The Legalization Of Marijuana

To weed or not to weed? That is the question. The legalization of marijuana has been the topic of discussion for the past decade. There are those who feel marijuana would put a hold on America in the process of moving forward as a nation; That marijuana has no medicinal value and that it will ruin the minds of its consumers. Opinions state that marijuana is perceived as addictive, linked to narcotics such as heroin, and is bad for the human body; This being why it is illegal. However, marijuana was legal and highly sought after for therapeutic use until the year of 1937. During hearings on marijuana law in the 1930’s, claims were made about marijuana’s ability to cause men of color to become violent and solicit sex from white women. This became
Incarceration facilities use a lot of money to keep operations up to par and also begin to overfill with unnecessary convicts; Meaning, people are labeled as convicts for the possession of marijuana. Statistics from New York Times, shared that in the state of Louisiana, 574,641 people were incarcerated last year due to small possessions of the substance. This about 13.6 percent more than the 505,681 arrests made for all violent crimes, including murder, rape, and serious assaults. If marijuana is legalized that makes more room in prisons for real felonies also giving law enforcement the ability to focus more on serious issues in
No studies can prove marijuana as a harmful substance. One scientist said it would take 42,000 times the amount of THC in one blunt to be hit at one time to possibly harm a human mind. It has still yet to be proven addicting and never in history has anyone ever died or been hospitalized due to consuming marijuana. Alcohol, on the other hand, claims 100,000 lives each year and out of 3.9 million Americans who received treatment for a substance abuse problem in 2005, only 2.5 million of them were treated for alcohol use.
Marijuana is labeled as a gateway drug and shamed upon. Ultimately marijuana is a substance that was banned by white America for racial reasons, not because it was proven harmful. Legalization of marijuana can save and improve the health of over four million people in America. It can also help communities and state budgets with incarceration facilities. If you support alcohol, a substance that takes away from the world, why not support marijuana; A substance that is proven to save millions of lives each year. To weed or not to weed? That is the question. To weed, to save, to support; That is the