Why Marijuana Should Be Legalized In The US

Name: Professor’s Name: Course: Date: Why Marijuana should be legalized Marijuana or weed as some call it is a drug which has been debated and talked about in the mainstream media for a long time now. Apparently, a majority of Americans are ready to get rid of the drug laws that illegalized marijuana in the first place. Initially, marijuana was thought of as a bad and highly addictive drug, and while it is still regarded as such in some countries, in the US, public opinion has shifted. Several states in the country have decided to pass laws which legalize marijuana but only for recreational purposes. More people are starting to change their minds over the issue of marijuana, and it is highly likely that other states will also follow suit. As he was campaigning, President Trump had been a staunch supporter of the notion that states should develop their own rules concerning weed. However, the narrative seems to have changed especially if one considers the words of the attorney general, Jeff Sessions who reversed some rules instituted during the Obama administration which mainly limited the hand of the federal government in the prosecution of marijuana sellers, growers, and users. However, despite this move, the US is indeed turning into a country that embraces the growth and use of marijuana. While it might still be widely regarded as illegal and harmful, marijuana legalization has several advantages including more revenue for the government, it is also safer than other legalized drugs, promises a relatively low risk of abuse, better sleep, and breakthroughs especially due to its proven medicinal advantages. Aside from the above, it is essential to note that banning it is more expensive and that the marijuana laws only help to impede any genuine criminal justice objectives. Legalizing a product in any country simply means that the product is recognized as a commodity that should be regulated and taxed. Therefore, legalizing marijuana only helps to make it a taxable commodity which means it will be taxed and therefore, earn the country more revenue. One truth the government needs to come to terms with is that the marijuana market is not and is never going away. However, as Belville (2016) advises, the government “can only determine who controls most of it – taxpaying, job-creating, law-abiding businesses, or murderous, police-corrupting, criminal cartels.” Instead of gaining from marijuana, states which currently prohibit marijuana spend millions of dollars trying to rid its streets off it. While these states are spending millions fighting it, others are gaining in tax revenue. Belville (2016) notes that as per the writing of his article, “The four states that have legalized marijuana have already reaped over $200 million tax revenue while saving money in the police department, courts, prisons, parole and probation offices, and other agencies that are burdened by pot prosecutions.” Therefore, monetarily, it does make sense to pass laws legalizing marijuana. Secondly, marijuana should be legalized because compared to other so-called legalized drugs, it is safer and promises a low risk of abuse. Apparently, is less harmful to the user and others compared to the harm posed by both tobacco and alcohol. These two are legalized in a majority if not all the countries in the world. However, they apparently lead to more harm than marijuana ever could (Nutt, King, Phillips, 2010). For marijuana, the negative stigma often associated with it has indeed shaped the narrative surrounding it and hence the widely accepted notion that it is more harmful and promises a higher risk of abuse. However, according to Dr. Sanjay Gupta (2013), marijuana is less addictive compared to other drugs. Compared to other drugs, marijuana “leads to dependence in around 9-10 percent of adult users. Cocaine hooks about 20 percent of its users and heroin gets 25 percent of its users addicted. The worst culprit is tobacco, with 30 percent of its users becoming addicted” (Jacques, 2017). Therefore, the government needs to reconsider its stand on the issue of marijuana and rethink its laws. The negative rhetoric about marijuana needs to be dealt with, and the government needs to rethink its stand on the matter, The third reason why marijuana needs to be legalized is that prohibiting it is more expensive than the go...