Livin' in a Green World

Marijuana has been a hot topic since even before the infamous 60s and 70s era, when fear of the foreign drug was diminished and use became more lenient. Nowadays, however, it seems as though our prisons are being filled with people who wish to be relieved of their everyday stresses. When considering legalizing marijuana, there are many economic, health, and social issues we must analyze. According to About.com: Economics, http://economics.about.com/od/incometaxestaxcuts/a/marijuana.htm, legalizing marijuana would be almost nothing but beneficial and provide a way to solve many of the issues that we find in our society. Prisons would empty, our taxes would be spent toward more legitimate, worthwhile causes than keeping users held up, and marijuana would be taxed and controlled. Many argue that alcohol and tobacco are ten times more harmful than marijuana and that it should be a case for legalization. On the other hand, an article by Shaeffer Bannigan on the Daily Nexus, http://www.dailynexus.com/article.php?a=18822, says that legalizing marijuana would not solve the war on drugs and tobacco companies would abuse the legality to make the product more harmful. According to these critics, the cost is far worse than the potential monetary benefits.

As far as my opinion goes, I don’t think that legalization would work in the grand scheme of things. It seems like a good idea, but it ends there. I do agree that it is hypocritical that marijuana isn’t legal while substances such as alcohol and tobacco obviously cause more immediate dangers to a person’s health and the safety of others. I do not believe that it is a harmful substance, neither that people should be locked away in jails and prisons for choosing to be involved with the drug. Money is the main issue though, the amount of money spent to hold these “criminals”, could be spent elsewhere and toward more productive causes. Although I am for the legalization for a variety of reasons, I am hesitant as well. I feel as though if marijuana were legalized, the harmlessness of the drug would be diminished and businesses would create ways to make sure the product was more addictive than it is. It’s a topic that hasn’t been resolved for decades to come, and I would be surprised to see it come full circle in the next few as well, although I am hopeful.