For years the United States of America has been told that the illegal substance, cannabis, is one of the biggest problems facing the public today; but perhaps the real problem, contrary to what President Nixon said, is the fact that cannabis remains federally illegal. One may ask themselves while on their last sip of a mind altering cocktail, "Is federally legal cannabis a good thing?" Yes, it is. As seen in four states within America, recreationally legal cannabis has boosted the economy, helped communities, and individuals experiencing pain. It also has many environmentally beneficial aspects to the plant itself that are just waiting to be utilized. Reform of the current legislation surrounding cannabis is necessary to relieve cannabis of its Schedule 1 name and create regulation of recreational cannabis. 

Because of the current laws, low risk offenders, like teenagers experimenting with cannabis in a residential home, can receive criminal records even felony charges if caught by the police. I have seen too many teenagers lose scholarships, acceptances to college, and job opportunities over a victimless crime. A crime that I, and many others do not find morally corrupt. It astounds me that with all the benefits to be had, the government allows criminals to do the reaping, while harshly punishing low risk offenders. These harsh rules need to be changed in order to protect the futures of the youth as well as utilize the numerous benefits of cannabis on a federal level. In order to achieve this, we must advocate for new legislation to be passed removing cannabis from Schedule 1 and creating a regulation system. Spreading awareness on the subject and providing real evidence is also a main concern, an educated public is more likely to make the logical decision to legalize recreational cannabis. 

Lachenmeier's report "Comparative Risk Assessment of Alcohol, Tobacco, Cannabis and Other Illicit Drugs Using the Margin of Exposure Approach" suggests that instead of spending all our energy fighting the war on illegal drugs, we should focus some toward the management of alcohol and tobacco. For the concern of public safety, they articulate that for such low risk drugs, like cannabis, regulation contrary to prohibition is the recommended approach; although, a closer eye should be kept on legal more harmful drugs like alcohol and tobacco. It may be alarming to think of an illegal substance as less risky than a drug that's available at any restaurant, bar, and gas station, yet scientists accessed the risks involved and have found it to be such. To discover drug effects on human health, they have conducted a new technique for assessment called "Margin of Exposure" (MOE). This creates a ratio between the usual dose people take and the dosage that causes harmful effects; cannabis proved to be the only low risk drug out of the five tested, including alcohol and tobacco (Lachenmeier). Using an unbiased system of assessment makes these findings more credible than any individual opinion. 

On the Huffington Post Website under "Huff Post Politics" the article "2016 Will Be the Biggest Year Yet for Marijuana Reform" articulates the legislation of reform that is plausible to occur in this coming year. Although not nearly as credible as the first article, it does create a picture of how cannabis reform could be on the horizon. The interests lie within the states supposedly on the verge of approving this legislation. The Huffington Post claims to have some "strong allies" within the State Senate that claim that cannabis reform bills are ready to be passed but the truthfulness of this statement will be proven with time. The Huffington Post is a well respected and read news provider so their credibility has some weight; however, when you have so many readers, you want to keep them reading right? 

Business Politics' article under "Politics" titled "America's Drug Companies Are Bankrolling the Crusade Against Legal Weed" highlights the truths behind the major supporters of harsher cannabis laws. Two of the biggest contributors happened to be Pharmaceutical companies and Police Unions. Billions are made in the Pharmaceutical industry off of painkillers that cannabis would significantly decrease as a less addictive replacement for lower level pain. Police Unions are now dependent on the money they receive as a result of the War on Drug's funding as well as fines. This source values democracy, and sees that big business as well as corrupt unions are cheating the system by influencing the laws at hand for their personal gain. Because of the revealed motives behind the push for harsher cannabis laws, it is apparent that police union and pharmaceutical company interests lie within their own bank accounts, not the health and safety of Americans. This source seems to be semi-credible because their arguments are logical. 

Some may argue that there are downsides to legalizing cannabis like brain cell damage, increased criminal activity, and increased cannabis consumption; therefore, it should remain illegal. Yet they cannot argue the economic, medical, and environmental benefits of cannabis.  I can agree that cannabis may in fact affect brain cells in the long term; this was an effect not tested in the assessment in article one. Yet chronic use of any drug is bound to have an affect on the human body. With regard to increased crime, in article three, it states that the police are dependent on cannabis crimes to maintain their cash flow. Because of cannabis' current legal status, it is contributing to more arrests and increased crime. As stated in article one, cannabis is the least risky of most common drugs, therefore if cannabis consumption could supersede other drug consumption within the United States it would be a benefit to public health and safety. Reasoning other perspectives is insightful to obtain a larger view on the subject and what it will effect; however, I still see way too many benefits regarding legal recreational cannabis to agree with any opinion but my own. I feel that with that this exigence is sufficient enough to create a ten-page research paper. 

