The Advantages of Being Legal Essay Example For Students

The Advantages of Being Legal Essay Matt Streett English 102~DThere are many arguments on the question of whether or not to legalizemarijuana. The benefits of legalizing marijuana include its medicinal value andits many uses to produce commercial products like paper, rope, oil, textiles,and canvas. Another good reason to legalize marijuana is that hundreds ofthousands of non-violent drug offenders are overpopulating prisons, costingtaxpayers millions of dollars. Legalization would also put marijuana dealersout of business and it would bring revenue to the government like alcohol andtobacco does. Some opposition to legalizing marijuana is that trafficfatalities would increase, and that more people like school teachers and busdrivers would be smoking legally purchased marijuana. They also believe thatmore young people would smoke more marijuana. We will write a custom essay on The Advantages of Being Legal specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Marijuana is medicine and has been used as medicine for thousands ofyears to treat a wide variety of ailments. It is one of the safesttherapeutically active substances known. Marijuana is often useful in thetreatment of cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and chronicpain. For cancer patients, marijuana alleviates the nausea, vomiting, and lossof appetite caused by chemotherapy treatment. It does the same for people withAIDS. By reducing intraocular pressure, marijuana helps slow or halt thegradual increasing eye pressure suffered by glaucoma patients. Marijuana reducesthe muscle pain and spastically caused by multiple sclerosis. It also helps somepatients control their bladders. With some epileptic patients, marijuanaprevents seizures. Marijuana is also a very effective pain reliever. Hemp, a plant mainly grown for its use as a fiber source, is from thesame plant that produces marijuana. It is different because industrial hemp isgrown with minute amounts of delta-9 and tetrahydrocannibinol, abbreviated asTHC, which is the element in marijuana that gives the high sensation. Industrial hemp is one of natures strongest and most versatile agriculturalcrops. It can be used to produce various things such as textiles, paper,clothing, plastics, cosmetics, food stuffs, insulation, and animal feed. Hempseeds can be used to make high protein foods and the oil can be used to producenon-toxic paint, varnish, detergent, diesel fuel, ink, and lubricating oil. One acre of hemp produces as much fiber as two to three acres of cottonand one acre also produces as much paper as two to four acres of trees. Theadvantage of using paper products produced by hemp is that hemps growing cycleis around one hundred days, while it takes trees years to grow to produce thesame amount of paper. Hemp was cultivated in the U. S. until 1937, when theMarijuana Tax Act outlawed marijuana. In 1942 the government encouraged Americanfarmers to cultivate hemp for the war effort, but then in 1955 prohibitionistshad reasserted a total ban on production. Now the DEA, Drug EnforcementAdministration, remains firmly opposed to any notion of revising the federallaws to allow hemps domestic cultivation. Every year 400,000 Americans are arrested for marijuana and thousands ofthem are sent to prison. Marijuana users and dealers account for sixty percentof all prisoners today. Because of new anti-drug laws, these prisoners can bejailed for up to thirty years, and most are, even for minor crimes. Federal andState governments are spending billions to build more prisons to house hundredsof thousands of non-violent drug offenders. Legalization would kill the black market for marijuana. Marijuana saleswould be regulated by state and federal governments. It would also help theeconomy by a reduction in law enforcement costs, and police could focus more ondangerous drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and crystal meth. .uf9b5d3fb1056e079a4cf545946bb8cdd , .uf9b5d3fb1056e079a4cf545946bb8cdd .postImageUrl , .uf9b5d3fb1056e079a4cf545946bb8cdd .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uf9b5d3fb1056e079a4cf545946bb8cdd , .uf9b5d3fb1056e079a4cf545946bb8cdd:hover , .uf9b5d3fb1056e079a4cf545946bb8cdd:visited , .uf9b5d3fb1056e079a4cf545946bb8cdd:active { border:0!important; } .uf9b5d3fb1056e079a4cf545946bb8cdd .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uf9b5d3fb1056e079a4cf545946bb8cdd { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uf9b5d3fb1056e079a4cf545946bb8cdd:active , .uf9b5d3fb1056e079a4cf545946bb8cdd:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uf9b5d3fb1056e079a4cf545946bb8cdd .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uf9b5d3fb1056e079a4cf545946bb8cdd .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uf9b5d3fb1056e079a4cf545946bb8cdd .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uf9b5d3fb1056e079a4cf545946bb8cdd .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uf9b5d3fb1056e079a4cf545946bb8cdd:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uf9b5d3fb1056e079a4cf545946bb8cdd .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uf9b5d3fb1056e079a4cf545946bb8cdd .uf9b5d3fb1056e079a4cf545946bb8cdd-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uf9b5d3fb1056e079a4cf545946bb8cdd:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Romantism In Victorian era EssaySome people who oppose the legalization of marijuana say that trafficfatalities would increase. The myth is that 40% of drug related emergency roomvisits are marijuana related. The fact is that this statistic purposely excludesthe legal drug of alcohol, a drug notorious for causing violence and accidents. A marijuana related emergency room visit does not mean marijuana caused theincident. If the patient admits to using marijuana days or weeks before theincident or if someone involved in the incident is found only possessingmarijuana, then the emergency room admission is counted as marijuana related. At first, the amount of people using marijuana may increase. The ideathat people like school teachers, day care providers, and bus drivers smokinglegally purchased marijuana and endangering others is something that should notbe worried about. Do these people drink alcohol before going to work or smokecigarettes during work? They are mostly responsible adults and if they choose tosmoke the legally purchased marijuana, they would do it responsibly. Most recreational marijuana smokers will continue to smoke even ifmarijuana is never legalized. I was forced to temporarily quit smoking becauseof the system. I used to occasionally smoke until my room was searched at thecollege I attended freshman year. I felt that my personal rights were violatedwhen every room on my hall was searched after someone set off a firework. Thesearch was conducted by a R.A., a person who is my age, and it was done withoutmy roommate or I present . Nothing was left in plain sight, in fact, all of theparaphernalia was found in a backpack which was in a filing cabinet that was inmy closet. I felt as though I did not commit a crime, but as though I was thevictim. As former president Lincoln said, Prohibition goes beyond the boundsof reason in that it attempts to control a mans appetite by legislation, and amakes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A prohibition law strikes ablow at the very principles upon which our government was founded. Category: S ocial Issues