Overall Benefits Of Legalizing Marijuana

Do the overall benefits of Marijuana Justify its legality?
When we were just little kids, our parents and teachers told us that drugs were the devil and that we should never even consider taking them. Marijuana was always on that list of “bad” drugs , while we were told that pharmaceutical drugs can help us if we were sick. Marijuana is classified as a schedule 1 substance in the same category as deadly drugs like heroin and MDMA, while addictive pain-killers , anxiety medications (which are far too often abused) , and even methamphetamine are all considered “safer” and less of a crime than marijuana consumption/possession. It is socially and legally acceptable to consume alcohol and cigarettes(both of which kill millions of people each year)
, but why isn’t it okay to smoke pot? After all, more research is constantly surfacing that is debunking the popular myths and negative claims made on marijuana consumption while new discoveries are being made on its remarkable medicinal and therapeutic properties. Not to mention, marijuana comes straight off of the plant and doesn’t have to be chemically altered to release its medicinal properties. When it comes down to the facts, marijuana simply doesn’t deserve its bad reputation and could significantly benefit our nation's economy, those needing medical treatment, or just those people that want to enjoy it recreationally, just like millions do with alcohol. In 1937, the prohibition of marijuana began and its medical and recreational use was completely banned. It wasn’t until 1996 when California became the first state to bring marijuana back as a medicine. Currently, twenty six states have some form of legalization laws. Although recreational pot usage remains controversial, many experts have changed their minds and agree that marijuana should be legal for medicinal purposes.While overconsumption can lead to dependency and can also interfere with the memory and emotions of the user, research on the medical benefits of pot have found it to: treat Glaucoma, reverse the carcinogenic effects of tobacco smoke while increasing lung capacity, treat epileptic seizures, stop the growth of cancer cells, decrease anxiety, slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease, reduce the pain associated with chemotherapy while stimulating appetite, and the list continues on(Health Benefits of Marijuana, business insider.com). Many people even view cannabis as a “miracle plant” as the positive therapeutic and health effects soar over any of the debatable “negative effects”. In many of cases, patients with medical conditions report that marijuana is much more effective and helpful of a medicine than any of the damaging and addictive prescription drugs they were given. Too much of anything in life is probably a bad thing, and marijuana is no exception; but in terms of facts and compared to other commonly prescribed drugs, marijuana is a relatively safe and low-risk drug and deserves a much better reputation in society. No matter what your stance is on marijuana legalization, it can’t be argued that it’s legalization would drastically improve the American economy.
Colorado was the first state to legalize pot back in 2012 and has seen some incredible numbers in terms of tax revenue. Last year, Colorado has collected over $200 million in taxes from marijuana sales alone, while a large portion of that tax money goes directly to school construction projects. Employment in the state also saw a rather helpful boost as 18,000 new jobs were opened up (Marijuana Industry Creating New Employment Opportunities, businessinsider.com). Each year, the rate at which people are buying pot is increasing, due to its growing acceptance in society. While many states are still strictly stood on continued prohibition, they are missing out on heaps of tax dollars that would drastically benefit themselves. There are currently seven other states that have decided to follow in Colorado's footsteps in legalizing marijuana for recreational use, which include : California, Maine, Alaska, Washington, Nevada, Massachusetts, Oregon, and surprisingly enough, the District of Columbia (State Marijuana laws in 2017, governing.com). While many people moved to Colorado after legalization, property values skyrocketed which wasn’t all that fair to the locals who had been living in the state their whole lives. As other states have joined Colorado in its termination of weed prohibition, this issue has become less of a concern
and everything seems to be leveling out. States that are deciding to legalize pot are saving all the money they would otherwise be spending on enforcing its ban and jailing citizens for marijuana related crimes and are taking the money directly from the underground drug market and into their pockets. Marijuana legalization has been a huge win for Colorado and the citizens who are thrilled to smoke legal pot, while new states every year are wanting in on this cash magnet of a plant. Now, what if I told you that alcohol was the most dangerous drug in the world?
According to studies done by British experts, this is a true statement (Alcohol ranked most harmful drug, cbc.ca.com) Yes, the drug that so many Americans celebrate is considered more dangerous than cocaine, heroin, and undoubtedly, marijuana. Obviously, it would be safer to take a few shots of whiskey than to shoot up some heroin, but many people don’t even realize just how much of the chaos in this world is caused by those under the influence of alcohol. These researchers analyzed a number of factors including alcohol’s effect on the body, environmental damage caused by the drug, its damage on families and relationships, its economic impact (such as healthcare and prison care), and the amount of direct and indirect deaths caused by alcohol. The idea of drinking is so deeply embedded into our society that it will most likely never go away. Despite the fact that alcohol leads people to make poor decisions, is terrible for the human body and brain, makes the roads a risky place to drive, is very addictive, and can even split up families in some cases, the same people that enjoy getting drunk will say that marijuana is a dangerous drug. That is simply preposterous. The dangers and risks associated with alcohol consumption is so far greater than those associated with marijuana. While some like to claim that marijuana is a gateway drug, which in some cases is true, a lot of the time people who are
prone to “drug taking” usually run to what is readily available which includes weed, alcohol, and nicotine. Whatever it may be , marijuana still isn’t going to cause someone to be more likely to take new substances. If there was an enemy to identify here, it would not be pot; it would most definitely be alcohol.

There's just something wrong about the fact that Americans who live in the “home of the free” cannot choose to consume a natural and safe plant , but can drink all the glorious alcohol they want. It just doesn’t make any sense and it should most certainly be every American’s right to consume and grow marijuana. It is seriously time for people to wake up and stop believing what they have always believed and just accept true facts. Marijuana is popping out of its coffin and government legislatures need to stop fighting it. Not only is it a plant that everyone should have a right to, but there are still people out there that are in desperate need of its health benefits but cannot obtain it due to its illegality. Hopefully someday in the near future, the war on marijuana will be over so everyone can get the treatment they deserve, so this nation can become wealthier, and so that every citizen will have the right to mother nature's gift of a plant.