Should_Marijuana_Be_Legalized

Should Marijuana Be Legalized' Cindy Carney November 7, 2011 Eng122 Mary Harmon There is an issue with drugs and the trafficking of those drugs that the United States spends $44 billion a every year to try and fight.(Cafferty 2009) Since the 1980’s the United States has spend billions of dollars fighting for this cause. We have more people fighting what seems like a losing battle. Legalization of marijuana has become the hot topic lately. You have groups that oppose it, believing it to be a gateway drug, however there is really no scientific evidence proving it to be a gateway drug. In this paper I am going to show you why marijuana should be legalized. Drug trafficking is a very large subject to tackle; I decided to focus my attention on the legalization of marijuana and why it should be legalized. “A number of movements to legalize marijuana have been gaining steam lately”. (Messerli 2011) There are a lot of people on both sides of the debate. In this paper I am going to looks at both sides of the debate and then show you why it should be legalized. In California, Proposition 19 was placed on the ballot for the 2010 election. “Some argued that passage of Prop 19 would have led to a much wider legalization of drugs that-along with promises of regulation and taxation-could have unintended consequences for public health and law enforcement”. (Ward 2010) We have many people who have the need for marijuana to be legalized to help them with their daily pain from cancer, glaucoma or other types of illnesses. There are many arguments that cannabis is a gateway drug. There has been no conclusive evidence that the drug effects of marijuana are casually lined to the subsequent abuse of other illicit drugs. I know that there are many drug users who will probably tell you that they smoked marijuana before they started using harder drugs, I believe that those drug users would have using the harder drugs whether or not they smoked marijuana first. Legalizing marijuana and taxing it could help create revenue in these hard economic times. A question that is one to consider is “If you live in California, what would you rather have' Pot smokers whose cases are tying up the legal system' Or better health care and roads thanks to a marijuana tax'” (Cohen 2009) I think that this is a very valid question. We as citizens complain about the state that our economy is in, but when ideas are put out there that could help they are shot down because of the idea of legalize something that you have been taught is bad is hard to get past. The word illegal makes people afraid of it also. In my research so far I have found that there are some very good arguments for legalizing marijuana. “The largest single change for the better in U.S. foreign policy, and one that could be accomplished simply by an act of political will would be the abandonment of the so-called war on drugs.” (Hitchens 2007) We know that marijuana has good medicinal values, legalizing it would not only help those that need it medically, but could help boost the economic recovery of our nation that is faltering right now. “Marijuana legalization has been moving ahead recently with the introduction of a California state ballot initiative and national legislation to change its federal designation.” (Woods II 2011) “Decriminalization of drugs could also mean fewer lethal impurities and a decline in the glamour associated with prohibition.” (Hitchens 2007) The reason there is violence associated with drugs is due to the fact that it is illegal and the people growing it and selling it do what they feel they need to protect their investment. If it is legal it is going to take away that part of the equation just like it did when prohibition ended with alcohol. If you think about it, if you were to legalize marijuana you would be freeing up the already over booked courtrooms due to marijuana. Is it really helping society to put marijuana offenders in jail or probation' “Legalization of marijuana would free up those people to concentrate on more important things like terrorism, harder drugs, rape, murder, and so on.” (Messerli 2011) This would be an added bonus for the economy because we wouldn’t have to spend money on prosecuting these people. State officials are beginning to acknowledge that they can more productively spend their budget funds on cracking unsolved cases or ensuring better police protection than on keeping pot smokers in prison or fighting decades with capital defendants.” (Cohen 2009) California spends a lot of money prosecuting people for possession of marijuana. This is tying up the court system and spending money on what I feel to be pointless and a waste of money. In legalizing marijuana you are freeing up taxpayer money that is being used to prosecute these offenders, as well as providing them with legal counsel because they cannot afford it. Most people who use marijuana are just using it for recreational use. If they are smoking it in the privacy of their own home it is really not hurting anyone. Even for people who use it for medicinal purposes are not causing harm to anyone, they are just trying to get some relief of pain from their medical condition. This is also something that is harmless to others. While it is legal in the State of California to have a medical marijuana card, it is still a federal crime. This really is a double standard. States can put measures on their ballots for the people to vote on, but the federal government can come in and arrest people and tell them that they are committing a federal crime. You essentially have what are law abiding citizens being arrested for a federal crime. This puts even more people in the court system that would not have normally been there in the first place. Putting people in jail for possessing marijuana doesn’t do the community any good. You take one drug dealer off the streets there is another one who can replace him. If you make marijuana legal, then you are taking out the drug dealer. If you tax it and control it like you do alcohol and tobacco you are creating revenue for the community, state, and even the country. The money that is spent on fighting the war on drugs could definitely be spent on something else. Something else to think about also is “the cartels would be out of business”. (Cafferty 2009) Another thing to look at is “if drugs were legalized, we could empty out a lot of our prison cells”. (Caffferty 2009) Our prisons are extremely overcrowded, and legalization of marijuana could help alleviate some of that overcrowding. There is another aspect of marijuana that people don’t know about. It has products that can be made from the crop. “The plant used in producing marijuana has a ton of alternative uses, including construction, & thermal insulation materials, paper, geotextiles, dynamite, composites for autos, clothes, and insect repellent.” (Messerli 2011) This could help create jobs and boost the economy. It could help communities build jobs and potentially a new industry that has been hard hit by the recession that the United States is in right now. Marijuana is often called hemp. Hemp can be used to make paper; this would help save trees in our forests and keep from depleting the planet. “Hemp produces paper of a far higher quality than trees.” (Staff 2011) This is something to be considered in our world today with the rain forests being cut down to make paper and other products. “Paper can be made from hemp hurds, thus if hemp is grown for fibre or seeds, farmers will have an extra product they can sell”. (Staff 2011) This shows just how versatile this crop can be. Having a crop that can be used many different ways can help the farmer be able to make the most profit from his crop. Hemp seed can also be used for food. It has been used throughout history in cultures for food. “Typically they would be ground and used like flour, pressed to produce oil or toasted and used in celebratory treats.” (Staff 2011) There are still countries that use it in their cooking. Hemp oil actually contains unsaturated fat which the human body needs. (Staff 2011) This is also things that people don’t realize about it. Think about the third world countries that this could help. You have countries where they are living in poverty, not knowing where their next meal is going to come from. You could teach these communities how to farm this crop and others, and this would help them to have a thriving, productive community. It would also help them not only feed their community, but provide a needed resource for other communities. This could not only help the environment, but also help to feed people that don’t have enough food. This is something that needs to be taken into consideration when making the decision on whether or not you would approve to legalize marijuana. “Hemp does well in rotation with other crops, and if fertilizer is supplied then it can be grown for at least 50 years on the same soil with no drop in yield.” (Staff 2011) This helps the farmer to be able to use their land year around and have a profitable crop. The benefits definitely are there using hemp in other areas of production. With all uses that hemp has, it could possibly help save the planet. We would not be using up resources that cannot be replaced, trees would be saved. It seems like it would be a winning situation all the way around. “It is time to replace the wasteful, punitive, ineffective marijuana laws with a system to regulate and control marijuana for adults along the lines of how we regulate alcohol and cigarettes.” (Woods 2011) If we do this we are able to tax it and help provide some much needed revenue to our state and country. Why are people so afraid of legalizing marijuana' It is the fear of the unknown. The public has been brought up with the mindset that marijuana is a bad drug, and that it is addictive. What they don’t realize is that alcohol and cigarettes are more addictive than marijuana. If the public has understanding of the benefits of it, then they are more likely to be more receptive to the idea of legalizing it. If you watch the news on a daily basis you really don’t hear about people committing crimes because of marijuana. You hear more about crimes that are committed due to the harder drugs such as heroin, meth. Legalizing marijuana is going to be a topic that doesn’t go away. Even if voters don’t pass it on its initial placement on the ballot, it will be revised and voters will get to vote again. I do see it being legalized, and the government seeing that by legalizing it they will be providing many benefits to the people. It seems that by educating the public on the benefits of legalizing marijuana could help change a lot of people’s minds. With education comes understanding. We live in a society that thinks if something is illegal then it must be bad. That is not always the case. In the above I have provided several arguments on why marijuana should be legalized. It can help alleviate some of the financial burden that has been put on our country in this recession. It will help alleviate the crowding in courtrooms as well as in jails. It also has great manufacturing properties in producing paper and other materials. References Cafferty, J (2009). Commentary: War on drugs is insane. Retrieved October 31, 2011 from: http://articles.cnn.com/2009-03-31/politics/cafferty.legal.drugs_1_drug-trial-cartel-drug Hitchens, C. (2007) The Problem: Legalize it. Foreign Policy, (160), 41-42. Retrieved October 24, 2011, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 1276904681) Messerli, J. (2011) Should Marijuana be Legalized under any Circumstances. Retrieved October 17, 2011 from Balanced Politics: http://balancedpolitics.org/marijuana_legalization.htm Staff (2011). Can Hemp Save the Planet' Retrieved October 31, 2011 from: http://www.ukcia.org/industrial Ward, S. (2010) Up In Smoke. ABA Journal, 96(12), 50-55, 64. Retrieved October 24, 2011 from: ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 2211092211). Woods II, W. (2011) Marijuana Movement stirs again in State, Nation. San Gabriel Valley Tribune. Retrieved October 24, 2011, from ProQuest Newstand. (Document ID: 2389612161).