Christopher Lewis
11/1/201
Mr.Lewis
Communications skills
Why Marijuana Should Be Legal
Can I see a show of hands how many people here have ever smoked Cannabis sativa, commonly known as marijuana? I see none of you raised your hand. Well obviously no one would want to admit to a criminal activity in front of their teacher. But why is it that smoking pot is so taboo in our society? After all numerous famous intellectuals support marijuana. Al Gore is considered by many to be the leading figure in climate change awareness and environmental preservation. But few people know that Al Gore also supports the legalization of marijuana. The famed German philosopher Freidrich Nietzche once said, “If one seeks relief from unbearable pressure one is to eat hashish”. The founding father of our nation George Washington, said, “Make the most of the Indian hemp seed, and sow it everywhere!” Marijuana is one of the safest medicinal substances on the planet and is supported by many acclaimed celebrity role models.
The first and most basic reason that marijuana should be legal is that there is no good reason for it not to be legal. Some people ask ‘why should marijuana be legalized?” but we should ask “Why should marijuana be illegal?” From a philosophical point of view, individuals deserve the right to make choices for themselves. The government only has a right to limit those choices if the individual’s actions endanger someone else. This does not apply to marijuana, since the individual who chooses to use marijuana does so according to his or her own free will. The government also may have a right to limit individual actions if the actions pose a significant threat to the individual. But this argument does not logically apply to marijuana because marijuana is far less dangerous than some drugs which are legal, such as alcohol and tobacco.
The Term Paper on Should Marijuana Be Legal?
Should Marijuana be Legalized? Abraham Lincoln once said, Prohibition makes crimes out of things that are not crimes. This is true with the prohibition of marijuana: the use of marijuana should not be a crime, but prohibition makes it one. The real crimes being committed are those by the government. The spend billions of our tax dollars every year in the war against marijuana, lie to us about the ...
The second important reason that marijuana should be legal is that it would save our government lots of money. In the United States, all levels of government (federal, state, and local authorities) participate in the “War on Drugs.” We currently spend billions of dollars every year to chase peaceful people who happen to like to get high. These people get locked up in prison and the taxpayers have to foot the bill. We have to pay for food, housing, health care, attorney fees, court costs, and other expenses to lock these people up. This is extremely expensive! We could save billions of dollars every year as a nation if we stop wasting money locking people up for having marijuana. In addition, if marijuana were legal, the government would be able to collect taxes on it, and would have a lot more money to pay for effective drug education programs and other important causes.
The third major reason that marijuana should be legal is because prohibition does not help the country in any way, and causes a lot of problems. There is no good evidence that prohibition decreases drug use, and there are several theories that suggest prohibition might actually increase drug use (i.e. the “forbidden fruit” effect, and easier accessibility for youth).
One unintended effect of marijuana prohibition is that marijuana is very popular in American high schools. Why? Because it is available. You don’t have to be 21 to buy marijuana — marijuana dealers usually don’t care how old you are as long as you have money. It is actually easier for many high school students to obtain marijuana than it is for them to obtain alcohol, because alcohol is legal and therefore regulated to keep it away from kids. If our goal is to reduce drug consumption, then we should focus on open and honest programs to educate youth, regulation to keep drugs away from kids, and treatment programs for people with drug problems. But the current prohibition scheme does not allow such reasonable approaches to marijuana; instead we are stuck with ‘DARE’ police officers spreading lies about drugs in schools, and policies that result in jail time rather than treatment for people with drug problems. We tried prohibition with alcohol, and that failed miserably. We should be able to learn our lesson and stop repeating the same mistake. After reviewing both sides of this issue, it is an obvious conclusion that marijuana should be legalized in order to increase tax revenues, decrease the amount of “bad” marijuana, and help people suffering from diseases such as glaucoma and even cancer. The ban of marijuana, over the past several years, has not reduced demand or availability in the U.S. On the contrary, marijuana use has dramatically increased due to the widespread publicity given to the drug by music artists, movies, and television, as well as the health benefits that are becoming more known as colleges do independent studies disproving assumptions from old government “facts”, most of which were not actually studied at all.
The Essay on Legalization Of Marijuana Drug People Patients
... is the government to tell people what to do with their own body? Compared with alcohol and other drugs, marijuana is proven ... comfort is outrageous," while speaking on why marijuana should be legalized. "Prohibition of marijuana doesn't work. It has only spawned an ... and sale of marijuana should be legal in the U. S.Works Cited "Drug Information." Parents. The Anti-Drug. The National Youth ...
I have provided you with information, facts and statistical evidence that all point towards the legalization of marijuana. But the truth is it doesn’t matter what I say until you, the people, stand up and besiege the government to re-address the litigation of marijuana. But I’m sure there are many of you thinking, “Well that’s a great speech in all but I don’t smoke pot so why should I care if it’s legal or not?” So I have come up with several reasons why everyone should support the legalizing of marijuana.
The Essay on Marijuana People Legal States
... passed legislation's that would make marijuana legal for medical use. Unfortunatly the federal government will not allow people suffering from various illnesses including, ... Legalized... ." ). There are many different legal compounds that can reproduce the same effects of marijuana. Many people that are against the legalization of ...
Christopher Lewis
11/1/201
Mr.Lewis
Communications skills
Why Marijuana Should Be Legal
( Outline )
Liberty: people deserve freedom to use marijuana.
* Individuals deserve the right to decide whether or not they should use marijuana.
* The government should not tell individuals what to do as long as they do not harm others.
* Medical reason and medicine purposes .
Cost: keeping marijuana illegal is expensive.
* We would have more money to spend on important problems if marijuana were legal.
* Locking people up (cost)
* We be able to tax it
Failure: prohibition doesn’t help.
* Prohibition does not work. Education and treatment are better ways to address the drug problem.
* people suffering from diseases such as glaucoma and even cancer