Legalization of Marijuana:

For centuries, the use of the plant Cannabis sativa L, commonly known as marijuana, has been deeply entrained in the roots of cultures around the world. Records of the plants use date all the way back to 2737 B.C where references to its use were made by the Chinese emperor Sheng Nung, who recommended the smoking of cannabis for a variety of purposes, including the curing of constipation, malaria and gout. As knowledge of the plant began to spread around the world, many other cultures adopted the plants use and relied on it for medicine. The Hindu culture in India actually adopted the drugs mood altering powers for religious purposes. In addition, the stalk of the plant, known as hemp, was at one time a staple for making rope and clothing, even in colonial America. (Saferstein, 2000). Unfortunately, despite its obvious benefits, the plant and its users developed a negative stereotype and, in 1937, the use of cannabis was prohibited in the United States. As of today, the use of marijuana is severely and often wrongly frowned upon. Marijuana is wrongly classified with other, much more serious drugs such as heroin, and possession of the leaves of the plant can earn a hefty fine or even jail time. When looking at the benefits of legalization, and the truth about marijuana, the fact that the drug is still illegal is a source of amazement.

Of all the arguments made for the legalization of marijuana, perhaps the most common argument is for the medicinal benefits of the plant. Although medicinal marijuana use has been legalized in some states, it is still largely illegal in the U.S. Unfortunately, this means that most of the country is missing out on the plant's medicinal benefits. The plant's ability to relieve nausea and increase appetite has made it very beneficial for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. In addition, research conducted by the National Eye Institute, has found that cannabis when smoked or taken orally is an effective cure for some forms of glaucoma, an eye disease caused by increased pressure on the optic nerve. According to the research, marijuana use has been known to help relieve the pressure, effectively curing the disease. ("Glaucoma and Marijuana,"2005) Unfortunately, the illegal nature of the plant has made further research very difficult. In addition to the relatively modern applications of medical marijuana use, its two-century-old use as a pain reliever cannot be ignored. Marijuana is an extremely effective pain killer, and due to its non-addictive properties, can be used without the fear of with-drawl symptoms or addiction. Unfortunately this is not true for many of the opiate-based prescription painkillers that are currently used, such as codeine or vicodin.

Along with the obvious health benefits of medical marijuana use, the lack of negative health effects is also a solid point in arguing its legalization. Although prolonged smoking of marijuana can cause respiratory problems similar to, but less severe than cigarettes, there are no short term negative health effects. Unlike many other drugs with the same classification and alcohol, marijuana is not physically addictive, meaning that heavy users can stop without going through withdrawal. In addition, no one in recorded history has ever overdosed from smoking or ingesting too much marijuana. Unfortunately this is not true for alcohol, and even over the counter drugs such as aspirin. According to the American Medical Association, the over consumption of alcohol accounts for roughly 85000 deaths in the U.S every year, while the over use of anti inflammatory agents such as aspirin accounts for roughly 7600 deaths. Meanwhile marijuana use doesn't account for any. ("Actual Causes of Death," 2000). This goes to show that marijuana is much safer than other substances that people regularly use, however none of these substances have the same negative stereotype that marijuana does.

The negative stereotype of marijuana and its users, has obviously contributed to the illegal nature of the plant. From a young age most children are taught that marijuana is bad. People learn that marijuana is a "gateway drug," and that its use will lead to other more serious drug use. In addition, much of society views marijuana users as dirty, apathetic, lazy and even sinful people. Although this stereotype is true in regards to some users, there are plenty of hard working, successful, and clean marijuana users. As a matter of fact, our president Barack Obama has admitted to smoking marijuana in high school, as did President Bill Clinton along with an array of other democratic senators. ("Obama admits smoking-decriminalize," 2008). Although it would be impossible to argue that some marijuana users haven't ruined their lives, due to their usage of the plant, a lot more people have ruined their lives with alcohol. However, as long as both substances are used with moderation, a person should still be able to function, as the majority of users have.

Although many points for legalization are health related, the financial and economic benefits of legalization cannot be ignored. It is unarguable that legalizing marijuana would be financially beneficial for the nation. Legalizing marijuana will allow the government to put a high tax on the sale of the plant, similar to tobacco products. With the estimated 43 million citizens who regularly use marijuana, the government has the potential to make billions of dollars in additional revenue every year. With the current status of the United States economy, billions of dollars a year would do nothing but good. In addition, the government sale of marijuana would create hundreds of thousands of additional jobs around the nation, from marketing, to management and even cultivation of the plant. At the moment marijuana is the second largest cash crop in the United States second only to corn. The growth of the plant would greatly help the ailing farm industry, while cutting into the shocking level of unemployment sweeping the nation.

In addition to creating additional revenue, the legalization of marijuana would save the government billions of dollars in spending every year. As of 2000, the government spent an estimated 40 million dollars on the "war on drugs" every year. Due to the large amount of marijuana users, a substantial portion of this budget goes to fighting marijuana use. If marijuana were legal, this annual 40 million would definitely be a lot lower. However, the war on drugs isn't the only source of anti marijuana spending. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, there are currently over 44,000 inmates incarcerated due to marijuana related offenses. This results in an estimated one billion dollars a year just for keeping these prisoners, whose only crime was the possession or sale of the leaves of a plant. This is obviously a huge waste of revenue, not to mention extremely unfair for those inmates.

In addition to the amount of money spent on fighting marijuana use, the amount of time is also quite ridiculous. The U.S departments of justice statistics show that in 2005, roughly 800,000 Americans were arrested for marijuana related offenses, which averages out to over 2,000 a day and 90 an hour. The most astronomical part of all of these numbers however, is that they do not even include the hundreds of Americans who are ticketed for possession but not arrested. This goes to show what our law enforcement agencies are busy doing. Many agencies, especially in smaller towns do not have enough officers already, how are law enforcement officers going to do they're job of keeping the citizens of the United States safe, if their too busy issuing tickets, and making arrests for the possession of a plant. The answer is there not, at least not to the best of their abilities. Homicide, assault and other violent crime are on the rise as well as rape and other sexual crimes. Law enforcement should be devoting much more of their resources towards fighting these crimes, instead of marijuana use. If marijuana were legal this would be the case.

Legalization of marijuana would undoubtedly have many positive effects on the nation. From lowering taxes, and allowing the government to spend revenue on other, more important problems, to the positive benefits of medicinal marijuana use, legalization would definitely change the nation. It is definitely time that the government realized this. The stereotypical "bad" marijuana user is nothing but a stereotype. Although some users may not be the best people, this is true for everything, even politicians. However, there are many good, hard working responsible marijuana users in the country. When looking at all of these reasons for legalization, it is shocking that alcohol and cigarettes are both legal, yet a substance that is not as bad as either of them is illegal, and its users are considered "stoners" and "pot heads." Citizens of the United States should have the right to engage in responsible marijuana use or cultivation, be it for medical purposes, additional income or just plain fun.

Sources:

Actual Causes of Death in the United States. (2000). Journal of the American Medical Association (vol.291, pp. 1238-1241). Academic Search Premier.

Drug Arrests and Seizures. (2008). December 2008, U.S Bureau of Justice Statistics. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs.

Glaucoma and Marijuana. (2005). December 2008, National Eye Institute. http://www.nei.nih.gov/news/statements/marij.asp.

Barack Obama admits smoking marijuana...and inhaling-Decriminalize. (2008)

Saferstein, Richard. Drugs. Criminalistics. (Pp.254-257) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice.