Legalize Marjuana Lots of Benefits for the People Essay

According the federal government, an estimated 15 million people recreationally use marijuana at least once a month. In fact, a national survey done in 2009 states more than 104 million Americans over the age of twelve have tried marijuana at least once. These are overwhelming numbers that cannot be ignored. If every one of those people were put in jail it would be more people than in four large states combined! The thought of arresting that many citizens for something so harmless is ridiculous. Marijuana should be legalized because it would increase national revenue, it has medical benefits, and it less harmful than alcohol and tobacco. What could our country do with 42 billion dollars? Perhaps the U.S Government could feed the poor or†¦show more content†¦Former U.S senator Bill First claimed that even though many people believe in marijuana’s effectiveness, he would caution against this assumption due to the lack of repeatable scientific data available. Other memb ers of the opposition would also have you believe that marijuana is more toxic than prescribed drugs, that smoking it is likely to weaken the immune system, and it is addictive. Sadly, those statements are simply untrue. In fact, there are no known deaths from an overdose of marijuana whereas, one hundred deaths occur each day from an overdose of prescription medications. Other claims made by the opposition have no data to support the claims made. Most statements made by those against the legalization of marijuana include the phrase â€Å"it is likely†. Finally, marijuana is safer than both alcohol and tobacco. Alcohol is a legal substance that adults can use recreationally; however, it is both addictive and deadly. There are no known cases of marijuana addiction or any deaths caused directly by it. In contrast, approximately 18 million people have alcoholism and 75,000 deaths are linked to alcohol a year. Even more alarming, it is estimated that 40 million Americans are addicted to cigarettes. In a year, half a million people will die from an illness related to tobacco use. Yet both of these substances are legal. When facts like these are brought to light, those opposed to the legalization of marijuana claim that it is