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Look to your left; now look to your right. Did you look?  Of all

the people you just looked at, approximately half of them have

smoked marijuana in their lives.  Approximately a quarter of them

smoke on a regular basis, according to athealth.com.  

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Considering everyone reading this article is in college, I’m not

going to waste my time explaining the effects or other details

about marijuana; I’m pretty sure you already know.  I’m here to

discuss why it is an illegal drug and why it should be

decriminalized, regulated and sold to the public.  

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There are two main reasons people say marijuana should be

legalized. One, for medical uses; and two, the affects are no

stronger than alcohol and the harm is no worse than tobacco; and,

the economic benefit with millions of dollars the taxes could

possibly raise if legalized.  

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There is no argument against the medical uses of marijuana, the

studies and experiments have been tested time and time again and

prove that the medical benefits of marijuana are significant. 

 

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  One of the main reasons marijuana can be more harmful than

tobacco is because it is not regulated by the government the same

way tobacco is. When you buy tobacco, you know the exact

ingredients in that product and know exactly what you are inhaling

into your body.  

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If the drug was legalized and subject to the same regulations that

tobacco is held to, the harmful effects of the drug would be

minimized. The effects of the drug are no greater than that of

alcohol, and if the same laws about driving under the influence

were enforced, unless you want to ban alcohol, there is no excuse

to ban marijuana. 

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People think this drug is for kids with long hair that wear

tie-dye, but people from soccer moms to high school teachers to

millionaire CEOs use it. This is a widespread drug that could

benefit the entire nation if legalized.

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The exact amount of money that could be raised by taxes can only be

predicted but it’s definitely significant, and any money is better

than no money. Thousands of jobs could be created, and millions of

people could be put to work if marijuana could be legalized; and

jobs are always beneficial.

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Conservatives are always screaming that the government impedes on

American rights or are overstepping their boundaries.  So what

gives them the right to say what we can or cannot put in our

bodies?  

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The laws about driving are for the public’s safety, and I fully

agree with the prosecution of people who drive under the influence,

but why can I not sit at home, roll one up, listen to some Bob

Marley and eat an entire bag of Wavy Lays?