Legalizing Marijuana
"In any civilized society, it is every citizen 's responsibility to obey just laws. But at the same time, it is every citizen 's responsibility to disobey unjust laws." Martin Luther King Jr. Many people ask “why should marijuana be legalized”? when the real question that we should be asking is “why shouldn’t marijuana be legalized”?. Marijuana also known as hemp is a naturally grown plant that has been around for decades dating back to around 2697 B.C., when the Egyptians would use it to cure many common ailments, and the Chinese would use it for therapeutics. Using marijuana not only to cure common illnesses but for your pleasure as well should be up to you the free citizens of California and not to the government. The first major reason why marijuana should be legalized is because the cost to keep it illegal is too expensive. Another major reason why it should be legal is because the hemp plant is a valuable natural resource. Legalizing marijuana would eliminate the confusion surrounding hemp and allow us to take advantage of hemp 's agricultural and industrial uses. Thirdly the punishment for possessing or intent to sale marijuana shows no hard evidence of stopping dealers from dealing, buyers from buying, or even users from using. Last but not least the use of marijuana should be legalized because individuals deserve the right to decide whether or not they should or want to use marijuana. We are all granted life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and if using marijuana is what makes people happy then we should have the right to use as we please. In the United States, all levels of government being federal, state, and even the local authorities participate in the "War on Drugs." We are currently spending billions and billions of dollars every single year to chase and punish people who happen to like to use marijuana because they enjoy effects from smoking the plant. These people get locked up in prison and the taxpayers have to foot the bill. We not only
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