To legalize or not to legalize

In terms of the argument in favor of legalizing marijuana, the following points have been made. The history of prohibiting this drug has failed to control its usage, production and sales of such thing. The arrests that take place over marijuana possession has resulted in ridiculously expensive taxes among the people; when if we just eliminated those people from our prisons the taxes would go down significantly, and the government and American people would save money, and our justice system would be come a great deal more efficient. Also, if a legal market in marijuana was passed, then the sales and usage (especially among teenagers) could be regulated and ultimately reduced because of the rebellious appeal is taken away, and the government can control the distribution more closely. If Marijuana was legalized it would reduce the transactions that take place between international gangs. The fact of the matter is, weed is not a lethal drug. Studies have proven that it is actually significantly less dangerous compared to alcohol, and the drug is not toxic. It is unlikely for a user to overdose as well as become addicted, especially when comparing it to alcohol or tobacco or other drugs. Most importantly, Marijuana has a great deal of medical value. It allows for pain relief, nausea relief (just to name a few). For many people who have not seen results from their conventional medications, the recreational use of marijuana has had great feedback. What is useful in using this drug for treatment is the fact that there really is a low chance for any kind of dependence, and the side effects are more than manageable. This is considered to be a “low risk” drug.

Contrary, the reasons that back up the argument that marijuana should not me legalized include: The fact that the American government knows little about this drug, and it could take up to years before scientists are able to attain all the information of this drug (which is considered to be a complex structure) in order to really know the true medical value. Also, if marijuana were legalized it is likely that the distribution and usage would be abused. There is also the argument that just because marijuana is safer than alcohol, does that mean it should necessarily be legalized. To back this up, examples such as: would you want your pilot to be flying your plane after smoking, or your cab driver etc. Finally, this drug may not be incredibly dangerous, but its reputation for being the “gateway” drug is in fact a danger to individuals smoking it and their families and our society as a whole.

I think it is somewhat simple, based on the increasing prices of our nation’s prisons, and the unnecessary costs that are being spent by the American government; the system that is set in place now is flawed. Too much money is being spent on something that could be better controlled, and have the ultimate goal achieved of reducing drug consumption and distribution. And lastly, if there have been studies that have proven the medical benefits of this drug, a person’s health should become priority, regardless of what the treatment intakes.