For centuries marijuana has been used by millions of people for remedies for natural illnesses as well as recreational use. So why is it, that most of the United States is quick to dismiss the idea of allowing marijuana to be studied to further expand our knowledge on its medical benefits? Well the truth is marijuana has been shrouded throughout history by dismissive propaganda that has led marijuana to be classified as a schedule 1 drug. However marijuana yields not only medicinal benefits for the United States but economic benefits as well to further fuel our economy that has been drastically declining over the recent decades. These profits come from tax revenue on medicinal and recreational sales of marijuana, as of right now the marijuana industry has "equated to a $1 billion dollar retail market."(Ingraham 1). This figure is only including marijuana sales in Colorado which has benefitted miraculously economically from marijuana. While medicinal and economic benefits are two of the main reasons many believe marijuana should be legalized, there are also several others benefits that are often overlooked when discussing the issue at hand. These other reasons come from research done of the states that have already legalized cannabis for sale. When you look at these research studies you discover that marijuana has also yielded reduced crime rate, steep decrease in fatal car accidents, tens of thousands of jobs created in the marijuana industry, millions of dollars saved in law enforcement costs, and not to mention the allowance of marijuana to be studied to find even more medicinal benefits.

In a recent study conveyed by Dr. Sanjay Gupta he states "For the first time a majority, 53%, favor its legalization, with 77% supporting it for medical purposes." (Gupta 1). When you take a look at this statistic it's almost shocking to see that so many of our citizens are in favor of legalization but it is only slowly being legalized. The biggest problem with this is that while the citizens might be in favor, medical professionals and facilities still lack the power to further extend their research on this mysterious weed. This puts a shroud around marijuana because not many states are allowed to actually research medicinal effects it has, while there have been some advances on marijuana research, it's not enough to fully discover all the possible benefits the herb could yield. However as we further progress into this century marijuana has gained a tremendous amount of support that just simply was there 30-40 years, which makes it easier for facilities to progress their research on marijuana. So while marijuana does not exactly have the funding or support that we currently need to further expand our research, marijuana activists are happy that we at least have begun to further discover the benefits. 

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, lead medical correspondent for CNN is one of the few medical professionals that has such a passion for this alternative medicine that he believes in so strongly. In his documentary "Weed 3: The Marijuana Revolution." He uses personal cases such as a young girl named Charlotte who he personally helped on a daily basis with her immense amount of seizures. Charlotte's parents were concerned for an extremely long with her seizures, by the time she was 9 she was already having close to 300 seizures a week. This being an extreme detriment to her daily life because she could not control it, then her parents met Dr. Sanjay Gupta who believed he knew what could possibly help with her problem. When consulting the parents they were skeptical at first to idea of giving their daughter medical marijuana but he convinced them that he thought this was the best possible solution to her seizures. Charlotte's parents took a leap of faith and inevitably it was a huge success, Charlotte went from having close to 300 seizures a week to only having a few every month. Now while this is a drastic change, this result will not stay true with every single patient who suffers from immense seizures but as Dr. Gupta states "We know it won't consistently have such dramatic results (or any impact at all) in others, but what medicine does?" (Gupta 1) This is just one of many cases that Dr. Gupta believes has spurred a medical marijuana revolution within the United States. However there is one problem with these cases, mainstream media will not report or broadcast on this medical breakthroughs simply because of their fear for support or ratings. In other words, while marijuana might have breakthrough cases that could give hope to parents or adults who have tried everything to cure or lessen their mental or physical disorders, without media attention they may never know that such things are even an option.

Taking a further look into cannabis there are factors that I failed to mention within my thesis and those would be the industrial uses for hemp if it were to be legalized. When you take a look at Hemp (Cannabis, Marijuana, Weed, etc.) there are 2 parts of the plant that have very different uses. The first of these parts is the hemp seeds, which can be separated from that form to make 3 different categories of parts, the hemp nut, hemp oil and the seed cake. While all of these subcategories come from the hemp seeds, they each have their own unique set of products that can be made from them. Hemp oil for instance can be used in foods, body care and technical products such as supplements, cosmetics, paint, print ink and biofuel. Hemp nut and the seed cake yield production for such products like milk, granola, birdseed, animal feed and protein rich powder. The second of these part is the whole stalk which have very many uses just like the hemp seeds. When looking at the whole stalk you have things can be produced such as diapers, clothing, insulation, hempcrete, carpeting, mulch, compost, printing paper, cardboard and also geotextiles. While I've only listed a few products that I thought ranked at top importance in production there are actually over "50,000 different uses for the hemp plant" (Zitin 1). Not to mention that it is saving hundreds of thousands of trees that are currently used in the production of these products. Hemp can yield 3.8 dry tons of fiber per acre, four times what an average forest can yield, it also takes trees 20 years to mature while hemp only takes 4 months to fully mature for production. Also anything made out of cotton, timber or petroleum can be made out of hemp. Pyrolysis makes it possible for hemp biomass to be used to make Ethanol, Methanol and Methane Gas. Not to mention that Hemp hurds can be cleanly converted into gasoline as well, making this plant extremely useful for industrial purposes across the world. This use of marijuana is often overlooked when it comes to talking about the legalization of marijuana simply because citizens lack the knowledge of all the uses of hemp. These plethora of uses are also what made hemp illegal back in the day when it showed itself as an industrial product that could put the lumber companies out of business. 

The national legalization of marijuana may be drawing a smidge closer to becoming a reality. The National Cancer Institute (NCI), one of the federal governments many sponsored agencies really updated their website to include recent studies on marijuana. These studies showing that marijuana can and has killed cancer cells within patients. This is a huge step in showing the federal government that maybe they made a mistake when marijuana was classified as a Schedule 1 drug, in the same category as heroin, LSD, ecstasy and peyote. The findings of this studies gave many facts about cannabinoids that were till this day unknown. One of the findings was that "when given along with chemotherapy, CBD may make chemotherapy more effective and increase cancer cell death without harming normal cells." (Minton 1) which is miraculous when it comes to chemotherapy because during chemo usually the radiation destroys normal cells along with cancer cells which can cause many deterrence's that negatively affect the patient. These negative effects being such things like appetite loss, insomnia, severe physical pain, and inflammatory problems that come along with chemotherapy. If you personally know anyone who has been through chemotherapy and have been with them to experience what they are going through, you should know that the radiation while killing the cancer cells also deteriorates the patient's body. Their daily schedule becomes filled with radiation appointments, sleep and endless pain that can also cause mental doubts and depression that they may never be cured. While I'm not saying medical marijuana can completely cure cancer because let's face it that is something that probably will never happen. I am saying that if there was anything that was available that could lessen or dim those negative effects, shouldn't that be the first place we look as we think about the mental and physical health of our loved ones. This decrease in pain and inflammation can mean a world of difference to someone experiencing chemotherapy on an everyday basis. 

Cancer is just one of the many illnesses that research has shown can be benefitted by medical marijuana. Taking a look at the other medical illnesses that claimed to be treated or at least lessened by medical marijuana, you see there are such things as anxiety disorders, insomnia, bipolar disorder, seizures, epilepsy, glaucoma and disorders that involve severe nausea or inflammatory issues. While marijuana could be used to help with these such things, it does not have the global support or enough medical facilities that are allowed to research with Cannabinoids. Along with that since the federal government classified it as a Schedule 1 drug, it's impossible for further research to be done or for patients with such illnesses to receive this a prescription. As crazy as it seems there could be thousands more of possible illnesses that could be treated with medical marijuana, but without studies or research allowing to be performed then there is no way of us every knowing all of the possible benefits from it. 

Most people who are against the legalization of marijuana both recreationally and medicinally tend to stick to their long stated argument that marijuana as whole is a huge safety concern. Back throughout the years this statement could not be really contested because there was not much support to research the actual safety concerns of marijuana. But since marijuana now is a more accepted drug than it used to be there are studies done within the last 10-15 years that compare the potential of death from recreational use of 10 drugs. These 10 drugs to include marijuana, alcohol, tobacco, heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, methamphetamine, diazepam, amphetamine and methadone. What was concluded from this study was that "Marijuana was, by far, found to be the safest, even when compared to alcohol and cigarettes." (Shapiro 1). This is a huge step for marijuana activists because it disproves the long used statement that marijuana is a huge safety concern. Then along with safety concerns we can take a look at addiction rates on substance use within the United States reported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse in 2014. Looking at the numbers you will see that that vary widely in dependence rates based on the drug or substance of choice, topping the charts of course by no surprise would be Methamphetamine with a 67% dependence rate. Following this you have Tobacco with 32%, Heroin 23%, Cocaine 17%, Alcohol 15%, and Caffeine/Cannabis being last on the list with a 9% dependence rate. It's shocking to think about that, Cannabis and caffeine being tied in dependence rates when for so long marijuana has been classified as a highly addictive substance. So the real question I propose to ask with this statistic is that why are such things like alcohol and tobacco not being taken more seriously, being the only two things on the list that are legal within the United states, along with caffeine. Cannabis is often framed for being a gateway drug simply because it is the first illicit drug that people try and because of this dismissive propaganda including this factor is often used to criminalize this substance. The real question is if marijuana is such a safety concern and health issue, then what is to be said about alcohol and tobacco. While they are legal and generate huge amounts of profits for the United States in tax revenue, why is cannabis getting to harsh end of the stick when it comes to legalization which could only add to the profits of Alcohol and tobacco. 

With that being said now there is the factor of the legitimate safety concerns of alcohol and tobacco within the United States. As stated in NBC's news article of the safety concerns of these 10 substances that were previously listed. It states "Tobacco use is considered the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S. and chronic alcohol use has been linked to everything from heart disease to cancer." (Shapiro 1). While I'm not saying that I believe alcohol or tobacco should be illegal within the United States, I'm just stating that if these two substances are legal which cause millions of death each year, then why is marijuana not legal? Then there is there the issue with drunk driving because even if you don't drink, alcohol can still kill you. In a CNN article by Dan Riffle he uses statistics report by Federal agencies that show the true danger of alcohol. "Federal agencies report that 40% of violent crimes in the U.S. are linked to alcohol use, whereas those same agencies report that marijuana users usually do not commit violent crimes. Alcohol plays a role in a third of all emergency room visits." (Riffle 1) This doesn't even include the risks of drinking under the influence of alcohol. The irony in this is that there are many organizations like "Save Our Society" that believe only chaos will ensue if adults are no longer punished for marijuana use. This not only criminalizes marijuana but it shows society that we're encouraging them to instead use alcohol. Not only is it more dangerous and harmful but public policy should be geared towards reducing all of the violence and disease, not geared towards maximizing them. 

The result of marijuana being universally available but still being illegal within the United States is that instead of gaining all that money from taxes and regulation "We've enriched murderous drug cartels fueling violence in Mexico that has claimed more than 60,000 lives."(Riffle 1) So not only are we giving money to drug cartels but we are fueling violence in Mexico which is costing their citizens lives. We can also look at the past 80 years throughout U.S. history, our government has spent tens of billions of dollars against this pointless war against marijuana. Billions of dollars that could have been saved simply by putting actual research into the effects and benefits of making marijuana legal. Not to mention all of the possible tax revenue we could have made if we legalized marijuana back then instead of still having it classified as a schedule 1 drug. Then there is the problem of how many arrests are annually made by law enforcement for simple possession and sales. According to a study "We arrest three-quarters of a million adults every year, 87% for simple possession" Which not only wastes the time of law enforcement agents but has costs us hundreds of millions of dollar in courtroom costs for these cases. Just think about all the possibilities we could harvest from simply legalizing marijuana in the United States. 

Taking a look at all of these benefits that marijuana could possibly give the United States, many would ask "Why is it still illegal if all of these things are a possibility?" The simple answer is that marijuana has been negatively publicized for so long that many citizens just have the idea drilled into their head that marijuana is some terrible drug that it truthfully is not. The truth is marijuana is one of the safest substances that is available within the U.S. currently, its addiction rate is drastically lower than all other schedule 1 drugs. States that have legalized marijuana have experienced a huge decrease in overall crime and violent crime. They have also garnered tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue that is going towards public schools and infrastructure, as well as for youth education campaigns about substance use. In states that have it legalized they are allowing it to be researched on and make greater advances in discovering all of the true medicinal properties of cannabis. The thousands of jobs that are being created because of the marijuana industry that supply people with a stable job to support their family, as such things as a master grower can make up to 300,000 dollars a year. However we can also look back at the crime costs of simple marijuana possession and how it is estimated to save $12-40 million over the span of a year by simple ending arrests for possession. So whether you use marijuana recreationally or medicinally or you don't use it at all. At least before you discredit marijuana completely, take a look at all the standpoints and facts of how marijuana could be a huge benefit not only to the United States, but to cancer patients or patients with other illnesses and the world as a whole.

