Repeal Prohibition (Marijuana)

Marijuana is the most common illegal drug used in the United States. Research indicates that over 65 million Americans (31% of the US population aged 12 and older) are estimated to have used marijuana, yet it has been more than 40 years since the congress passed a law making marijuana illegal. Over the years, the war on drugs has not changed much. Although Colorado and Washington allow the sale of marijuana, for both medical and recreational use, it is only legal now under their state law. The use and sale of marijuana is still illegal in the vast majority of the states in the U.S. There are only 23 states that allow the medical use of marijuana and the District of Columbia. Also, there are 2 states that allow both medical and recreational use of the drug and 10 states that have a medical marijuana legislation or ballot measure pending from which 2 have initiatives on the 2014 ballot.

The states where medical marijuana is legal are: Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Alaska and Hawaii.  Lastly, the two states where marijuana has been legalized are Washington and Colorado.

The states that have a medical marijuana legislation or ballot measure pending are: Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

Unlike marijuana, tobacco is far more dangerous than marijuana. Research shows that there are more than 480,000 deaths annually (including deaths from secondhand smoke) with tobacco. Furthermore, an individual is hooked for life with tobacco. With marijuana, it is not common to see people in their 40’s addicted to it like they can be seen with tobacco. Moreover, research from SAFERchoice.org states that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than 37,000 annual U.S. deaths, including more than 1,400 in Colorado, are attributed to alcohol use alone (i.e. this figure does not include accidental deaths). On the other hand, the CDC does not even have a category for deaths caused by the use of marijuana. Even though, activists who fight against the legalization of marijuana state that the use of marijuana damages the brain cells and lowers the IQ number, SAFERchoice.org indicates that a growing number of studies seem to prove that marijuana actually has neuroprotective properties. This means that it works to protect brain cells from harm. One example that they provide is from one recent study that found out that teens who used marijuana as well as alcohol suffered significantly less damage to the white matter in their brains. It cannot be clearer that alcohol and tobacco are far more harmful yet they are legal while marijuana is placed under the list of schedule I drugs.

Caption: Other drugs are more dangerous than marijuana

The prohibition of marijuana makes me think of the prohibition of alcohol beverages that took place between 1920 and 1933 because I feel like the states that allow medical use of marijuana will legalize recreational use of it since they already allow the medical use of marijuana.

I believe that if states legalized marijuana the black market will start to vanish in terms of the sale of marijuana. By legalizing marijuana, it will reduce great amounts of the money that is used by the government to enforce the laws, and in exchange it will most likely increase the country’s revenue.

Research also shows that over the past four decades, federal and state governments have poured over $1 trillion into drug war spending and relied on taxpayers to foot the bill. I believe that with that amount of money spent just on enforcing the war on drugs, the government can reduce those expenses by making it marijuana legal, but with restrictions like the laws that are in place with alcohol beverages and tobacco.

If over 65 million Americans have used marijuana and its mean retail sales value in the United States is approximately $10 billion, why isn't the Congress thinking outside the box? I mean, by legalizing marijuana, there will be less money spent towards enforcing the laws that prohibit the use of it. In addition, there will be less money spent incarcerating people, and as a result there can be more money that can go towards education.

Again, legalizing marijuana with restrictions such as either the laws under tobacco use or alcohol use will help to slowly vanish the black market of marijuana. Also, once marijuana is legalized, it should be taxed heavily to increase our country’s revenue. It can be ideal to tax it heavily because the users will be assured to get “clean marijuana” since “the people who make aspirin will be assuring that it contains no poisons or adulterants.” And perhaps, with the revenue gained from legalizing marijuana, people can unite and petition to the government to spend some of that money in making college education less expensive.

"The argument about legalizing pot isn't that pot is good, but that the war on pot is bad" - Ezra Klein 

For more information, you can visit: 

Where Is Marijuana Legal?

The World's Most Marijuana-Friendly Countries (INFOGRAPHIC)
What is marijuana legalization?
23 Legal Medica lMarijuana States and DC 
A look at marijuana laws in the U.S. - Note: This map is out of date by a month, it does not include Minnesota and New York. Both of these states legalized medical marijuana one month after the map was posted.