A Modest Proposal for Marijuana

Each year the United States government documents drug related deaths in our country, breaking the deaths down into categories of cause. These categories include tobacco, alcohol, prescription medications, illegal drug, and of course marijuana related deaths. Every year the number of deaths coming from marijuana is equivalent to zero. So why is there even controversy over the issue of legalization? Obviously, there are still some people out there who believe the drug is a topic for concern in our nation. In recent years, there has been tremendous progress being made in the field of medicine. University hospitals around the country have been proving again and again that the drug poses no threat to human health and well being, even among patients who have used marijuana excessively. Recreational use of the drug marijuana will most likely continue until the end of humankind. Because of this, legalization of marijuana should be instated to prevent illegal trade of the drug and to shut down the black market. Many people are proposing the legal trade of marijuana in our country. To allow for this, some individuals argue to tax the sale of the drug just like alcohol and tobacco. State governments in the United States are beginning to push for legalization and the decriminalization of the drug. It is possible that after years of debate, many people are beginning to see the light and understand that marijuana poses no negative effects on the body, only positive effects when the drug is used safely for both recreational and medicinal purposes. These positive effects come in the form of treating many illnesses such as arthritis, simple aches and pains, nervosa, relief for chemotherapy patients, migraine headaches, asthma, glaucoma, epilepsy, and eating disorders. (http://www.skunked.co.uk/articles/medicinal-marijuana.htm)
According to a UCLA study conducted in 1997, marijuana carries with it no real potential to increase the possibilities of lung cancer, nor does