Marijuana Legalization Essay

Submitted By TommyNikkoGeorgalis9
Words: 887
Pages: 4

Should Marijuana Be Legalized?

In America’s eyes, marijuana is one of the biggest enemies. Since alcohol and tobacco, both life threatening substances, are legal it is relevant to question, why marijuana is illegal. American taxpayers can partially answer this question when they fill out their tax forms during tax times and when they hear the hash rhetoric used against marijuana by the government. With the fact being that marijuana is illegal is sufficiently caused by the amount of money, jobs, and the pride invested in the war on drugs. In other context, the government cannot turn back at this point.

To demonstrate this cause, the difference between illegal and legal substances (alcohol and marijuana) must be abolished. As we all know, alcohol was once illegal in the United States. Alcohol was illegal because the ill effects of alcohol led to many people to fight for the prohibition cause. Some ill effects of alcohol are direct and some alter the behavior and motor skills of the alcohol consumer, helping them do things they would not usually do. More often than not, the direct effects of alcohol result from heavy drinking which is frequently diagnosed in alcoholics. Just by getting tipsy can also do serious harm to the individual that has consumed alcohol. Alcohol is posed to be as a serious threat to one’s health because the major cause of brain damage and trauma is caused from alcohol.

Marijuana on the opposing hand seems to be a bit out of place in its classification as being illegal. Though marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug for regulatory purposes, it is significantly different from the opiate relievers. Recently, a debate on the medicinal value of marijuana has arisen, whether there is a “definite use” for marijuana is unclear but surely, there is no such debate concerning alcohol.

Again, I must posture the question why marijuana is illegal, if it is posed to be more or less dangerous than substances that are legal? The United States government’s investment in the war on drugs spans across the spectrum of the governmental offices but still the main recipient of funds from the budget is the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). The budget in the war on drugs does not make any distinctions between fighting marijuana and fighting cocaine, heroin or any other related hallucinogens.

If marijuana was to be legalized, the United States would gain great revenue throughout the nation and taxpayers would also gain from the legalization of it. With marijuana being legal after the fact of it becoming legal, the government would save a large amount of money. In the United States, all levels of government participate in the war on drugs. The U.S. government currently spends billions of dollars every year to chase down peaceful people that just so happen to like to high. These people get locked up in prison and the taxpayers of America pay the “bill.” American taxpayers pay for the food, housing, health care, attorney fees, court costs, and many other expenses to simply lock some individual up for smoking, selling or having possession of pot. This becomes extremely expensive to us taxpayers! We could be saving billions of dollars every year as a whole nation if we were to stop wasting money on locking people up for having marijuana in their possession or for simply even being around users of marijuana. In addition, if marijuana were legal, the government would be able to collect taxes on