Marijuana: Recreational Drug Use and Cannabis
"The Truth About Cannabis"
Is marijuana as bad as society makes it out to be? Since the 1930's marijuana has been illegal in the United States. That being said it's somehow America's number one cash crop. Users of the drug aren't the only ones who support cannabis; many of us who do not indulge are pro-legalization because we see that prohibition does more harm than good.
The legalization of marijuana would help get the economy going again. Despite great efforts by the federal government against marijuana, it has become a large part of the national economy. Imagine if we were to legalize and tax it, the government would make tons of profit and we could start paying off this $16trillion national debt. Not to mention it would create tons of jobs and people in prison for marijuana crimes would be released. In a country with only 5% of the earth's population, the United States holds 25% of the world's prisoners ("Marijuana Prison Statistics"). A significant amount of those criminals are in there for drug related crimes.
The war on drugs is a complete failure. It's done nothing but waste tax payer dollars, fill prisons with non violent criminals, and create a black market. The main reason cannabis remains illegal is because lobbyists are making tons of money off of prohibition. For example, Pharmaceutical companies lobby against cannabis because at a lower price, there are so many drugs (painkillers, sleep medication) it could replace. Another group that benefits greatly from prohibition are the drug cartels. Legalize marijuana and you cut a huge percent of their profits, army strength, and political power. Otherwise they're going to do whatever they can to save the marijuana black market.
You could argue that marijuana is physically unhealthy for you and that's why it's illegal. But then you'd have to explain why alcohol and tobacco are legal because those substances are way more harmful than cannabis. 79,000 people a year die from alcohol poisoning, while zero
Is marijuana as bad as society makes it out to be? Since the 1930's marijuana has been illegal in the United States. That being said it's somehow America's number one cash crop. Users of the drug aren't the only ones who support cannabis; many of us who do not indulge are pro-legalization because we see that prohibition does more harm than good.
The legalization of marijuana would help get the economy going again. Despite great efforts by the federal government against marijuana, it has become a large part of the national economy. Imagine if we were to legalize and tax it, the government would make tons of profit and we could start paying off this $16trillion national debt. Not to mention it would create tons of jobs and people in prison for marijuana crimes would be released. In a country with only 5% of the earth's population, the United States holds 25% of the world's prisoners ("Marijuana Prison Statistics"). A significant amount of those criminals are in there for drug related crimes.
The war on drugs is a complete failure. It's done nothing but waste tax payer dollars, fill prisons with non violent criminals, and create a black market. The main reason cannabis remains illegal is because lobbyists are making tons of money off of prohibition. For example, Pharmaceutical companies lobby against cannabis because at a lower price, there are so many drugs (painkillers, sleep medication) it could replace. Another group that benefits greatly from prohibition are the drug cartels. Legalize marijuana and you cut a huge percent of their profits, army strength, and political power. Otherwise they're going to do whatever they can to save the marijuana black market.
You could argue that marijuana is physically unhealthy for you and that's why it's illegal. But then you'd have to explain why alcohol and tobacco are legal because those substances are way more harmful than cannabis. 79,000 people a year die from alcohol poisoning, while zero