Government should legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana

Courtney Kyle, Forum Editor
Published On: 05/26/2009

Each year billions of dollars are spent on marijuana prohibition, about $10 billion dollars to be exact. Also, each year, more people are arrested for possession of marijuana than all other violent crimes combined. The prohibition of marijuana is costing American taxpayers too much, our government should legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana.

The effects of marijuana are less harmful than the effects of alcohol and the possibility of addiction among its users is less than that of alcohol. Of course, I would be wrong to say that marijuana has absolutely no negative effects on its users. However, the negative effects caused by marijuana are no worse than the negative effects of alcohol, tobacco, or the use of prescription drugs.

My main point, of course, is simply that so many people use marijuana that thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of tax revenue could be created if marijuana were legalized. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that about 6% of people in America, ages 12 or older, use marijuana.

Before marijuana can be legalized the myths about marijuana use need to be cleared up. One myth is that marijuana is a gateway drug, a drug that will lead people to try harder and more harmful drugs, when in fact, marijuana shows no signs of being a gateway drug. Some people even think that marijuana users are more likely to act out violently; however, the truth is that alcohol is much more likely to cause one to act violently towards others than marijuana. Marijuana is generally used by people who seek a feeling of relaxation rather than violence, anyway.

Another myth is that marijuana has no medical value whatsoever, when it has been proven to have medical benefits. For instance, marijuana usage has been proven to ease the nausea of chemotherapy in seriously ill or terminal patients.
If marijuana were legalized for sale and use throughout the entire nation, a possible $30 billion or more in tax revenues could be made, thousands of jobs would be created, and hundreds of thousands of non-violent criminals could be released from jail, saving taxpayers billions of dollars.

Some people might argue that if marijuana cannot be legalized completely, then at least the possession of marijuana should be decriminalized. This is an argument that many people make because of the high number of people arrested for possession of marijuana. The problem with this, however, is that it would only encourage people to continue smoking marijuana that they buy off of the street.

The problem with buying marijuana off of the street is that one never knows where their marijuana is coming from, or to whom their money is going. This is the main problem that I, personally, have with marijuana.

The marijuana that people currently buy is not regulated, meaning it could be laced with potentially hazardous chemicals or poisons such as fertilizers and pesticides. Also, the money that is spent on marijuana is probably going to people who are actually violent, like drug trafficking gangs.

I think that the possession of marijuana should not be decriminalized until the sale, use, and possession of marijuana can be completely legalized and regulated. While I have no problem with people smoking marijuana, I think that arresting them for possibly financing dangerous organizations should continue to be punishable. I think there could be room for leniency, but not complete decriminalization.

This is the most important reason why marijuana should legalized. Millions of people are going to smoke marijuana regardless of what the government says. The government needs to legalize marijuana. It would make it safer for people to use, it would create jobs for people who need them, and it would bring in tax money that could be used for social programs or tax cuts.

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