Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - Legal Issues Why Marijuana Why Marijuana Why marijuana? Why legalize marijuana for recreational use? I think the question we should ask ourselves is “why not”? Are there any benefits? Again, the focus is misplaced. The question should be how do the benefits of decriminalizing marijuana far outweigh the negative aspects. Why was marijuana made illegal in the first place? Marijuana is certainly not illegal due to health concerns, because if that were the case alcohol and tabacco would be illegal as well. The fact is Americans demand the freedom to choose. Freedom of choice is one of the basic principles this country was founded on. If that freedom of choice is the right to choose to indulge in vices that may be detrimental to one’s health, whether it be alcohol, tabacco or marijuana, than that must be a decision that we as Americans are able to make for ourselves. Why is the third most popular drug in the U.S., behind alcohol and tobacco, the only one of the three still illegal? It’s because most of the public is blind to the benefits marijuana’s decriminalization would bring. This narrow minded way of thinking is similar to the kind of paranoia that caused it’s prohibition in 1937. Although legalizing the use of marijuana for recreational purposes would call for a greater sense of responsibility, it’s positive effects would have a profound impact on this nation. One of the largest and most costly problems concerned with this issue is overcrowded prisons. I think Nick Hexum illustrates it best when he sings, “The war on drugs may be well intentioned-but it falls…flat when you stop and mention-the Quinn 2 overcrowded prisons where a rapist gets paroled-to make room for a…[guy] who has sold-a pound of weed-to me that’s a crime” Although these are lyrics to a song, the words give you a distinct idea of the kind of unfair laws that are being imposed upon us. Jackson argues that these tough anti-drug laws actually benefit the dealer as an ally, even a business partner, because they represent the entire reason the illegal drug trade exists (Jackson). One example of these outrageous laws, occurred in 1997 when medical marijuana user, William Foster of Oklahoma, was sentenced to 93 years in jail for growing 10 medium sized marijuana plants and 56 clones(cuttings from another plant planted in soil). (Stroup) Imagine if you were sentenced to life in prison for brewing your own beer. Is life in prison for growing marijuana any less ridiculous? And in addition to that, it was beneficial to his health! So while taxpayers spend $25,000 a year to jail an otherwise law abiding marijuana smoker, that spot could be used for a criminal who has committed more heinous, violent crimes against others, and not just harmful to themselves. Many may argue that legalizing marijuana will introduce new users, who may otherwise not have tried the drug. While few may start smoking, it will more likely be people who have already experimented with marijuana who will become free to use it. Do you think that if heroin were made legal tomorrow, people would go out and try it? Also, it seems that some of the people who already use marijuana do so because of the “forbidden fruit affect” (Gazzaniga). Which is, because marijuana is illegal it is more attractive. Furthermore, legalization will allow for government regulation, which will control potency, availability, and age limits. It also will control sale, and boost the Quinn 3 economy. Marijuana will be similar to alcohol in the sense that it will only be legal to use in specific areas, and you would not be able to operate motor vehicles under the influence. By controlling it’s distribution and production the federal government, and private industries will be making marijuana safer, and at the same time eliminating the crime element of drug cartels. Millions of dollars will be saved on law enforcement especially narcotics agencies. It will give them the ability to focus on more dangerous drugs. I am not advocating marijuana as a health friendly substance, although it has far more medicinal uses than alcohol and tobacco and is far less harmful than cocaine, heroin, and just about every other illegal drug. That is really not the most important issue concerned with this debate. An American’s freedom to decide whether to smoke a marijuana cigarette, or drink a beer to relax in the privacy of their own home is vital. When the government begins to infringe on those unalienable rights, what is in the way of stopping them from continuing to cross further boundaries? All the evidence points to marijuana as equal in stature as alcohol and tobacco, and yet we continue to consider it in a totally different category, probably because it has been illegal for so long, and probably because the government wants us to see it in this way. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?” Well, what if it has been broken so long that no one knows the difference, and they don’t want to make a change and do something about it? That seems to be the attitude toward marijuana prohibition. The “reefer madness” propaganda campaigns that were compared to witch hunts; produced little evidence and pointed fingers toward the scapegoat of marijuana. This lead Quinn 4 to the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, based on loose, unproven theories and lies. A law based on a lie should not be a law at all. Didn’t they learn anything from the 1920’s? Alcohol prohibition was a failed experiment, and yet drugs being illegal have created an equally dangerous environment. Drug trafficking, production, and sales contribute considerately to the level of crime in this country and the world. Let’s take these genuine criminals out of the loop, by decriminalizing marijuana. Putting it in the hands of the government will make this country a safer place to live. We will take on another responsibility similar to alcohol and tabacco, while reaping the numerous benefits. Quinn 5 Gazzaniga, Michael S. “An Interview With Michael Gazzaniga” The National Review Accessed March 4, 2001 http:members.dencity.com/warmth/ Hexum, Nicholas “Grassroots” 311, 1994 Capricorn Records Jackson, Ted. “Today, in Another Drug-Related…” www.intellectualcapital.com, accessed March 7, 2001. Stroup, R. Keith Esq. Testimony before the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources Committee on Government Reform U.S. House of Representatives, July 13, 1999 http://www.norml.org/recreational/testimony99.shtml Bibliography: Quinn 5 Gazzaniga, Michael S. “An Interview With Michael Gazzaniga” The National Review Accessed March 4, 2001 http:members.dencity.com/warmth/ Hexum, Nicholas “Grassroots” 311, 1994 Capricorn Records Jackson, Ted. “Today, in Another Drug-Related…” www.intellectualcapital.com, accessed March 7, 2001. Stroup, R. Keith Esq. Testimony before the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources Committee on Government Reform U.S. House of Representatives, July 13, 1999 http://www.norml.org/recreational/testimony99.shtml Word Count: 1058
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