010) In addition there has also arisen a recently heated debate on the medical value of marijuana. Whether or not there is a definite use for marijuana in the medical community is unclear however, there is no such debate concerning alcohol. As a result of legalizing marijuana I think the crime rate in the country will also decrease. “Law enforcement agencies today spend many billions of taxpayer dollars annually trying to enforce this unenforceable prohibition. The roughly 750,000 arrests they make each year for possession of small amounts of marijuana represent more than 40% of all drug arrests.”(Soros, Why I Support Legal Marijuana, 2010) There will be more time focused on real criminals and drunk drivers versus a harmless pot smoker who just want to hang around at the mall, eat, and watch movies