The legalization of marijuana has been a dispute for more than a century, with the first of its prohibition laws appearing back when the Marijuana Tax Act was established, in 1937. This prohibited the possession and consumption of the plant throughout the entire US, with exception to medical industries. With its prohibition, it was labeled a Schedule 1 drug, which places it in the same category as Heroin, LSD, and ecstasy. All of these drugs are/were said to have the potential for abuse, no known medical benefit, and are not safe without a health professional overlooking all aspects. Because of advancements in technology such as the creation of vaporizers and edibles and a widespread of availability, marijuana is at the peak of its controversy nationally, and it will continue to be a question as to whether or not it should be considered a Schedule 1 drug, as well as if any medical benefits are presented with its consumption. 

It was not until the end of the 20th century that we started to see a massive increase in its use and the first time it was successfully legalized for recreational use is in 2012 when Colorado and Washington voted on the subject. Already in the short time that the substance has been legalized, revenues for the states have drastically increased, and many that were skeptical are now giving the drug a second look. Marijuana should be legalized in all 50 states because of the ability to reduce prison populations because of those with marijuana charges, the growing number of medicinal benefits, the potential for large profits for the states, and because of the technological advancements, new healthier technology can be created for users. If it is not legalized, however, there will continue to be an expansive underground market for marijuana that the police will never stop chasing. 

It is obvious that we see a lot of criminal charges for drug use and possession, with a majority of the offenders' cases being marijuana-related. The fact that the State will place you in the same detention centers as violent offenders just for having marijuana is absolutely absurd. This not only takes time and money, but can cost you your future if you get charged too severely. This is because with an arrest record, at least in the United States, you can be unable to work for certain companies because you are a walking liability to anyone who takes you in. It can also affect your ability to buy/rent housing as well as acquire student loans. Not to mention the hefty fines that come along with it. According to the South Carolina Laws regarding marijuana possession, first time offenders for possessing less than an ounce of pot will result in at least a $200 fine and a possible 30 days in jail. Any subsequent offense will give you up to a year in jail with fines reaching $2000 (NORML). This does not even compare to the penalties you can receive for possessing more than an ounce or even by having evidence of cultivation of the plant. Luckily in South Carolina, first time offenders have the opportunity to participate in the program called PTI, or pretrial intervention, which will allow the one time expunging of a criminal charge on your record with community service, counseling, and drug tests, all for a fairly manageable cost. Comparing hard criminals to an occasional pot smoker is simply ignorant, but with the legalization of marijuana, there will be no question as to who deserves to be in prison with a permanent criminal record and who does not. 

If legalization happens nationwide, there may also be a drastic decline in non-marijuana related crimes. In a study done by Robert G. Morris from the University of Texas, it was found that the rates for some crimes decreased in the states where it was legalized in comparison to the outlawed states. These crimes involved homicides, robberies, and aggravated assault (Morris). With less of the nation's population in jail, there will be an increased amount of funds allocated to other government/state programs, and we can start to return to the model country that we used to represent. It will also make room for the real criminals who deserve to be in prison, as well as give the police forces everywhere the ability to focus on crimes that are more threatening than marijuana. Without its legalization, the black market will continue to grow haphazardly, and the amount of drug gang violence will only increase. If we can decrease the amount of drug trafficking across borders, the war on drugs will be eliminated for marijuana, and it will lead to a slightly safer society that was previously revolving around the drug. If it is only decriminalized, there is always the possibility that police officers will make more frequent arrests for possession as a result of the penalty being a smaller charge, very similar to a speeding ticket or any other minor civil offense. If marijuana was legalized everywhere, there would not be such a harsh connotation for the word, and people would be more likely to be open and accepting about it, just like alcohol. 

As far as medical applications go, there are plenty that can be found by consuming this "dangerous" substance. In an article from Mayo Clinic, it is said that marijuana is actually helpful in the treatment of some illnesses such as nausea, glaucoma, pain relief, and muscle spasms (Mayo Clinic). Further research goes into the breakdown of all of the components of the plant in order to figure out the cause for both the improvements and deterioration of an individuals' health partaking in its' utilization. Even though it is well known that smoking marijuana in order to get the high is the primary way, there are other methods of getting the THC into your body, as well as innovated strains which yield only positive medicinal purposes with no high feeling, making it more expensive to obtain. In addition to these physical benefits, there are actually psychological and social benefits that come along with it. If you have ever heard of the "smoke rotation" then you know that marijuana is most commonly abused when in a small group of people. Just like alcohol, marijuana acts as a stress reliever and allows people to connect with each other and socialize with an altered state of mind. Think of it like after a long, stressful day of work; the typical American might crack open a cold beer or make a rum and coke to chill their nerves, but why not have the ability to come home and relax by getting high to calm your nerves instead, especially for those unable to drink due to things like Crohn's Disease and other heart complications. If you are just going to stay inside anyways, there's absolutely no risk involved whatsoever. 

Because this is still such a controversial topic, there are also many sources listing the possible negative effects that marijuana can also bring to the table. For example, in an article written by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, it is stated that marijuana can have negative effects on brain development, as seen in teenagers. A long-term study done in New Zealand yielded results showing an average drop of about 8 IQ points in frequent teenage marijuana smokers as they got older (Marijuana Use Harms Health). It also says that marijuana has a relation to some other health problems such as depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and a lack of motivation. This article even goes to say that marijuana is in fact addictive and that long-term users may experience withdrawal symptoms like sleeplessness and a decreased appetite. Even with this information, it is still hard to dispute the facts regarding the positive aspects of the plant. If it is so bad for you, then how can it be possible that there are 0 recorded deaths as a direct result to marijuana consumption. It may be an argument that it can increase your risk in getting into an automobile accident while under the influence of the drug, but if it is treated like alcohol, there will be punishments for driving under those circumstances as well. In this case, I would say that the positive aspects definitely outweigh the negatives.

With the legalization of marijuana comes a lot of potential revenue for the states. Before it was first legalized for recreational use, it was obvious that all the US needed to do to benefit from the industry would be to place a heavy tax on it and regulate it throughout the states. Although only legal in a few states today, these states are already seeing drastic increases in total revenues, giving these selected few a very profitable and guaranteed industry. An article compiled by Tom Huddleston on Fortune gives us insight as to how large the industry has grown already. In just a few years, the Colorado Marijuana industry is already worth $1 billion, and is growing exponentially. California is already predicted to reach that $1 billion mark if it is made legal for recreational purposes. The voting will take place sometime in the latter of 2016 (Huddleston). This industry will allow the states to prosper, tempting other states to legalize as well. With all of this money collected from the taxes, there can be a bigger financial focus on school and education, as well as more severe drug substance-abuse programs. Also in a report by the Drug Policy Alliance, it is stated that "Revenue from taxation of marijuana sales could reach up to $8.7 billion per year if taxed like alcohol or tobacco -- on top of billions in saved law enforcement resources" (Drug Policy Alliance). This is an important subtopic because of the fact that since the United States is in so much debt as it is, our only way out is to chip away at the trillions that are owed to foreign countries currently, and the sale of Marijuana certainly seems like a start to this. If marijuana is not legalized for recreational use in the near future, we may start to see the war on drugs expand into something even larger, and cartels and gangs will only grow and become more dangerous.

As the years go by, we are starting to see a lot more involvement in the industry of vaporizers and other methods to get the "high" that many are after. As we see more and more people switching from cigarettes to electronic cigarettes, there are also more people switching from typical marijuana smoking to vaporizers instead. These small devices are proven to be much healthier to use than the most basic smoking methods. These vaporizers allow the user to obtain all of the available plant compounds, while also omitting from releasing harmful toxins, leaving the user with a healthier dose of marijuana, according to an online article (Green). Also in this article, it is said that the quality of the smoke that is inhaled by the vaping method is drastically different. As much as 95% of the THC cannabinoid content can be inhaled, leading to the calming and soothing effects that is typically left behind. This is important to consider because if the problem with legalization is the harmful effects from traditional smoking, all of the problems can be eradicated with a simple device. But the vaporizer is not the only method that can be used for this process. Due to the advancements in the marijuana technology, we are now able to isolate the THC and make it into butters, candies, and even drinks if you find the right shop. The butter works for the purpose of baked goods, such as cookies and brownies, that the user can consume just like the normal treat, but leaves them with the "high" sensation and is said to have increased effects.

With time, marijuana will be legalized throughout all 50 states, because if not, there will be an imbalance eventually which can create internal problems for the US. If marijuana is legalized nationwide for recreational use, we will see a huge decrease in the number of prison inmates due to the large percentage being marijuana-related, there will be a huge profit margin for the states, also creating a vast number of job opportunities; there will be more research to find out the true effects of the consumption of the drug, and there will be plenty of advancements to the methods of consumption, reducing all possible negative side effects from combustion chemicals. 

