ul diseases, in which medical officials agree that medicinal marijuana would help these people out, have to do without this treatment because the government thinks that it is bad to smoke marijuana. So, I propose that we legalize marijuana and end this prohibition. Look at how much better the country ran after the ending of the alcohol prohibition, crime dropped, as well as murders and other horrific acts of violence from man to fellow man. Also, the prison population, which is filled with inmates charged with minor possession or selling charges, would be opened up to the criminals who really deserve to be there. I would much rather have a pot smoker walking down the street next to me than a murderer who was given a lighter sentence due to prison overcrowding. I read a quote for Abraham Lincoln recently, and it read, "Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance. ...for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded." Granted, there will still be a select few who will take advantage of this if it were to be made into a law, but I feel that it is a risk worth taking. With legalization, crime will drop so greatly that a few criminals will not affect as many people as would if this prohibition still stood. So take a second and picture the country with legalization, less crime, more forests, more jobs for farmers, more income for states, medicine for the sick, cheaper clothing and fabrics, and many more practical uses of hemp that the country would benefit from if legalization were to take place, I would be satisfied.Works CitedPeterson, Dave. Hemp Legalization 16 Nov. 2001 *http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Rapids/2098/Hemp/*.Poholek, Catherine H. Prohibition in the 1920's 15 Nov. 2001 *http://www.geocities.com/athen...
