Traffic: Should Marijuana be Legalized?

Legalization of Marijuana is currently a heavily debated issue. Both sides have legit, reasonable arguments against the other.

From a standpoint of someone against legalization, the main issue is safety. The use of marijuana impairs the mind the same way any other drug or alcohol do. An individual with an impaired mind may jeopardize the life of him or herself and/or others. Another issue is health. This is another highly debated issue in itself, but some believe that marijuana truly does affect one’s health in a more damaging way that alcohol. Advocates for prohibition also claim that drugs disrupt the social order, and influence crime and terrorism. Lastly, this side of the argument claims that marijuana is a “gateway drug,” leading to far more dangerous substances such as heroin, cocaine, and meth.

On the other side of this argument, many support the end of the prohibition and want to see the legalization of drugs (mostly marijuana) within the next few years. Although the use of drugs impairs the mind, it is no worse than alcohol. Some even argue that alcohol inebriation is worse than marijuana high when it comes to being safe. On the issue of health, advocates for legalization argue that there are little to no health risks involved with using marijuana. The health risks stressed by the government are exaggerated, they say. The alcohol prohibition in the 20s is what caused the rise of crime and gangs in major cities. Marijuana legalization advocates use this to argue that an end to the prohibition of drugs will lessen crime. A lot of people don’t believe that prohibition works, and that it costs more money than it’s worth.

I personally believe that marijuana should be legalized. Prohibition obviously did not work before, so why does the government think it will work now?