A nationwide epidemic has been sweeping across the nation for nearly a century now. Marijuana prohibition has affected the lives of millions of individuals in ways ranging from losing jobs, relations and even lives. A decade upon decades of studying and research has brought the plant a long ways. This country goes above and beyond means necessary to help keep the medicine off of the streets, creating confrontations between people who should have never crossed paths. The amount of energy it takes for the people of our nation to keep the so-called drug out of the hands of citizens completely outweighs what it would take to produce, trade and use. Looking at cannabis as a commodity rather than a drug would enhance our country's way of life not only personally or medicinally, but economically as well. 

Since the prohibition against marijuana started in the early 1930's, the knowledge and quality of the deemed drug has come a long way. The word "marijuana" derived from the Hispanics. Americans knew the plant as cannabis and when the people south of the border started to funnel into the states carrying the plant, calling it marijuana, people automatically started to assume that the plant must be harmful since illegals dealt with it to such an extent. Americans started to call the plant marijuana to give it a bad reputation, despite the fact that cannabis was in nearly all medications at the time. After American citizens adopted the term marijuana, another absurd rumor surfaced that caused the plant to look all the more worse. Reports started to pop up more and more frequently claiming that cannabis made black men violent and solicit for sex from white women. With racism being a huge problem at the time, the line was officially drawn. By the end of the 1930's, cannabis was officially ruled a schedule one drug and made illegal in the United States. Illegitimate rumors and actions convinced enough American citizens to look at cannabis as a drug rather than a medicine or commodity. 

The amount of people arrested for marijuana annually is absurd. In 2010 alone, there was an arrest made every thirty seven seconds in the United States. Thirty seven seconds is a short time span in between arrests, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that cannabis arrests accounted for about 52% of all arrests in America in 2010 (Marijuana arrests by the Numbers). The worst part about the arrests that have been taking place for cannabis, is that it isn't even the kingpins making the millions off the plant that are getting arrests; rather it's the street guys who buy small amounts for personal use.

 Whether you're skin color is black or white statistically does have an impact on the chances of being arrested. Despite the two skin colors, the two races are smoking and/or distributing marijuana at the same pace. Blacks are four times more likely to be arrested if caught with marijuana, with numbers reaching up to eight times more likely in some states (Marijuana arrests by the Numbers). With one in every one hundred and eleven adults getting arrested for some type of drug charge, it entitles America to having the highest incarceration rate in the world for drug arrests. Our nation won that statistic by enforcing strict laws that many other nations across the globe don't enforce, or if they do, they do so in a loose manner. Now, if America took the energy they use to enforce laws to keep the plant off the streets nationwide, and used that energy instead to make money legally across the country, a better and possibly even safer way of life would be about us all. 

America's government spends billions of dollars a year just in an effort to keep the weed out of the hands of citizens. The current laws on marijuana cost ordinary taxpayers millions upon billions of dollars a year. Taxpayers pay their hard earned money to tend to the incarcerated people, whether they are in for murder or simple possession of marijuana. A lot of people are sent to prison for possessing marijuana because they are on parole when they are caught with marijuana whether it's on them or in their system. To care for prisoners, it is not cheap at all. Taking the money our government spends enforcing their laws against marijuana and using it towards something more necessary could benefit states and communities in more ways than imaginable. The sky is the limit when it comes to how much the government will save. It's estimated to be just over 3.5 billion dollars a year that the states spend to enforce these laws (Essay on why Cannabis Should be Legalized). Adding that much money to the estimated amount America would earn if cannabis were legalized and taxed like ordinary goods would be somewhere in the ballpark of five billion dollars. Now, more realistically, if cannabis were to be taxed it would have a higher tax on it just like alcohol and tobacco have. If marijuana were to be taxed as much as the two, America could pocket close to nine billion dollars (Essay on why Marijuana Should be Legalized). That much money can be used to solve or help solve so many other difficulties America is facing at the time. Taking a look at how far the few recent states that took the initiative have come since legalizing, it seems obvious that the way of life in those areas has increased. 

Colorado in the first four months after legalizing marijuana pocketed over ten million dollars in taxes (7 ways Marijuana has Already Benefited Colorado in only 8 Months). While the state is making money, they're saving even more. By removing the severity of certain cannabis-related offenses, thousands of people will avoid the collateral consequences associated with marijuana possession. That being said, Colorado is estimated to save nearly twelve million dollars in just a year's span. The money saved in Colorado has been utilized to build schools primarily, but parks and recreational structures have been spawning everywhere as well. Money is being made in ways that weren't even expected. The price of property in the state of Colorado has increased nearly 9 percent, making the governor, who was opposing towards amendment 64, admit to their state flourishing while other states are slowly on the come up taxes (7 ways Marijuana has Already Benefited Colorado in only 8 Months). Obvious as it may sound, but crime has fallen at respectable rates since the reduction of charges were made. Overall crime has fallen more than ten percent while violent crime has fallen nearly six percent. Recreational marijuana legalization in Colorado has started what may seem to be a domino effect of law changes across the country. If things continue to go as well as they are now for the states with recreational marijuana, than more and more states may have no other choice but to legalize in order to dig themselves out of the whole they're in, partially because of marijuana-related expenditures spent by the government. 

One of the many byproducts a pot plant offers is hemp. The reintegration of hemp into America's society would be another way the United States' could earn a profit and create jobs. Hemp is a commodity that could be used for in the industrial world only. Being that hemp contains less than 1% of THC, it posses no safety threats to the health and functionality of individuals (Hemp Legalization). Looking at the product from an industrial standpoint, hemp offers many advantages over some of America's current resources. The most popular among hemp uses involves anything in the textile industry. Since hemps fibers are incredibly strong, it makes it an ideal product to make clothing, rope and paper. Compared to cotton, hemp provides a higher yield per acre, making it theoretically cheaper to produce and manufacture (Hemp Legalization). According to the U.S Department of Agriculture, four times as much paper can be manufactured from hemp than from tress. As good as saving trees and gaining extra textiles for cheaper sounds, one of the more environmental friendly and futuristic uses is using hemp to create cellulose. In the more recent years, cellulose is a compound that has been converted into a biofuel called cellulosic ethanol. This form of ethanol can be used in just as many uses as ordinary petroleum gasoline, and used in a cheaper manner as well (Essay on why Cannabis should be Legalized). As of right now, America is dumping money into countries such as Canada and China that have no laws that ban the cash crop. By legalizing domestic hemp production, America could profit from hemp production and it would help create thousands of jobs in just a single state, not to mention the whole country. With hemp production solving problems such deforestation and reducing the amount of fossil fuels being burned, it makes someone question why it is still being banned at a federal level. 

Comparing marijuana to other drugs, including the legal and not so legal ones, it makes marijuana look like a gift from god. Some of the most addictive and harmful substances can be bought at any local grocery store. Tobacco, alcohol and even caffeine are all considered drugs that can be highly addictive. 

Tobacco constitutes for more than four hundred and eighty thousand deaths a year in the United States alone (Tobacco Facts and Figures). The number of people that are suffering from tobacco related illnesses in America is north of sixteen million (Tobacco Facts and Figures). Making tobacco look all the worst when compared to marijuana and even alcohol is that it can be bought legally in a store when a person is still just a teenager. Cancer has a broad spectrum when caused by tobacco. A person's larynx, esophagus, colon, kidney and the list continue on with what can be affected from smoking or chewing tobacco. One of the biggest controversial topics about tobacco related products is that it posses a threat to people that don't even smoke or chew tobacco. Second-hand smoke kills about forty-two thousand innocent bystanders a year in America (Tobacco Facts and Figures). With big tobacco companies pumping chemicals into their cigarettes and chewing tobacco, it makes people wonder why they would even consider putting the rat-poison flavored toxins into their bloodstream. 

Alcohol posses' threats to millions of people nationwide as well. A poll taken reported that over eighty seven percent of American's eighteen years old or older admitted to consuming alcohol at some point in their lifetime (Alcohol Facts and Statistics). Drinking puts not only the consumers life at risk but it puts other peoples lives in danger as well. It isn't new news at all to anyone that belligerently drunk people tend to do really, really stupid things such as say stuff they shouldn't leading to fights and one of the biggest issues our country is dealing with daily, drinking and driving. Driving while drunk takes the lives of people every day in our home state alone. Social drinking is a big precursor to being a reason to drink. Especially at younger ages, such as in high school or college when people are still under 21 years old, alcohol gives these victims "something to do", as does smoking marijuana. The difference between using the two substances socially or not is that alcohol can become addictive relatively fast, especially if a family suffers from hereditary problems.  Cannabis has been reported to have no addictive compounds or substances in it. What makes our government so adamant to accepting the fact that cannabis is safer to our communities and us when compared to prescription pills, alcohol and tobacco? 

Using marijuana for its medicinal purposes is nothing new. Curing illnesses with cannabis dates back nearly five thousand years in ancient China. The western world started to embrace marijuana's medicinal purposes in the mid-1800's, when the knowledge started to be enough where physicians could begin publishing papers recommending various cures for various disorders including vomiting, glaucoma and pain. Patients with HIV/AIDS who have a loss of appetite are prescribed or recommended cannabis as remedy to their lack of hunger. THC, THCA, CBC, CBD and CBN are compounds extracted from marijuana to treat a variety of different illnesses ("THC, THCA, CBD, CBC, CBN: Some of the Chemicals in Cannabis."). 

Scientists are becoming more and more familiar with what compounds a pot plant contains. With scientists discovering so many different medicinal compounds, known as cannabinoids, aliments are constantly being able to be cured using just one weed that grows naturally.  To this day, scientists have been able to discover 483 different compounds within a pot plant, only actually understanding a select few of the many( "THC, THCA, CBD, CBC, CBN: Some of the Chemicals in Cannabis.")

 Tetrahydrocannabinol, abbreviated to THC, is the cannabinoid that rings the most bells to someone. THC is the compound that makes a user "high" or impaired when the plant is heated either cooked or smoked. A human's central nervous system contains cannabinoid receptors that THC binds to. When THC binds to these receptors, a user feels pain reduction, hunger and relaxation most of the time. THC doesn't just relax someone, but it has been known to treat patients with Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS), Crohn's disease, Alzheimer's and it has even been known to kill cancerous tumors ("THC, THCA, CBD, CBC, CBN: Some of the Chemicals in Cannabis.")

Cannabidiol (CBD) is another one of the most recognized compounds found in the plant. Tolerance towards CBD oil is greater than some other compounds because it has no psychoactive side affects. Reports and studies have been brought to attention that CBD contains anti-convulsion, anti-depressant and anti-rheumatoid sedative properties. People suffering from ADD, epilepsy, Parkinson Schizophrenia and other disorders have been recommended CBD to treat and cure such ailments. Stopping cancer cells from spreading has also been known to happen all thanks to CBD ("THC, THCA, CBD, CBC, CBN: Some of the Chemicals in Cannabis.")

 This list goes on and on when talking about remedies to different aliments that a single pot plant can cure. Despite the easy access some people have in regions where recreational or medicinal marijuana is legal, the federal government still posses a threat to them.  Thousands of people with no age restrictions are able to use marijuana or one of its many byproducts to help alleviate their pain or disorders. 

Over fifty percent of American citizens are pro-legalization. With a greater majority of our country all for the plant being cultivated legally, why does the government seem so stubborn towards letting us do so? Its manifest that hundreds of thousands of our own citizens are in need of some form of the plant, whether its to help ease their epileptic seizures or simple cases of nausea. Protests and organizations have been made in the recent years to express how strongly some of us feel towards legalization, but the problem is none of them gain enough support either because they protest in an inappropriate/childish ways or because the ones that are in front of the courts protesting don't know what they're actually talking about, they're all too worried about getting stoned rather than learning about how America could benefit from cultivation in a realistic manner. With all the different uses, marijuana is a cash crop that could change the way our nation handles business inside and outside of our borders. A pot plant is just about the easiest thing to grow, its not called a weed for no reason. 

