The legalization of marijuana has been a hot topic in today's society for a substantial amount of time and covers many aspects. It's important that this harmless substance becomes legalized for a copious amount of reasons. Marijuana being illegal puts thousands of people in prison each year, leads to abuse of more deadly legal substances such as alcohol, and defies what the American people believe should be legal. 

 Marijuana is a substance in which it is impossible to overdose on unlike other legal intoxicants such as alcohol. Even in very large quantities THC, the psychoactive substance in marijuana, cannot be lethal.  In large doses THC can lead to paranoia and hallucinations but still is a much safer alternative to alcohol. Understandably, marijuana is not to be viewed as a harmless substance but statistically it is considered to be a safe substance to use. Alcohol in large quantites is not only much more dangerous but more costly to take payers, yet its legal.  Alcohol abuse each year cost tax payers around 225 billion dollars a year, whether it be addiction or driving under the influence related cost. "In large amounts, alcohol is more dangerous than marijuana. And the cost of alcohol abuse to society is, by some estimates, greater than the cost of all illegal drug abuse combined (CDC; Office of National Drug Control Policy, 1)." Marijuana cost to tax payers is less than that of alcohol, but the cost are only existent because the substance is illegal. Marijuana cost tax payers about 180 billion a year but 150 billion of that cost is from arrest and persecution of sellers and users. If marijuana was to be legalized these cost were drop dramatically and our government would create revenue from taxation on the product.

Taxation of marijuana is a very realistic and legitimate opportunity that could be capitalized upon. In todays United States marijuana is a cost to tax payers because of the prohibition of the product but should be bringing in revenue to our country. Marijuana admittedly is not a harmless substance. Chronic use can lead to server mood change, depression, and memory loss, but is far less dangerous than alcohol. A common fear of the legalization of marijuana is that it will be more obtainable to minors and will lead to a higher percentage of minors using and abusing the substance. Yet, half the reasons teens use marijuana is for the rebellion aspect. If legalization were to occur the rebellion aspect diminishes. David Nathan says it best, America can fix this mess through marijuana legalization. Federal, state and local governments can regulate the cannabis trade as they do with alcohol and tobacco -- monitoring the production process for safety and purity, controlling where it is sold, taxing all aspects of marijuana production and consumption, and redirecting resources from punishment to prevention (Nathan, 2)". Marijuana taxation creates revenue to the government, keeps people out of jail, and has the potential to avoid teens experimenting with the substance. 

When you think about why something is legal or illegal, it seems like a very basic concept. Living in a democratic country, if the majority of people believe something to be legal it should be legal. Renee Jacques wrote a very intriguing article on why marijuana should be legal which mentioned one very upsetting statistic, the percent of the American population that believe it should be legal. In a nationwide serve conducted by Gallop Poll it was found that "58 percent of Americans are in favor allowing the plant to be legal (Jacques, 1)". Democracy has appeared to have failed when accounting for the people's stance on this matter. This astonishing statistic alone gives completely legitimate grounds for legalization. Marijuana became illegal in the early 1900's in the United States not because of its effects on one's health but because the hemp industry was putting paper producers out of business and lobbyist made cannabis illegal to be harvested in order to save major paper manufactures. The prohibition of marijuana is extremely outdated and needs to be changed. It's time to let the people choose what they want to put in their own bodies and not have the government tell them what they can and cannot consume. Marijuana effects everyone differently and has major benefits for those with extreme illnesses. It's time to stop the ignorance and make marijuana legal. 

Central claim/ Evidence:  The central claim of this article is that the majority of today's American population believing marijuana should be legalized that it is time for prohibition to come to an end.  "Gallop Poll released that 58 percent of Americans are in favor allowing the plant to be legal". Currently in our democratic society believing that this substance should be legalized it seems idiotic that our democratic government has allowed childish politics to ignore what their audience desirers. The article continues then to list 8 major reasons why the substance is harmless to prove their point on why prohibition must end. 

Major values/ Interest at stake: The major values behind this article focus on the common misconception on the negative aspects of marijuana. The article uses 8 major to prove their claim being, 40% of the population has admitted to smoking marijuana, that marijuana is a safe substance to use as a seep aid, that marijuana is a safe alternative to already legalized substances, marijuana has very low risk of abuse, very successful people in American culture imitadly use marijuana consistently, and the fact that marijuana has been disproven to be a gateway drug.

Credibility and bias of the author/source: This source proves its credibility by quoiting statics form nationally recognized reliable sources. All sources are independent scientific research institutions. The article is clearly bias and supporting legalization but is still to be considered credible because of the very valid and non-bias sources in which are cited.

Central claim/ Evidence: The central claim of this article is that if marijuana would be to come legal and replace the commonly use intoxicant of alcohol that this would improve the overall health of American adults. One statistical piece of evidence the article uses to prove their claim is the fact that alcohol abuse has a larger fiscal penalty on society than that of marijuana. "Cost of alcohol abuse to society is, by some estimates, greater than the cost of all illegal drug abuse". The article uses detailed graphs to prove this statistic with a sited credible source.

Major values/interest at stake: The major value and interest at stake expressed in this article is the fact that marijuana being viewed as harmful substance compared to alcohol is a detrimental idea. The article points out that marijuana being illegal and challenging to obtain is prompting people to believe alcohol is a better intoxicant to choose. If prohibition were to end the price of the product would be decreased and people could be better educated on the effects of marijuana and more like to understand how dangerous alcohol can be.

Credibility and bias of the author/source: The credibility of this article is to be found true based on the statistic provided and how their statics are prove by credible sources. For example when displaying the data on how legalization has decreased price on marijuana the source for the evidence was cited by "Dale H. Gieringer, norml; LSE (bar 1: California, bar 2: Washington, bar 3: author's projection based on LSE data)"; a very legitimate and accurate source. 

Central claim/evidence: The central claim of this article is the war on the drugs has been a massive failure and it is time to legalize marijuana. "Federal, state and local governments can regulate the cannabis trade as they do with alcohol and tobacco -- monitoring the production process for safety and purity, controlling where it is sold, taxing all aspects of marijuana production and consumption, and redirecting resources from punishment to prevention." The provides the solution regulation and taxation of marijuana to end the wrongful prosecution and to help prevent abuse of this substance

Major values/Interests: This author has a different point of view because of the fact that he is a father himself. The author does not believe marijuana should be used by those considered to be minors or anyone under the age of 21.  The author does not believe marijuana is a harmless substance or should be allowed to be consumed by young people but he does believe that consumption by a person's 21 years of age needs to be acceptable by a legal stand point

Credibility and bias of the author/source: The author of this article has credibility because he himself is a United States citizen who is effected by the laws of our government. His bias is very clear when discussing whether or not it is acceptable for young people to consume marijuana because he is a father with young children himself. 


Personally I am interested in this topic because of the major benefits it would have to our nation fiscally. I do not consider marijuana to be a harmful substance and the fact that it is illegal is completely illogical to be considering the amount of money that could be stimulated with legalization and regulation. If marijuana were too legalized, tax paying dollars would no longer be spent on prisons, court, and polices expenses associated with marijuana being illegal. On top of this, if marijuana were to be regulated and taxed, our nation would create billions in tax revenue across the nation and open a completely new market sector for new American entrepreneurs to capitalize on. I personally don't have a moral stand point on marijuana because I believe no one should ever be able to tell a person what is legal or illegal for them to ingest into their bodies. I personally have indulged in marijuana and don't believe it has zero negative effect on a person but regardless I should not be legally penalized for my personal decision to smoke the substance. I believe I am qualified to write a paper on the legalization of marijuana because I am very educated on the topic. I have watched countless documentaries on marijuana on the legal battle against the plant, the medical aspects of the plant, the chemistry behind THC and CBD, and the finical benefits states that have begun regulation has to offer. I hope to one day be a part of the marijuana industry and capitalize on the legalization. 
