You walk into the local gas station, browse the store for a few minutes until you find a snack that tickles your fancy. Satisfied with the decision, you head to the checkout counter and what’s the first thing in your line of sight? Nope it’s not the cashier’s new haircut; it’s a wide array of cigarettes and tobacco products. The large selection typically far exceeds that of the chip aisle. These products are widely available and easily acquired, despite the fact that nicotine is a highly addictive drug. Cigarette smoking is known to be a dangerous practice, resulting in lung cancer, emphysema, heart disease, and chronic bronchitis; however, the economic benefits speak for themselves. Despite this, smoking marijuana has developed a reputation as the more dangerous habit. “The devil’s lettuce” has widely accepted social, economic, and health benefits which far outweigh that of its counterpart. These benefits have been discredited and silenced by big tobacco money to keep marijuana illegal. This raises the question: why then has the legality of marijuana been in question while cigarettes have seemingly flown under the radar?

Today more and more people are becoming in favor of marijuana legalization for America. Firstly, marijuana should be legal because of its various medical benefits. The medicinal potential offered by marijuana is extremely promising, opening the door to better and higher standards of overall health. This is largely due to recent medical advances, which have confirmed positive effects linked with cannabis across the world of medicine. Medical professionals have found that marijuana can prevent HIV from spreading throughout the body, slow the progression of Alzheimer’s, slow the spread of cancer cells, combat depression and anxiety, and treat epilepsy. 

Historically, notable civilizations and leaders have promoted medicinal use of the substance. The ancient Greeks and Egyptians saw cannabis as an essential in the treatment of ailments and sickness. George Washington, Queen Victoria, and even modern medicine recognized the useful nature of marijuana. From the 1850s until 1942, cannabis was listed in the United States Pharmacopeia. The only problem was prohibition, which was supported with a growing trust in the federal government.  “By 1937, the United States passed its first federal law against cannabis despite objections by the American Medical Association (AMA)” (Landsman). In fact, Dr. William C. Woodward, testifying on behalf of the AMA, told Congress: "The American Medical Association knows of no evidence that marijuana is a dangerous drug" (Landsman). He then warned that prohibition "loses sight of the fact that future investigation may show that there are substantial medical uses for Cannabis."” However, there was an influx of Mexican immigrants in the early twentieth century. They brought with them a different language and a completely different set of customs. Marijuana was considered a societal norm in Mexico. It was commonly used for medicine and relaxation amongst many immigrants. Widespread nativism led to the persecution of Mexicans, which was widely associated to the demonization of cannabis. 

The media played on the public’s fear, spreading propaganda that tarnished the the name of a substance that was an ingredient in most medications at the time. Accusations arose that it made men of color turn violent, and concern that this would cause them to force sex on white women proliferated. Twenthy-three states have legalized medical marijuana, which reflects the public’s realization that race and ignorance played a major role in the banning of the drug. Twisted motives and hidden agendas contributed largely to the way Americans have perceived marijuana.

 It has been estimated that cigarette smoking is a contributing factor in 85% of all lung cancer deaths and is responsible for over 80% of all chronic pulmonary diseases (Berg). Studies have confirmed that cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, accounting for approximately 443,000 deaths. This is one of every five deaths in the United States each year (Berg). Although these statistics are well known, millions of Americans remain undeterred from smoking. This speaks to the lack of logical thinking that surrounds marijuana legalization. Many Americans smoke, and have not promoted the banning of cigarettes, which is arguably a more dangerous habit. 

Marijuana smoke may or may not cause lung cancer; studies have not been performed because of the substance being illegal. Furthermore, according to the American Cancer Society, those that smoke marijuana also tend to smoke cigarettes. This makes it more difficult to conduct a controlled experiment. However, there are other ways to ingest marijuana that will absolutely not cause lung cancer, such as ingesting marijuana orally. This method is referred to as edibles or droplets on your tongue. 

The droplets on the tongue are popular with a strain of marijuana called Charlotte’s Web. Charlotte’s Web is a well-known strain of marijuana because of its ability to help with Dravet Syndrome (Young). Dravet Syndrome is a rare form of epilepsy that makes the seizures uncontrollable by medication, except for Charlotte’s Web. This strain is used with children with the rare disease, and it is dropped on their tongue. It helps to keep the seizures at bay, helping the children to not have to worry about the next seizure. Unfortunately, with marijuana being illegal in most states, this treatment is only available to a few. This forces families to either break the law to help their child or and move their entire life so their child can get treatment. It is unbelievable to think that something with such medical potential is illegal, but cigarettes can be sold everywhere despite having zero health benefits. This speaks to the highly addictive nature of cigarettes, an addiction that many wrestle with throughout their entire life.

Not only do smokers knowingly endanger themselves, but they also threaten non-smokers with second-hand smoke. Over 50 thousand people die from smoke exposure each year, many of whom are children who have parents who smoke. When the consequences of the vice begin to negatively affect those around you, it is a problem, especially considering that those around are typically people that the smokers care for deeply. The power that a cigarette holds can easily be underestimated.

The legalization of marijuana would have a huge impact for the medical community, but it would have an even more beneficial impact on the economy. Cigarettes have a federal tax of $1.01 per pack, and an added state tax on top of that. This additional tax differs from state to state, with states that grow tobacco typically having a lower tobacco tax than states that do not (Boonn). Between 1998 and 2010, the government has collected almost $244 billion from cigarette taxes. The same tax model from tobacco could be applied to the sale of marijuana; the government would then have a lot of extra money to spend on bettering the country. Some may argue that the stigma around the drug will keep it from selling and the legalization would not be beneficial economically. 

However, the first state to legalize the drug, Colorado, tells a different story. Colorado voted to legalize marijuana recreationally in 2012, but the law did not officially go into effect until 2014. In 2015, the second year after marijuana was legalized, the state reported $996 million in revenue from marijuana sales (Boonn). That was a 42% increase over 2014. The next year, the state reported $1.1 billion in marijuana sales, and that was only through October. The estimate for the year at the time was $1.3 billion in revenue. That would be a 30% increase from 2015. A research firm, ArcView Group, recently estimated that the total annual sales of marijuana could reach $22 billion by 2020. 

Considering what the US government made off of cigarette tax in 2015, the market is clearly there for marijuana. In 2015, the US government made $13.4 billion with the states making a combined $16.2 billion more in taxes. In 2015, the average amount that states collected in taxes was $324 million. Through October in 2016, Colorado had made over $150 million in taxes. The market for the drug is there, and not only is it there, it is growing by huge amounts every year. 

Many have expressed concern over the impact that marijuana might have on the economy from a national and state standpoint. Using Colorado as an example, with this past year’s $150 million collected in marijuana sales tax, Colorado is bettering its education system and infrastructure. Of the $150 million, $50 million will go straight to a fund for school construction projects (Huddleston). This includes everything from renovating existing schools and helping to build new schools. The rest of the $100 million will be spread across construction projects for roads, the education system, and the art program for the state. With the extra money Colorado made, they were able to fix their roads from city streets to interstates. This makes the roads safer to travel on and helps the taxpayers because it keeps their cars in better shape. This means fewer trips to the mechanic for alignments and new tires, and more money in the taxpayer’s pocket to do things they want to do. Some of the funding also went to the education system, outside of the construction project. This means schools were able to buy things like updated textbooks, new lab equipment, and new desks for classrooms. Lastly, some funds were allocated for the art program in Colorado, which is huge because currently funding for the arts is being cut on a national level every year. From this example, marijuana legalization would provide economic benefits on a federal level. 

With the extra money generated by the marijuana sales tax, the government could start rebuilding the infrastructure of the country, helping the education system, and allocating funds to programs that are currently underfunded. A study done in 2016 found that 58,495 out of 609,539 or about 10% of bridges in the United States are structurally deficient (Jansen). That is an astonishing percentage for such a developed country. The reason for such a high percentage is because the states must use their limited funds to fix their infrastructure.  With the legalization of marijuana, there would be enough money generated for states to start repairing bridges and fixing their pothole riddled roads. Furthermore, government employees could then be better compensated for the hard work. 

The truck weigh-stations in this country are one of the more underfunded jobs in the government today. Most truck weigh-stations in the country are in disrepair or closed, because the government simply does not have the money to pay workers at the stations. Weigh-stations are a needed commodity on the interstates, because they regulate how much weight a semi-truck can be carrying. Keeping trucks underweight helps to keep the roads from wearing down too fast and having to get replaced quicker. Repaving roads as mentioned earlier, is already a problem in this country without having to do it more often. With the extra money generated on marijuana tax, the roads could not only get fixed, but they could stay that way while generating more jobs along the interstates. 

Lastly, worldview of the American school system is worsening, largely due to a lack of funding for education. Again using Colorado as an example, the money generated by legalizing marijuana would be able to update our school system. Having more money to spend on these things would go a long way in bringing the American education up in the world rankings.

Despite overwhelming evidence, legalization is a slow and tedious process. Although it may be slow, public opinion and perception of marijuana in this country has shifted dramatically in the past decade. More and more people have begun to realize the useful properties contained within the plant and the practical functionality it provides. Cigarettes, on the other hand, are a dying trend. With all the evidence out there about the harmful nature of the substance, people have begun to shy away and find other outlets to replace the nasty habit. If it wasn’t for the big tobacco companies, countless people would still have their brother, sister, father, or mother still sitting next to them at the dinner table. Unfortunately, morals take a back seat to profits and statistics replace faces, making it easy for companies to make decisions that don’t take into account the safety and health of human beings. Although the road has been tough, marijuana has gained traction and is finally breaking through the wall of ignorance which society has built surrounding the legality and safety of marijuana.